The M32 recovery vehicle answered the call when the big guns got bogged down on the battlefield
When tanks break down, get bogged down or knocked out due to enemy action the crews turn to the recovery vehicles to get them out. The same vehicles can also remove obstructions that limit or prevent the movement of armour.
During World War Two the US M3 Lee and then the M4 Sherman tanks provided the basic chassis for the M31 and M32 armoured recovery vehicles (ARV) respectively. Being based on the combat vehicles the recovery vehicles used the same parts and fuels and were also mechanically familiar to the crews. The M32 and its family are surely among the unsung heroes of the armour world.
The ARV became an important part of the inventory to armoured advance as it removed roadway obstacles, recovered disabled vehicles and could handle in-field repair duties. In World War Two such vehicles were invaluable to clear vital roadways, bridges and even airfields to clear the path for the advance of friendly forces. ARVs were assigned to tank battalions, a pair of them assigned to the Battalion HQ company with a dozer tank.
‘The M32 and its family are surely among the unsung heroes of the armour world’
When the US …
