We spent some of last night watching parts of Patton, one of our favorite films, and alongside Apocalypse Now, the greatest war movie in our personal book. Although we like the one where Ronald Reagan bombs the Minutemen very much as well. So we got to thinking about Operation Overlord. And then we got to thinking about all of the specialized things that were cooked up to make the invasion happen. And while Mulberry Harbours are cool, we must admit that we've always loved "Hobart's Funnies," a motley collection of custom tanks that threw flames, lobbed 40-lb mortar shells, swam, cleared mines, blew up reinforced-concrete walls and served as bridges.

The Major-General referred to as "Hobo" may have been the ultimate tank hot-rodder of all time (Antonov was sort of a one-trick pony, even if his one trick was spectacular). And unless the crew inside has a beef with you, who doesn't love a hot-rod tank? – Davey G. Johnson

Hobart's Funnies [Edward Willett's Intergalactic Library]

Related:
In Soviet Russia, Tank Flies YOU! [Internal]

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