Unsually modified Tanks

[Tessen]

What were some unusually modified tanks, modified for a specific job in mind:

Flame thrower tanks i.e ( Flammpanzer I, Panzer II Flamm,
Flammpanzer III Tanks, StuG III (Flamm) and (Flammpanzerwagen half-track)


Bullshorn Plough: A mine plough intended to excavate the ground in front of the tank, to expose and detonate any land mines.

Crab: A modified Sherman tank equipped with a mine flail, a rotating cylinder of weighted chains that exploded mines in the path of the tank.

Centaur Bulldozer: A Centaur tank with the turret removed and fitted with a simple winch-operated bulldozer blade.

Canal Defence Light: A powerful carbon-arc searchlight carried on several types of tank inside a modified turret.


Anyone got any other modifications?

[Celjabba]

I know there was one with extendable ramps in front and back to act as a bridge for others tanks,
And another with demolition charges mounted on a front extension.

And I think one with a big roll of heavy cloth, to lay a road over soft ground as it advanced.

Edit: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobart%27s_Funnies

[Celjabba]

Some of those are described in GURPS WWII: Dogfaces , p97-98, by the way.

And also several in Gurps WWII: Motor Pool, with full 3E vehicle stats.

Given your recent posts, the Gurps WW2 line would be worth looking at !

[The Colonel]

The UK contribution are known collectively as Hobart's Funnies - you've tagged most of them already, although the Churchill AVRE and Crocodile need adding (the Crocodile being probably the most alarming flamethrowing tank ever built).

The US also had a roller equipped anti-mine tank and invented the Cullen hedgerow device for penetrating bocage.

[Anaraxes]

"Armored Recovery Vehicles" -- "tow trucks" for tanks, which in WW II were often conversions of tanks or rebuilds of damaged ones, adding a crane of some sort and often removing the turret. Sometimes they were purpose-designed and -built.

The US 23 Headquarters Special Troops had inflatable Shermans made out of rubber. They staged all sorts of deceptions throughout the war, famously in the D-Day buildup, but also on the Continent afterward.

[The Colonel]

The other interesting rebuild of tanks would be "kangerooing" - de-turretting and stripping out to turn them into prototype APCs. Not very good APCs, but heavily armoured ones for the period and an idea much emulated by the Israelites into the present day.

[Racer]

Support Tanks with Howitzers instead of high velocity Tank Gun . Sherman with 105mm & Churchills with hull mounted ones (some had both a hull AND turret mounted Howitzers) .
I've taken this idea on for Car Wars: Tanks & mount both a 90mm Tank Gun & 105mm Howitzer in Turret of 55 Ton Tank . With lots of Ammo for both of course ;-)

Multiple Grenade Launchers & automatic anti-missle small arms mini Turrets seem to be a thing on the next generation Russian MBTs . Add in top mounted medium sized automatic Mortar - latest Merkava's have 60mm ones - and you have a great Urban Warfare Tank .

Couple of HVMG (12.7mm Mini Guns) & a Grenade Launcher on a Light Tank also make an excellent vehicle for tight urban environments .

With late 21st Century (2050 & beyond) all Electric/Fuel Cell Power Plants , true Submarine/Amphibious Tanks or Tank-Personal Carriers can be designed for Assault or Special Forces Missions . Crawl along underwater or eject external weaponry/ballast & sealed Tank can bob to surface & engage propellers . EWP mounted Torpedoes , Foxers & Depth Changes - not to mention Targeting Lasers in Telescopic Turrets - have become a big thing on Tanks for our games .
Mini Nuclear Power Plants for Super Heavy Tanks , mean with Electrolysis & Air Scrubber accessories (plus Galley & Porta-Potties) from net pages , they can stay undetected underwater for several days .

Your imagination is more or less the limit !

[Celjabba]

Don't forget also the water boiling device added on (in) centurion Tank in WW2, and later to all UK tanks !

[RyanW]

A few common in WWII I don't think have been mentioned:

• Mortar carriers - some carrying very big mortars, like the Sturmtiger's 380mm mortar adapted from a naval depth charge launcher.
• Anti-aircraft tanks - just about every tank had an anti-aircraft variant, but by D-Day, the Allies had such overwhelming control of the air over the Western Front they saw little use.
• Rocket launching tanks - the most famous probably the Calliope, a Sherman with 60 rocket tubes.
• Prime movers (aka gun tractors) - for hauling really heavy guns.

[Polydamas]

I think there were also some carrying a plain old howitzer on the roof. The German army in particular had all those PzII and Pz38(t) and when they were no longer useful on the battlefield they stripped off the turret and turned them into self-propelled guns. This is not the same concept as the assault gun/Sturmgeschütz

There was a supply tank in the British Mark series from WW I, it was supposed to carry 10 tons of supplies for Plan 1919.

Command tank: contains a good radio and more space for the commander. Some of the Renault FT tanks were rigged like this.

Amphibious tanks

Tanks with lots of handles welded on so infantry can ride them