Sappers, atteeeention !!!
Today we continue our exploration of the Churchill Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV) lineage, looking at the Mark II version, the last and most developed of the family, which fought from the end of WWII through the Korean War and beyond, only leaving service in the late 1950s.
Here is the Churchill ARV Mk.II.
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II - (5th RTR) - crossing a Bailey bridge in demonstration near Amersfoort, Netherlands - May, 1945. A joke with real photo.source: Internet |
History
The Churchill ARV (Armoured Recovery Vehicle) was a British recovery vehicle of World War II based on the Churchill heavy tank. It was used by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) of the British Army to recover other tanks from the battlefield from 1942 onwards.
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| Churchill ARV Mark II with jib raised, showing rope run R.E.M.E. Experimental Establishment. Nr. Wokingham, Berkshire.UK. 23 August 1944. source: IWM (H 39914) |
Design and variants
Mk.I
The Churchill ARV Mk.I were turretless Churchill Mk.II infantry tanks, fitted with an A-frame hoist arm which could be mounted at the front of the vehicle but their primary function was towing.
Production of these vehicles began in early 1942 and their armament consisted of two Bren .303 light machine guns, mounted on a “Pugh” mounting with anti-aircraft capability, in the center of the turret space and the most of the vehicles kept the hull's Besa 7,92mm medium machine gun, in the bow of the vehicle. For more information about this vehicle, see this article here on Bunker...
Mk.II
The Churchill ARV Mk.II was a Churchill Mk.III or Mk.IV tank with the turret removed to mount a fixed welded-on superstructure imitating a turret with a dummy gun but housing a powerful winch with 76 m of cable and capable of pulling 25 tonnes.
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II crossing a trench with Churchill ARK Mk.II source: The Tank Museum |
At the front it was fitted with the same front hoisting arm as the Mk.I, which could be raised and had a lifting capacity of 7.5 tonnes, while at the rear it had a shovel and a fixed crane arm rated for 15 tonnes. In order for the winch cable to be used at the front of the vehicle, the cable had to be threaded around a series of pulleys. With a crew of only three men, it had enough space to also carry the crew of the tank being recovered. Armament was a single 7.92 mm Besa medium machine gun in the front of the hull, with some crews being able to add various types of machine guns near the superstructure hatches, like .303 Bren light machine guns, .303 Vickers K or .50 M2 Browning heavy machine guns.
Key differences from the Mark I:
- Fixed superstructure: The Mark II featured a large, fixed, box-like superstructure in place of the turret. This provided a protected working area for the crew and housed the new recovery equipment. The casemate turret featured two simple cupolas on its top, cylindrical in the initial versions and hexagonal in the later versions, without optical devices and closed with simple two-part hatches, also without any optical device.
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| Churchill ARV Mark II - top front view Notice the casemate turret with two cylindrical cupolas (early version). and the dummy gun installed slightly offset to the left to not interfere with the winch cables. Front top view REME Experimental Establishment Near Wokingham 23-8-44 source: IWM (H 39909) |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II, in a photo taken in Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE), located in Chobham Lane, Chertsey, Surrey, United Kingdom. post-WWII. Notice the box-shaped turret with hexagonal cupolas (late version) source: IWM (MH 9818) |
- Powerful winch and jibs: A major upgrade was the installation of a powerful 25-ton capacity winch, which could be used to pull vehicles from a static position. It also had a permanent A-frame jib at the rear with a 15-ton capacity for heavy pulls and a longer, higher front jib for lifting equipment like engines.
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| The crew of Churchill ARV Mark II putting wire rope under toward jib head - REME Experimental Establishment Near Wokingham - 23-8-44 source: IWM (H 39911) |
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| The front jib of Churchill ARV Mark II erect in his front REME Experimental Establishment Near Wokingham - 23-8-44 source: IWM (H 39912) |
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| The rear jib of Churchill ARV Mark II erect in his rear REME Experimental Establishment Near Wokingham - 23-8-44 source: IWM (H 39908) |
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| The rear jib of Churchill ARV Mark II erect in his rear top rear view REME Experimental Establishment Near Wokingham - 23-8-44 source: IWM (H 39910) |
- Earth spade: To anchor the vehicle during heavy pulls, a large earth spade was mounted on the rear hull that could be lowered to the ground.
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II. showing the rear portion of the vehicle, with the earth spade raised by the rear jib. source: IWM (MH 9817) |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II. showing the earth spade buried in the ground, in a containment position. REME Experimental Establishment Near Wokingham - 23-8-44 source: IWM (H 39915) |
- Dummy gun: A dummy gun barrel was normally attached to the superstructure to make the vehicle appear as a standard tank, discouraging enemy soldiers from targeting what they might perceive as a more vulnerable, unarmed vehicle. Some Churchill ARV Mk.IIs carried a dummy gun made with a simple long pipe and others, a barrel with a muzzle brake simulating the 75 mm Ordnance Quick-Firing (OQF.) gun version. These dummy guns were installed slightly offset to the right or left so as not to interfere with the winch cables.
