Tank Chats #55 Churchill Crocodile | The Funnies | The Tank Museum

Tank Chats playlist • Tank Chats from The Ta... Another episode in the Tank Chats Funnies Specials, with David Fletcher looking at the weird and wonderful vehicles of 79th Armoured Division led by Major General Percy Hobart, known as 'Hobart's Funnies'.
The Churchill Crocodile was a British flamethrower tank and a variant of the Churchill Mark VII tank. The Crocodile was developed in time for the D-Day landings and used during the Allied invasion of North-West Europe.
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[@rgm96x49]

Mr. Fletcher's mustache alone could stop that flamethrower.

[@himmlstoss]

The flame would stop in the air out of pure respect to Mr. Fletscher.

[@CybershamanX]

I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Definitely a psychological weapon if there ever was one! ;) :P (I hope he takes all of this in stride. All in good fun, sir!) :)

[@lancaster5077]

He reminds me of Dr Zoidberg (Dr John A.Zoidberg) from Futurama.

[@lancaster5077]

It's very hard to get it to stay still for a photo shoot - the best way is to put some food down for it, with the camera already set up for the shot. Bit like a David Attenborough programme.

[@maz7726]

You know Chuck Norris would bow and ask permission to wear his moustache, the tash the legend.

[@BoggyB22]

"That really burned like a...well it WAS a house on fire". Perfect.

[@timdewit7969]

+Lancaster50 to soon.

[@lancaster5077]

OK deleted

[@Zeebad101]

I howled at that. I had to go back and rewatch about 30 seconds that I missed crying laughing. Brilliant!

[@lancaster5077]

About 8.29 onwards - just after the 'wet strike' section.

[@DGARedRaven]

Don't forget the follow-up. "if it went the right way." :D

[@simonc586]

This is why Fletcher makes these videos really great. "There used to be a door here, but it fell off ages ago. And we lost it".

[@AudieHolland]

"...and 7th was actually the old 10th which had been renamed 7th because the original 7th had disappeared…"

[@Dave_Sisson]

He has such a wonderfully archaic vocabulary (and I mean that in a good way). His choice of words is straight out of a 1930s Evelyn Waugh novel or a Biggles book.

[@jeffkennedy2531]

9p

[@dobiem1]

@@AudieHolland - disappeared is a euphemism I suppose for annihilated.

[@AudieHolland]

@@dobiem1 Thank you dobiem1, I knew that. I just repeated it because I like it so much.

[@alejandrobetancourt4902]

I just love British understatement. Mr Fletcher just said the fact that the fuel would stick to whatever it hit was "jolly handy".

[@ricardosoto5770]

THe never used the N word,,, Napalm thats it.

[@mustangmckraken1150]

@ricardo soto That's because napalm is a specific chemical mixture lol, you can get the same results in different ways. Was it actually napalm?

[@chrisgibson5267]

​@@ricardosoto5770Jellied petroleum?

[@TheIronArmenianakaGIHaigs]

Fletcher is an absolute Legend

[@tigercat418]

The Iron Armenian aka G.I. Haigs what if the enemy fired the tank

[@Tuning3434]

+tiger cat Then the tank would have to find another job, or a Sugar Mommy.....but with those looks..... better start scouring through the job ads.

[@tomcomber3723]

I can't agree with you more. Nice video on tanks you might not have heard of I really enjoyed it

[@lorenzodiventura9565]

What an absolute goon

[@dermotrooney9584]

The Jonny Morris of tanks. Great Guy.

[@silverflashwillo123]

The amount of knowledge David Fletcher has is incredible.

[@tigercat418]

silverflashwillo123 flamethrower are against Geneve convention

[@Luna-4L0n5]

Well, yes and no. From the little research i made, it seems to be that flamethrowers (and other incendiary weapons) are not allowed to be used against civilians. Otherwise it's fine to use flamethrowers.

