Military engineering vehicle
Captain SG Galpin RE conceived a prototype Light Tank Mk V to test the Scissors Assault Bridge.
This concept was realised by Captain SA Stewart RE with significant input from a Mr DM Delany, a scientific civil servant in the employ of the EBE.
[1] Hobart's Funnies were a number of unusually modified tanks operated during the Second World War by the 79th Armoured Division of the British Army or by specialists from the Royal Engineers.
They were forerunners of the modern combat engineering vehicle and were named after their commander, Major General Percy Hobart.
Forces, Sherman tanks were also fitted with dozer blades, and anti-mine roller devices were developed, enabling engineering operations and providing similar capabilities.
Typically, this involves adding armour for protection from battlefield hazards such as artillery, unexploded ordnance, mines, and small arms fire.
These vehicles typically sacrifice some depth of capability from civilian models in order to gain greater speed and independence from prime movers.
Lighter and less multi-functional than the CEVs or AEVs described above, these vehicles are designed to conduct earth-moving work on the battlefield and generally be anti-tank explosive proof.
These vehicles have greater high speed mobility than traditional heavy equipment and are protected against the effects of blast and fragmentation.
Another type of CELLs are armoured fighting vehicles which are used to transport sappers (combat engineers) and can be fitted with a bulldozer's blade and other mine-breaching devices.
They are usually armed with machine guns and grenade launchers and usually tracked to provide enough tractive force to push blades and rakes.
Other types of military ferries, such as the Soviet Plavayushij Transportyor - Srednyj, are able to load while still on land and transport other vehicles cross country and over water.
Most CEVs are armoured fighting vehicles that may be based on a tank chassis and have special attachments in order to breach obstacles.
The Hobart's Funnies of the Second World War were a wide variety of armoured vehicles for combat engineering tasks.
The British Churchill tank because of its good cross-country performance and capacious interior with side hatches became the most adapted with modifications, the base unit being the AVRE carrying a large demolition gun.
