Puckapunyal Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle

[Chris Ballance]

I'm trying to track down the history of the crawler on display at Puckapunyal modified as a beach armored recovery vehicle. I was wondering if someone might be able to help with some questions.

Several sites list the Puckapunyal vehicle listed as a D7, but Brian Braxter's book "Breakdown: A History of Recovery Vehicles in British Army" stated that only D8 crawlers were selected by REME for waterproof armored bodies. Is this vehicle an Australia conversion based on a D7? I know the Australians used M3s for BARV conversions, but did they also use D7 or D8s like the British beach recovery sections?

Also I have question about proper designation for these crawlers. Braxter's states the vehicles had armored bodies, but they are not called BARVs in his book, I guess to prevent confusion with the M4 BARVs. Instead the water proofed D8s are said to have been given the name of Porpoise. But I know that Porpoise was the name given to sleds used on the Normandy beaches?

Thanks in advance for any help with these questions, Chris.

[motto]

Can't help with your query Chris as I know nothing of BARVs but the name of the base is Puckapunyal with 'n' not an 'm'.
This may help with any correspondence you enter into.

David

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Chris,

The Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle (Aust) No.1 Mk.1 at the Army Tank Museum, Puckapunyal, is based on an M3A5 Grant tank. The example, built around 1950, was the only one converted, and Mild Steel was used, as it was intended only as a training vehicle. It was used by the RAEME Training Centre at Bandiana, Victoria. Upon its 'retirement' from duty in the early 1970s, it was transferred to the Army Tank Museum.

The design was based upon the British M4 Sherman-based BARV.

As the Australian version wasn't actually 'armoured', it is a stretch to call it a BARV, but that was its designation. I suppose if 'push came to shove' (no pun intended), then any built to the Aust design for use in a combat situation would have been made from armour (but none were....).

Mike

[Chris Ballance]

Can't fix the post title, did fix the spelling of Puckapunyal in the original post. Terrible, it's a good thing I don't make a living as a writer.

Thanks for the information on the post war M3 BARV conversion! I have always been interested in recovery vehicles. I hope one day to get to visit the REME Museum in the UK and Puckapunyal in Australia. I kick myself for not seeing them when I worked overseas in both countries.

Does any know if the following Puckapunya BARV is based on D7 or a D8?
http://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/...yal-BARV-1.jpg

Chris

[tankbarrell]

That's a D8, the six bottom rollers give it away, the D7 of the time only having five.

[Chris Ballance]

Thanks Adrian for confirming the vehicle is a D8. I just found a copy of the Tankograd Tech Manual on the WW2 D7, but I still have a good bit to learn about both the wartime D7 & D8.

I noticed this BARV D8 is not listed in the online inventory of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Tank Museum. Maybe it belongs to the collection of the Australian Army Museum of Military Engineering (AAMME) but is in storage at Puckapunyal?

It would also be interesting to know if the vehicle was one of the REME conversions or if was an Australian copy built for the RAEME.

[Mike Cecil]

Chris,

It's a new one on me, and I have been to the ATM many times, though not recently, and thought I knew the collection reasonably well!

Sorry for for mis-directing your thread about a BARV you probably already knew about.

Mike

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Chris, I changed the title for you.

To read more about the Grant BARV, see http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/Arm...les/m3ph_2.htm

Regarding the Caterpillar D8 tractor: due to their very low ground pressure it was ideal for beach work, so it was selected as an alternative to the Sherman BARV. It was wadeproofed by the REME. In one of his books Brian Baxter of the REME writes they were also fitted with an armoured body, but other sources state they were only wade proofed but not armoured.

They are referred to as "wade-proofed D8 tractors", never as BARVs. I suggest not using this term as it solely refers to the Sherman BARV.

HTH,
Hanno

[Chris Ballance]

Thanks Hanno for changing the title of my post and for the additional information about the Australian M3 BARV and the recommendation on the proper description of the for the wade-proofed D8.

I'm planning on dropping a few letters to the REME museum in the UK and the AAMME in Australia. If I find out anymore details about the vehicle in question I will post them on MLU.

Happy New Year!

Chris.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Chris,

Please do as there is yet still a lot to learn about them. Here's a great picture of a wade proofed D8:


This thread also contains pictures: http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=12987


Best wishes for 2015 to you too!

Hanno

[Hanno Spoelstra]

For good measure, here is a picture of an Armoured Bulldozer, also made by Caterpillar and converted by the British, but used for other purposes than the Tractor.

[Mike Cecil]

Chris,

The RAEME collection forms part of the Army Museum Bandiana (AMB): from their website:

"Royal Australian Army Chaplains Department
• Royal Australian Corps of Transport
• Royal Australian Army Medical Corps
• Royal Australian Army Dental Corps
• Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps
• Royal Australian Electrical & Mechanical Engineers
• Australian Army Catering Corps
• Australian Army Psychology Corps
• Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps
• 2/23rd Australian Infantry Battalion
• Australian Women's Army Service
• Australian Service Nurses
• Army Apprentices
• United Nations, and
• The John Laffin Collection

Gaza Ridge Barracks, South Bandiana, VIC 3694
Ph: (02) 6055 2525
Fax: (02) 6055 2886
Email: bandiana.museum@defence.gov.au "

Regards

Mike

[Chris Ballance]

Hi Mike,

Sent an email to AMB a week ago, no reply yet. Maybe an old fashion letter will work. I think I need to write to the Tank Museum as well. I heard Puckapunyal is currently closed to the public, but maybe someone is reading the mail.

It might be a few months before post again. But I will see what I can find out.

Chris