Following the unsuccessful amphibious assault in Dieppe, the British command made a number of important conclusions. Among other things, the need for tank bridges or tank bridges was identified. This technique was supposed to help tanks and other armored vehicles, providing an offensive in difficult terrain. Soon, army and industry specialists developed a number of new engineering armored vehicles, including several versions of the Churchill ARK tank bridge.
Hobart Toy
The 79th Panzer Division under the command of General Percy Hobart played the leading role in the creation of new engineering equipment. During that period, she created a number of techniques for various purposes, known under the playful nickname "Hobart's toys." In 1942, specialists from the 79th division began designing a bridgelayer with a drop bridge, and in 1943 a new project appeared that was more simple.
The new concept was simple enough. It was proposed to remove the turret and remove other "unnecessary" equipment from the Churchill infantry tank. Two longitudinal three-section ladders were placed on top of the hull. A tank with such equipment could turn into a track bridge in a minimum time, and its hull was the main support.
The use of the ready-made chassis of the Churchill tank ensured unification with other military equipment, facilitating production and operation. The carrying capacity of such a chassis was sufficient to transport new equipment, and the strength allowed any existing armored vehicles to be launched across the bridge.
The project received the designation Armored Ramp Carrier - "Armored ramp carrier". Initially, this name was shortened to ARC, but later the changed name of Churchill ARK appeared - literally "Ark".
Churchill ARK Mk I
The first version of the tank-bridge was developed and built in the fall of 1943. All the main proposals were implemented in it and the main features of the technical appearance were determined. New modifications of the "Ark" largely repeated the first version, designated ARK Mk I.
On the chassis of the Churchill tank of the Mk II or Mk IV modification, sections of the track bridge should be mounted. Its central elements were rigidly fixed to the chassis fenders and had an appropriate length. In front and behind, sections of ladders of a smaller size were hingedly fixed.
No drive of the swinging parts was provided. They moved freely in a vertical plane and could lay down on obstacles, providing entry and exit of other equipment. The organization of the bridge took minimal time. In fact, the "Ark" only needed to drive up to the obstacle and take the required position, turning it into a bridge.
Tank bridge Churchill ARK Mk I could organize a crossing over obstacles of different types. Opening the ladders, he created a track bridge up to 10 m long and 3.3 m wide with sections 2 feet (600 mm) wide. The "Ark" provided the crossing of ditches and scarps, climbing obstacles, etc. Any armored vehicles of the British army could drive through it without any problems.
Experienced ARK Mk I tests were carried out in the fall and winter of 1943-44. In February 1944, it was decided to start mass production. The army ordered fifty tank-bridges on the Churchill chassis of the Mk II and Mk IV versions. Basically, it was about the restructuring of existing infantry tanks. This technique was to participate in the landing in Normandy.
British and Italian pattern
After the outbreak of fighting in France, in July 1944, the 79th Panzer Division carried out a significant modernization of its tank-bridge. With its help, it was planned to improve the main characteristics and simplify the solution of the tasks. This variant of the vehicle was designated the ARK Mk II. Subsequently, the label UK pattern was added to the name, so as not to be confused with another similar modification.
The ARK Mk II tank bridge had a different section design. First of all, the length of the swinging ladders was increased. The left-hand elements of the bridge were also changed - their width doubled, to 1, 2 m. Thanks to this, not only various tanks, but also cars with a smaller track could ride on the Ark. Also, the design of the fixed central sections has changed, as a result of which it is easier to dismantle them for access to the engine compartment.
In the transport position, elongated ladders were placed at an angle and held by a system of masts and cables. At the command of the crew, the locks on the cables were opened, and the ladders fell to the ground under their own weight. To leave the position, the help of other engineering equipment was required, capable of raising the ladders to their original position.
At the testing stage, new mobile ladders of various lengths were tested, which made it possible to overcome wide obstacles. The final version of the ARK Mk II received devices that made it possible to organize a crossing with a length of 12-15 m. In addition, there were additional hinged sections with a length of 3 m for installation on standard ladders.
The Churchill ARK Mk II UK pattern entered the supply of the troops and replaced the Mk I produced in the series. Maximum unification made it possible to operate two vehicles simultaneously without any problems.
In the same period, military engineers of the 8th Army, operating in Italy, proposed another version of the "Ark". This small-batch tank bridge was originally called the Octopus, but later received the designation ARK Mk II Italian pattern. In the manufacture of such machines, American-made ladders were used with a length of 4, 65 or 3, 7 m. They were hinged to the body; a cable system was also used to hold it in the transport position. There were no central sections on the hull: the deck of the bridge was the tank's own tracks. Tank-bridges "Italian model" were made by military workshops by rebuilding Churchill Mk III tanks.
Experimental samples
During 1944, several new designs were proposed based on the existing Churchill ARK with various features. Unlike the two versions of the Mk I and Mk II bridge tanks, they did not reach mass production.
The first was the Lakeman ARK tank bridge. This project involved the use of the base tank in its original configuration. The track bridge was installed on it with the help of high trusses and hung out above the standard tower. With the help of such a machine, other equipment could overcome higher obstacles. In addition, the Lakeman ARK retained some of the tank's combat capabilities. However, such a sample was considered unnecessary, and it did not progress beyond testing.
The Great Eastern Ramp project envisaged the installation of a more complex three-section bridge on the tank, located with an inclination back. The front section of such a bridge was supposed to lie on the central one and go forward using solid-propellant missiles. Tests of the prototype tank-bridge ended in success, and an order for 10 pre-production vehicles for military trials appeared. However, the war in Europe was coming to an end, and soon this order was canceled as unnecessary.
"Ark" in operation
The Churchill-based tank bridge was created specifically for future landings in continental Europe. Accordingly, the first cases of the use of such equipment on the battlefield date back to June 6, 1944. The actions of the British units on the Normandy coast were provided by ARK Mk I bridge tanks. The following modifications appeared later, after the start of battles.
"Arks" made in Great Britain were used mainly on the "second front". The group of forces operating in Italy did not receive such equipment, but built it independently from the available tanks. Thus, the necessary bridge tanks were available on all sectors of the front and were actively used.
The predominantly offensive nature of the actions of the Allied armies in Western Europe contributed to the frequent use of engineering technology. Churchill ARKs of all modifications were regularly used to ferry military vehicles over ditches, escarpments, reservoirs and other obstacles. Over time, new methods of using tank bridges were mastered. So, deep trenches or ravines could be crossed with the help of two "Arches"; while one stood on the roof of the other. The use of several machines made it possible to create bridges of increased length.
In total, several dozen Churchill ARK bridge tanks of three versions were built and sent to the front. Several more variants of this technique did not go beyond the limits of the polygon. Until the end of the fighting in Europe, the serial technology provided for overcoming obstacles and made an important contribution to the fight against the enemy.
After the end of the war, the surviving Arks remained in service for a long time. At the same time, new methods of their application were being worked out. Thus, the Twin-ARK project proposed the use of two tanks at once with reinforced and extended ladders. They had to be placed side by side, which made it possible to organize a longer and wider crossing, capable of withstanding the tanks of new models.
However, Churchill ARK did not remain in service for very long. The basic Churchillies were removed from service and replaced with new tanks, which lost one of the main advantages of the Ark. In the fifties, the tank-bridges of this family were removed from supply and gave way to new models of engineering equipment with similar tasks, but different equipment. Tank-bridges were considered unpromising and were replaced with full-fledged bridgelayers with a drop-off bridge.
