AVRE BOBBIN

The carpet layer

MADE BY: BRITAIN DATE: 1944

The plans for a beach landing on D-day were gathering pace and new concepts for how to deal with every conceivable challenge the forces might face were being thrown at the wall. A previous attempt at a beach landing at Dieppe had shown a lot of the potential shortcomings, such as not being able to get tanks in position to offer cover to ground troops. Some tanks simply hadn’t been able to move on the shingle surface. While some teams worked on explosive wheels to punch through defences and others looked to clear minefields, this Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers tank had the very simple task of laying a carpet down for the following tanks. The Bobbin, named after the spindle of canvas it carried between two steel arms, was intended to ride ahead of a tank column as they mounted the beach, giving them a more consistent surface to drive on and hopefully prevent them from sinking into the sand. Further tanks that carried wood or were partially amphibious were also designed under the command of Major General Percy Hobart, from which the term Hobart’s Funnies has been derived. They certainly were peculiar, but also rather ingenious.