The BARV, Beach Armored Recovery Vehicle, was based on the Sherman M4A2 Medium tank. The tank was adjusted, it was waterproofed and the turret was replaced by a metal screen. It could operate in 2,7m deep water and was used to pull out other stuck vehicles and tanks or re-float small landing craft during the Battle of Normandy. About 60 Shermans BARV were deployed on the invasion beaches in France. The crew had one diver who had to attach towing cables to stuck vehicles. The BARV was photographed in Arromanches-les-Bains in 2014, the 70th anniversary of D-Day, and belongs to a private collection – the Rex & Rod Cadman Collection. It is one of the Hobart’s Funnies tanks, a selection of specialized armored vehicles named after Major General Percy Hobart.
