SHERMAN CRAB

Enter the mine flail

The idea of having a tank mounted with a rotating cylinder with chains attached to it that could detonate mines ahead of it to clear a path for other resources had been kicked around for some time in British circles before it came into full effect with the Sherman Crab. South African Captain Abraham du Toit is credited with the original concept of mounting such a device on the front of a tank and shared the idea with other mechanical engineers before heading to Britain to develop it further.

As it happened, multiple parallel schemes for this concept were in development from 1942, with the Sherman Crab ultimately endorsed and requested for production by General Percy Hobart. While du Toit’s own thinking called for a flail powered by its own engine, the Crab’s flail was linked to its main engine. It was also fitted with cutters on the rotor so that it could munch through barbed wire.

It was not without its issues, as the flails could become tangled – something that was improved with later design upgrades – and it could only move at 1.2 miles per hour while it was clearing mines. It could also only catch so many mines, and the chains could be blown off in the process, requiring repair down the line. In 1948 du Toit received a bonus from the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors for his contribution to the war effort for the initial concept and development.