Otherwise known as the Royal Army’s 79th Armored Division, Hobart’s Funnies nickname resulted from its collection of specialized armored vehicles during World War II. Under Major General Percy Hobart’s command, these unique vehicles significantly impacted operations like D-Day. To read about his funnies, scroll to learn more!
Who Was Major General Sir Percy Hobart?
Born in 1885, Percy Hobart was a British officer who served in the Great War and India. During the mid-1920s, Hobart volunteered for the Royal Armored Corp. Here, Hobart’s intelligence and innovative genius for mobile warfare got him noticed. He developed new or advanced theories and tactics about mobility and armored warfare, earning him a promotion to general by 1937. Forcibly retired in 1940, it took Prime Minister Churchill’s direct order to bring him back. His unique experience earned him the command of the 79th Armored Division in August 1942.
Why Were Hobart’s Funnies Created?
It took a nasty defeat to spur Hobart’s Funnies’ formation. That spur occurred with Britain’s failed Operation Jubilee on August 19, 1942. Jubilee’s plan called for British and Canadian troops to attack Dieppe, a well-defended French port. The Allies wanted to test amphibious assault methods, disrupt German defenses, and draw German resources from the Eastern Front. Yet the German Wehrmacht smashed Jubilee, inflicting heavy losses of life and equipment.
Get the latest articles delivered to your inbox
Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterHowever, the failure showed what needed improvement or invented. The biggest Dieppe lesson learned: any amphibious invasion needed specialized armored vehicles to overcome strong beach defenses or conditions like soft sand. So, the Royal Army turned to Hobart’s 79th Division, changing its principal role to defeat the above challenges. That mission change to Hobart’s Funnies happened in early 1943. With the upcoming 1944 Normandy Invasion, such out-of-the-box thinking became a priority.
What Kind of Funnies Did Hobart Create?
General Hobart and his staff created the Funnies for specific roles. Using existing tanks like the American Sherman and British Churchill, Hobart’s team created useful but sometimes odd-looking vehicles. The DD Sherman “swam” to the beach using two propellers and a canvas flotation screen like a small boat. Driven off a ship with the screens up, the Sherman headed for the beach. The crew next dropped the screen and drove into the fight.
Of all the Funnies, the Churchill Bobbin was the oddest looking. Due to its resemblance to a spool of thread, the tank spread a layer of steel mesh over soft beach sand, allowing other vehicles to cross. During the Dieppe Raid, the Germans picked off helpless British tanks stuck in the sand due to their weight. So, getting tanks off the beach quickly was crucial. Only one Funny, the flame-throwing Crocodile, truly put fear into German soldiers on D-Day.
Towing a trailer full of petrol, the Crocodile drove up close to the target, firing its flame thrower. Many soldiers gave up before this, not wanting to be burned. Even preventing a fight displayed another function. Hobart also adapted the Churchill into the AVRE. His men installed a 230mm petard mortar instead of the main gun. This mortar could destroy concrete or blow holes in obstacles to get men and vehicles off the exposed invasion beaches. The ammunition was called the “flying dustbin” due to its resemblance to a wastepaper basket.
Who Used Hobart’s Funnies?
On June 6, 1944, or D-Day, American and British armies used Hobart’s Funnies. The British and Canadians enthusiastically used all the different Funnies. The Americans kept to the Sherman swimming or their mine-clearing flail tank. Before D-Day, Hobart demonstrated the Funnies to senior British and American commanders. They included Hobart’s brother-in-law, General Montgomery, in early 1944. While the British already decided, the Americans declined. They stayed with just the DD Swimming Tanks and dozer tanks, similar to bulldozers.
What Happened to Hobart’s Funnies on D-Day?
Hobart’s Funnies landed with the Allied armies on D-Day. They worked as designed, even under intense fighting. The most numerous Funnies, the DD Tanks, drove off, landing ships towards the beaches. Yet many DD Tanks sank, swamped by rough surf as water spilled over their canvas skirts or hit by German fire. One DD tank battalion lost 27 of 29 attempting to land on Omaha Beach, but most of the tank crews escaped.
Any DD tanks or other Funnies, like the Flail or Churchill Bobbins, that landed were successful. Despite tenacious German resistance, they knocked out defenses or provided exits off the beach. This needed to be done fast, as the Germans mapped all the beaches for their big guns to fire on.
The 79th Armored proved useful in later campaigns, such as fighting in Holland with its canals or the later 1945 Rhine Crossings. The Rhine was the last natural defensive barrier and gave access to the center of Germany.
