How is THAT a Tank? The Story of the "Funnies"

It was 1942, and the Dieppe raid was a complete disaster. One of the many failures of Dieppe was that the tanks they brought either sank, were destroyed mere yards from the landing craft, or ran out of ammunition before they could make any difference. This prompted engineers in Britain to create special tanks suited to specific jobs, like clearing beach obstacles and creating stable surfaces over antitank ditches. These tanks would soon earn a name for themselves: the "funnies".

Most of the funnies were developed and used by the British, although the Americans used one special Sherman, the Sherman DD. What it was is a Sherman tank that was modified with a propeller and a canvas screen, effectively turning the tank into an amphibious vehicle. Once ashore, the gears used to power the propeller could be removed and the Sherman was a normal tank again. Many of these tanks were deployed during the D-Day invasion. The problem was that the canvas screen wasn't strong enough and most of the tanks deployed ended up sinking, taking the tank crew down with it. Later, these problems were fixed in the Mark II, and the DD Sherman went on to be a very effective river crossing tank.

The British used many more different funnies than the Americans. Most of them were based on the Churchill tank, though some were based on the Sherman. One was equipped with a rotating arm with lengths of chain that spun in front of the tank for the purpose of clearing landmines. another was equipped with a flamethrower, with the fuel stored in a towed trailer. Others were used as bridging vehicles, where a tank with the turret removed would drive into a ditch, be abandoned, and then other tanks could drive over the tank, thereby bypassing the ditch.

These tanks certainly looked funny, but they also did invaluable services for the Allied armies to keep the war machine moving. Demand was high for these tanks, and their reputation definitely outweighed their looks. Until next time, take care, and thanks for reading.