[@herpderpherpd]

@@tigercat418 Flamethrowers aren't banned by the Geneva Convention. You're definitely allowed to use them in fighting against hardened targets like bunkers or cave/tunnel systems. Or to remove plant cover if the enemy is using it to hide. They are however mentioned in the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Which bans their use against civilian targets.

[@laurencemoore2105]

Underneath fletcher's mustache is another mustache...

[@thesleepyweasel3775]

#itsbiggerontheinside

[@leoarc1061]

Its a fractal.

[@joelneu9344]

Everybody keeps missing the eyebrows. They, alone, could be used like a mine flail.

[@EllenbergW]

"...because people didn't like getting burned" Yeah, I kinda imagine :)

[@jf7243]

Yes quite, “people didn’t like the idea of being burned”, which sort of made them quite a handy thing really! Jolly good show old chap!

[@lepermessiyah5823]

as an active abrams gunner, it is humbling to listen to David Fletcher

[@discipleofdagon8195]

I wonder if 50-60 years from now ex-Abrams operators will be complaining about how it was a death trap the way Sherman operators did with it (despite statistically low casualties overall)

[@leftistsarenotpeople]

@@discipleofdagon8195 I highly doubt it. Not very many Abrams were ever outright destroyed and those that were or to a lesser degree of damage tended to shield the crews rather famously. I think the legacy of the Abrams is pretty well cemented as being one of the most safe and protected of all the AFVs.

[@willrogers3793]

I’m inclined to believe what he says about why the Crocs were so effective; I remember reading about our equivalent, the “Zippo” (pretty much a Sherman with the cannon swapped out for a flamethrower) and how, in the Pacific theatre, Zippos were pretty much the only way to clear Japanese bunkers without having to send in the infantry to dig them out. Iron resolve and sense of duty are powerful things, yes, but the threat of being burned alive is something *nobody* is going to ignore.

[@kentlindal5422]

Also you don't need to hit a target to kill them with flames. You are burning the oxygen out of the air and potentially causing damage to their lungs, suffocation is a horrible way to go. I know I'd surrender.

[@MilitantOldLady]

I sometimes watch these just to see how David is holding up. Living treasure of a man.

[@gazof-the-north5708]

I bet no one ever dared pull out a cigarette and ask a Churchill Crocodile crew member "Have you got a light please mate?"

[@Rusty_Gold85]

" They didn't plan to use them in Burma. They had visions of the Trailer being a flaming Nuisance '" Another gold assessment from David Fletcher MBA

[@Giffriend]

Fletcher is the grandfather we all wish we had

[@Platycqb]

Tufted Titmouse Never had the chance to know my grandfathers, but I sure hope they were as knowledgeable or interesting as Mr Fletcher.

[@seregarublev8915]

One of my grandfathers was a driver for a Crocodile lol.

[@SsiolisP]

We were once carrying a 4 ton machine on a trailer hooked up to a pickup truck. The trailer had no brakes much like the one in this episode. While going downhill at about 10-15Km/h, the sheer weight of the trailer completely nullified the braking power of the truck, and the steering capacity on the front axle thus forcing us off the road and inevitably onto a tree where we came to a full stop!!! I therefore understand how menacing it was for the Lorrie drivers who carried this 6 ton (empty) trailer.

[@michaelcoulter1114]

And that is why you don't tow loads that weigh more than your tow vehicle! (Been there myself, more than once)

[@cpufreak101]

I've tried driving like that in BeamNG, yeah it is pretty scary

[@neilbone9490]

My Great Uncle Bernard Price was a Crocodile driver with 1st Fife & Forfar Yeomanry and said the universal joint coupling between the tank and trailer was one of the most amazing and unsung pieces of engineering during the war as it never ever failed regardless of the strain and abuse it was exposed to during combat.

[@exharkhun5605]

Yes! Seems we've been good little boys this week so we get treated to a tank chat from mr. Fletcher.

