Churchill AVRE
In service 1944 - 1960s
Also known asAssault Vehicle Royal Engineers, Churchill AVRE Petard
Hobart's engineering tank: a Churchill with a dustbin-throwing mortar for blowing up bunkers and obstacles.
Built byVauxhall Motors
Development history
Converted for the Royal Engineers, the AVRE traded its gun for a Petard spigot mortar firing a 40 lb demolition charge at close range, and carried fascines, bridges, mats and mine ploughs on detachable frames. It went ashore on D-Day with 79th Armoured Division and remained the British army's standard engineer tank concept for decades.
Notable actions
- Normandy landings (1944)
- Walcheren
- Rhine crossing