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Sherman V (M4A4) ARV Mk I & Mk II - case report

Attention, armored forces engineers!!

Today we're going to talk about two girls who evolved from combat tanks to recovery tanks. These charming machines were the true guardian angels of tank crews with mechanical problems. We are talking about the Sherman V (M4A4) ARV Mark I and Mark II.

Sherman V ARV Mk.I of the 79th Armoured Division
30th Armoured Brigade Workshop

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME)

France - Summer 1944

History:

Combat vehicles are exposed to operational damage, whether from enemy fire, the harshness of the terrain they face or even mere mechanical breakdowns. And these same vehicles are very expensive, whether due to their economic value or their tactical importance on the Battlefield. And vehicles on the combat front that are unable to move under their own power, run the risk of being more easily destroyed by the enemy (generating a total loss, both economically and tactically) or, even worse, run the risk of being captured, revealing their qualities and deficiencies that are more secret and, even worse, can be used against their former operators. Based on this premise, any vehicle that suffers damage considered repairable should not be abandoned on the battlefield. The recovering or towing these damaged vehicles has been a concern of the British Army since the first machine crawled across the battlefield, against the Germans, in the pioneering days of WWI.

The British Army salvaging important parts from damaged tank

Western Front, 1914-1918

Chinese Labour Corps men and British soldiers removing parts

from a Mark IV tank at the Central Stores of the Tank Corps

Teneur, France - spring 1918.

But with the end of hostilities in 1918, all these ideas and developments entered a justified period of latency.

With the outbreak of WWII, the topic of recovering rolling stock was once again debated in the British Army. In the initial stages of the conflict, wheeled tractors with all-wheel drive, such as the Scammell SV2S, were used to recover disabled combat vehicles.

Scammell Pioneer SV2S recovery vehicle

Right side view

These tractors/tugs provided very good service when used on more regular terrain, such as that found in the campaigns of North Africa and the French plains, but the need for recovery vehicles that could have better traction capacity and mobility soon became evident. on uneven and/or flooded terrain and to recover increasingly heavy armored vehicles, even under enemy fire. The need for tracked and armored recovery vehicles was a reality.

Two Scammels, a SV2S heavy breakdown tractor in background

and a TRMU30 Tractor with TRCU30 trailer 30t. tank transporter

rescuing a Matilda II tank back to the workshops for overhaul.

African desert - 3 August 1942

font: IWM E 15182

At the beginning of 1942, the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) began work on converting tanks into Armored Recovery Vehicles (ARVs). These projects took place at the Arborfield facility, in Berkshire. These recovery vehicles were to accompany armored formations in forward areas of attrition and combat. And due to their armored protection and track traction, they would be able to maneuver on all types of terrain, with the same speed and performance as the combat vehicles in the armored formation. These ARVs were to be able to recover damaged or bogged tanks and transport them to the rear, where they could be loaded onto transporters or trailers to be taken to workshops for repair. If the repairs were minor, the ARVs would carry the necessary equipment and tools so that work on the damaged tank could be done in the field, by the ARV crew. With this, the tank could be put back into active service without delay and without overloading the rear maintenance workshops. For the initial conversion work to the ARV standard, REME employed tanks that were being used by Armored Divisions, such as the Crusader, Grant and Churchill, in the facilities at Arborfield.