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| Churchill ARV Mk. II, peacefully resting on a bend of the road. Notice the dummy gun, made of hollow metal tubes, simulating a 75 mm Ordnance Quick-Firing (OQF) gun source: IWM (H 39906). |
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| Churchill ARV Mk. II, with the front jib erected. Notice the dummy gun, made of hollow metal tube source: IWM (KID 2482) |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II being loaded onto a raft during the crossing of the Rhine, Germany -24 March 1945 source: IWM (BU 2065) |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II crossing the Rhine on a raft, pulled by RAF balloon winches, 24 March 1945 source: IWM (BU 2066) |
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| The same Churchill ARV Mk.II from the photos above, after crossing the Rhine River, getting off the raft. 24 March 1945 source: Youtube |
They were also used throughout the rest of the North-West European Campaign until the end of the war, including the Korean War (1950-53)and beyond, until the end of the 1950s, when it was replaced by the FV4006 Centurion ARV.
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II from 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1 RTR) in the Shek Kong Army Camp Hong Kong - 1957-58. |
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| Taking a rest, with Churchill ARV Mk.II from 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1 RTR). Shek Kong Army Camp Hong Kong - 1957-58 |
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| FV4006 Centurion ARV from Dutch Army. |
Currently, there are three Churchill ARV Mk.II tanks preserved in Museums or on display worldwide.
- Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Museum in Lyneham, United Kingdom
- Cavalry Tank Museum in Ahmednagar, India.
- Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering in Secunderabad, India.
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II in the WWII gallery of the REME Museum at MoD Lyneham in Wiltshire, March 2022. |
| Churchill Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV) Mk.II | |
|---|---|
| Type | Recovery tank |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1942–1952 (British Empire) |
| Used by | British Army |
| Wars | Second World War Korean War |
| Production history | |
| Designed |
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| Manufacturer | Vauxhall Motors and others |
| Produced | 1944 |
| Based on | Churchill tank (Mk.I - Mk.IV) |
| Variants | Churchill ARV Mk.I Churchill ARV Mk.II |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 8,38 m - Mk.II |
| Width | 3.25 m |
| Height | 2.96 m - Mk.II |
| Crew | 3 (commander, driver, co-driver/hull gunner) |
| Armour |
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Main armament |
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Sec. armament |
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| Engine | Bedford 12-cylinder, 4 stroke, water-cooled, horizontally opposed, L-head petrol engine 350 hp @ 2,200 rpm |
| Transmission | Merritt-Brown 4-speed constant-mesh epicyclic gearbox |
| Suspension | Coiled spring |
| Fuel capacity | 682 liters |
Operational range | 120–210 km |
| Maximum speed | 24 km/h |
Steering system | Triple differential steeringin gearbox |
The kits
This project was done in parallel with the Churchill ARV Mk.I,, which I presented in this report. The kits used were the AFV Club Churchill Mk. III AVRE (#35167) and the Accurate Armor Churchill ARV Mk. II (C-065) resin conversion kit.
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| Kojak and Churchill's double project |
The two projects (Churchill ARV Mk.I and Mk.II) were built in parallel, but in this report, I will try to show images that focus more on the construction of the Mk.II version of the ARV.
After building the chassis and suspension of the AFV Club's Churchill Mk.III AVRE, I began installing the Accurate resin parts, separating and cleaning the one-piece fenders that protected the tank tracks. I also cleaned the large superstructure piece, which replaced the tank turret, of all burrs.
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| The AFV Club chassis is already built, with the resin parts cleaned and ready to go. |
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| The twisted fenders... |
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| ...and after being heated and aligned. Much better!! |
Before gluing the Fenders into place, I installed the AFV Club vinyl tracks, as the ARV model Fenders are quite well-shaped. Notice, in the background, the Fenders awaiting installation, with weights maintaining their straight position while the tracks are installed.
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| Tracks in position. Notice the resin fenders in background, with weights maintaining their straight for precaution |
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| Attaching the fenders with superglue onto the Churchill suspension sponsons. The use of clamps is mandatory for a better fit. Right side |
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| Attaching the fenders with superglue onto the Churchill suspension sponsons. The use of clamps is mandatory for a better fit. Left side |
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| Cutting off the horizontal plastic bar for the air filters. The resin filters do not have the groove for this bar. (both sides - red arrow) |
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| The fenders and side air filters are glued into place. Testing the positioning of the superstructure. |
The upper deck of the AFV Club must be cut in its middle section to remove the turret hole. This cut is somewhat complicated. I recommend cutting the front section first, including the driver and co-driver hatches, taking into account the references of the front fitting with the frontal armor of the hull and, in the rear section of this front section, the support on the frontal portion of the superstructure. After everything is well measured, cut the plastic using a scribber and/or scalpel, with the aid of a metal ruler. The rear section follows the same rule: use the end of the upper deck as the part to align with the rear section of the hull, and cut the front section of the aft piece where the superstructure ends. It sounds complicated, but it's not.
