AVRE Photo

[ExiledFish]

Hello folks, I was wondering if I could borrow pool some collective knowledge and solve a few things that are puzzling me.

 

This AVRE:

 

 

Original version HERE

 

It's a well known picture, possibly a Log Carpet AVRE (logs dropped), 3rd Troop, 79th Assault Squadron RE on D-Day, Lane 2, Sword Queen Red. There's another AVRE (part of the same well-known photo set), an SBG AVRE, on the other side of the jeep. The one here is possibly tank 3C, the tank of the troop commander.

 

I'm hoping to build this tank, and am trying to ID some of the apparel on the tank and surrounding area. I've reached a point where my brain and the internet has hit the wall. I was hoping there might be folks here who could offer an opinion of the following:

 

1) The round item (with handle) on the top of the turret, to the left of the left-hand open turret hatch. Is this a very small winch? Or a small reel of cable or det cord?

 

2) Still on the turret, the taller mast, directly behind the right-hand open hatch door. 

 

3) Just above the manifold and infront of the spare bogie, there's what looks like a reel (det cord or signal cable) on it's side?

 

4) The two poles hanging down from the rear mudguard, with a striped something at the top of them. I've seen colour pictures of another Assault Bde loading for D-Day and they all carry orange and white bundles (best word to describe it) behind the turret. Could these be an aerial recognition flag? A lane marker or windsock? I've read of tripod lane markers, but have never seen one - anyone any idea?

 

5) Finally, off the tank, in the lee of the jeep there is a shell scrape. In other shots of this series, a man is in it digging - I think he's in this shot, his back to the camera, huddled over a wireless as you can see an aerial emerging from that hole. What's bugging me in the curved, tubular frame right there. Has anyone see one of these before, or know what it is? It's quite a distinctive shape. I thought it might be a manpack frame, but the shape is very odd. I read the RE are always identifiable on D-Day by their large rucksacks, so could this be a frame of one, minus bags? There's even a circluar shape at the base of said frame, so maybe it's actually a trolley or something?

 

Anyway - I'd really be grateful if anyone can shed any light in these, or have spotted something on the tank of interest. I'm trying to get some resin to outfit the tank exterior with when I get there, bundles, blankets etc so have been poring over this photo! I'm seeing B&W AVREs when I close my eyes. 

[John Tapsell]

1 hour ago, ExiledFish said:

 

 

 

1) small cable reel

 

2) Don't know

 

3) Don't know

 

4) Believe this is a clear-lane or beach exit marker (orange/white as you describe)

 

5) I think this is a handcart - regularly described in the loading tables for the LCTs but I haven't actually seen one. However, note the spoked wheel half-buried in the sand and the fact that both ends of the frame are the same and would make good handholds to push/pull the contraption. Note in the photo below (taken earlier I think), there is a guy digging the 'scrape' next to the Jeep and the handcart is still upright behind him (and a little further away). 

 

Regards,

John

 

[ExiledFish]

Thankyou! A handcart? I like that idea - I see a wheel and a mudguard, yes. Most of the pictures of WW2 handcarts are all simple trolleys with one long arm, never a shape like that though - I wonder whether they were standard issue, or something that varied from unit to unit? 🤔 I need to pore over more photos of loading to see if anything jumps out.

 

I thought ‘jeep trailer’ for a bit, but the wheel is tiny compared to the jeep even allowing for perspective. The jeep doesn’t seem to have a unit insignia or AoS visible so can’t check. Bah.

 

Thankyou! 🙂

[Kingsman]

I think that tank was possibly a fascine carrier.  There looks to be the remains of a fascine frame between the front horns.  In which case the hand winch on the turret might have been for winching the fascine into place.  It's hard to tell exactly where it is on the turret roof.  They carried them with the turret traversed, so if it's on the right side of the turret - and therefore at the back when traversed right - that might be it.  My copy of The Funnies is in storage with the rest of my books.

 

But it also looks more than a little like a portable air raid siren, although as far as I can see the arrangement of handle and ribs/slots isn't quite right.

 

The reel is probably either black-and-tan field telephone cable or electric demolition cable - for electric detonators.  It could possibly be safety fuse, the kind you light with a match etc, but I believe that came in a box not on a reel.  I don't believe that det cord - as in plastic explosive in cord form - existed in WW2.  In any case, being a high explosive you wouldn't leave it lying around.  A single wrap will cut a railway sleeper in half: done it.

 

The object in the crater/scrape is definitely a hand cart, although not like any I've seen before.  

[John Tapsell]

I had a thought - a random and weird one. Is it some kind of stretcher cart? (although filled with bags and stuff )

 

Regards,

John

[ridinshotgun]

It is a wireless cart for the 22 Set.  Here is some more info on the different carts and pictures of the types:

 

WS 22 handcarts

[ExiledFish]

16 hours ago, Das Abteilung said:

I think that tank was possibly a fascine carrier.  There looks to be the remains of a fascine frame between the front horns.  In which case the hand winch on the turret might have been for winching the fascine into place.  It's hard to tell exactly where it is on the turret roof.  They carried them with the turret traversed, so if it's on the right side of the turret - and therefore at the back when traversed right - that might be it.  My copy of The Funnies is in storage with the rest of my books.

 

THANK YOU! I wondered what that might be at the very front. Though a Fascine has a large wooden sloped structure mounted that would really stand out next to the turret (unless it varied from unit to unit). Post #23 HERE contains an excellent number of points that suggest it could be a Log Carpet AVRE, like a cross between a Fascine and a Bobbin. I'm still undecided whether the "three tubular lengths...on the top of the front mudguards" in that post aren't infact Bangalore torpedoes though - but the picture of the AVRE at Bernieres (first image in #23 does show a frame between those two front prongs after the logs have been dropped, like the Sword Beach picture. Hmm

 

There's an colour cine still HERE in Post #2, tanks 1D and 1F, showing the early version of the Log Carpet. Excellent stills too.

 

So many of these adaptions were carried out in-squadron with a fair degree of improvisation rather than a standardised model, and the Log Carpet is a particularly rare beast to find a variety of photos and documentation on so idea how to scratch build one 

 

13 hours ago, ridinshotgun said:

It is a wireless cart for the 22 Set.  Here is some more info on the different carts and pictures of the types:

 

WS 22 handcarts

THANKYOU! That's it, post 21. Fantastic. There's even an aerial emerging from it too.