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| Cutting the middle portion of the AFV Club's top deck. The only precaution is to align the plastic cutouts to perfectly fit the resin superstructure. |
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| Perfect cut and alignment between the pieces. Note the front armour with the driver's hatch and the co-driver's BESA mount in position. Front left view |
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| Perfect cut and alignment between the pieces. Note the front armour with the driver's hatch and the co-driver's BESA mount in position. Front right view |
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| Perfect cut and alignment between the pieces. Note the rear armour and ventilation grille in position Rear view |
There is an Accurate Armour kit that comes with a complete interior (Churchill ARV Mk.II w/ Interior - #C065I), but my version is the basic one (without interior). So we will glue the superstructure roof with its hexagonal domes (late version).
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| Closing the casemate. Notice the PE grill for air filters, from the Accurate kit. Front left view. |
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| Closing the casemate. Notice the PE grill for air filters, from the Accurate kit. Front right view. |
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| Closing the casemate. Notice the PE grill for air filters, from the Accurate kit. Rear view. |
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| The two ARV girls (Mk.I and Mk.II), side by side. |
The arrangement of the accessories and engineering equipment followed a certain pattern, but it wasn't strictly enforced. I decided to add two spare suspension bogies to the middle section of my ARV Mk.II, just behind the front wooden blocks of the vehicle, above the fenders. I really liked the aesthetic aspect of this arrangement.
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| Adding details to our girl. Notice the spare suspension bogies, the radio antennas, steel cables, etc. |
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| I had to heat the exhaust pipes with a lamp flame to better conform the curves (red arrow). Perfect. |
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| Parts from the AFV Club kit are used whenever possible, such as the canvas tube for flags on the right side of the superstructure. Note the additions made with thin copper wires... |
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| Note that the dummy gun's opening is offset to the left so that the tube does not interfere with the winch cables. |
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| I used a Plastruct "I" profile as a template (red arrow) to keep the cupola hatch front lip open in a standard position. |
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| I used a variation of the technique for the rear hatch. |
Installing the fixed rear jib, using Plastruct rods as pins instead of the very irregular resin ones. Replacing the spears of the previous jig with Plastruct pieces of a more rectilinear, square profile. These spears received the front and rear portions that were cut from the original resin ones and installed on the lower portions of the tank's side armored skirt.
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| Notice the jigs, glued in position. |
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| Close-up view of the rear jig and PE heat shields of the exhaust mufflers. Left view. |
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| Close-up view of the rear jig and PE heat shields of the exhaust mufflers. Right view. |
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| The resin dummy gun was quite warped. I decided to replace it with a Plastruct rod segment of a compatible diameter. The muzzle brake will be installed after it's cleaned... |
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| Align the dummy gun with the Plastruct I-piece (red arrow) and the muzzle brake using a drill bit of the correct diameter (green) , so that the piece is perfectly horizontal. Front right view |
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| Align the dummy gun (red arrow) and the muzzle brake (green) Front left view |
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| The kit is very rich in details and accessories... |
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| Simply a delight to build... |
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| The installation of the accessories should follow a certain logic and coherence. The instructions are somewhat vague, but good photographic research with real photos helps a lot. |
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| A rear view of our Churchill. The main part of the construction is finished. |
After research, I located our Churchill ARV Mk.II named HERCULES alongside the 34th Army Tank Brigade, in the 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (King's Own) - Royal Electrrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) - (Light Aid Detachment), in action during Operation Astonia, in Le Havre, France, September 1944.
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| Panzerserra Colors & Markings guide |
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| Base color in green, with tonal variations, being applied. Left view |
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| Base color in green, with tonal variations, being applied. Right view |
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| Apply the decals after a coat of gloss varnish to prevent silvering. |
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| The markings are very beautiful... |
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| Markings. Right side |
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| Markings. Rear view |
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| The Allied Star was applied using decal softener, with the rivets piercing the decal film... |
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| With the decal completely dry and stretched out, I used a soft round brush to touch up the perforations in the decal with white painting. Perfect. |
Here began a complicated phase, but one that truly highlights the model: painting the details and accessories. I chose to paint the wooden blocks in a wood color for better visibility. Steel cables, pulleys, stakes—everything had to be hand-painted with great care. But the end results are truly worth it...
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| Brush painting of the various details of the kit. Left view |
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| Brush painting of the various details of the kit. Right view |
And with the application of dry-brushing, washes, sponge chipping, and pigments, I finished this model, which I considered simply fantastic. With you, HERCULES, a Churchill ARV Mk.II serving with 34th Army Tank Brigade - 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (King's Own) - Royal Electrrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) - (Light Aid Detachment), in action during Operation Astonia, in Le Havre, France, September 1944.
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II "HERCULES". |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II front left view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II left view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II rear left view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II top rear left view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II rear right view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II right view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II top right view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II front right view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II front right view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II top left view |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II with Kojak |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II |
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| Churchill ARV Mk.II "HERCULES" - 34th Army Tank Brigade 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (King's Own) - REME - (Light Aid Detachment) Operation Astonia - Le Havre, France - September, 1944. |
Time to rest, now!!!
Thank you for following along!!!
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| Group of soldiers from 3rd Division pose for a photograph in Caen, July 10, 1944 |