[@Brokenskull666]

"...Therefore we're gonna talk more about the trailer than the tank, which I suppose is okay in the end." Well played.

[@vincentsmidowicz2931]

Awesome video and Master Fletcher is a True Gentleman! Actually met him at Bovington and had a damn good chat that extended half an hour after closing time. Total Respect.

[@markreeter6227]

Fletcherisms are priceless, absolutely priceless. God Save David Fletcher!

[@MrOhdead]

Chap who used to fix our hoover back in the 70's was in Croc's in Italy, think he said he had been up as far as the Po. Told me tricks they used to do like bouncing the jet off walls to get the flame around corners.

[@erikliljeberg1796]

Never ever say something when Fletcher is speaking such a legend deserves to speak for every second

[@D9david]

I was crew member on a river boat in Nam. We had an Army APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) that would back up into our well deck during operations. It had tanks of Napalm and gasoline which we would use against enemy spider trenches. Our boat was hated because of this weapon. So much so, that the enemy would focus all their on weapons on us. It was a terrible weapon. I didn’t feel good about using it. Those memories still visit me today...

[@TheHelado36]

I have no idea what I enjoy most, the tanks or Mr. Fletcher’s voice !

[@daredemontriple6]

One thing I recall reading about the crocodile was regarding the tactic Mr. Fletcher speaks of here, to douse the target in the fuel first. They found that more often than not being soaked in petrol and to see it spilling in like a ship awash in a storm would coax even the most stubborn troops out of the most impenetrable positions. As he says, fire is a terrifying weapon and despite all the horrors posed by war, being burned alive seemed to rank as the number 1 worst way to go. it's quite understandable how the Crocodile was so effective. Being immensely well armoured from the front, possessing the ability to use it's main armament like other tanks, and also having the range to sit quite comfortably out of range of most infantry anti-tank weapons must have made it incredibly fearsome. Untouchable, unstoppable, and yet threatening to make your exit from the stage a live cremation. I'd surrender too!

[@monroetoolman]

Cheer`s Mr. Fletcher!

[@iainbagnall4825]

4:48 "Flaming regiments in their own right" And now all I can think of is the Monty Python army "Camp it... UP!" sketch

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

I wish David Fletcher was my grandfather. He could tell me all stuff about tanks and I could return the favor by feeding him tasty pies and ale. heh heh. Edit...Who the hell could dislike a video with him in? There are some bloody wierdos about thats for sure.

[@FrankDyke]

6 dislikes is pretty low for KZbin. Probably just angry hippies.

[@Tsumami__]

Frank Dyke “angry hippies” ??? Lol what is that even

[@DASSAMWASHERELP]

Frank Dyke Angry Hippies who can't grow a mustache like him.

[@vanvan-oc4nj]

Well, if he was my grandfather, possibly I could have used his handy stuff tips ! Well, other times.

[@garyneilson1833]

It would be great to have a tour around the museum with David Fletcher guiding you and giving a talk on the tanks as you go past

[@roderickvannoorloos1967]

Probably would take at least a week.

[@Woodninja099]

I'm always excited to see another Tank Chat!

[@N_Wheeler]

Finally, a 15 minute video from Sir David. Maybe a 20 minute video in our future?

[@scottcrabtree3239]

David Fletcher is to the United Kingdom, what R. Lee Ermey was to the United States! Of course RIP Gunny, you will be sorely missed..... Though, they didn't travel down the same paths in life. They both are legendary in their own rights!

[@douglasgreen437]

Can you imagine the two...Understatement meets overstatement..in a good way..

[@cliffthelightning]

David is fabulous!

[@jeffpowers8526]

"...but the drivers got used to it and in the end, you had to do it." I could listen to David Fletcher for hours

[@MrMattMWH]

It burned like a house on fire . Well it was a house on fire 😁

[@AmazingAce]

Yo David Fletcher lookin fly af 😤💪💪

[@propyne6188]

Brb growing a mustache

[@1971stretch]

Love the informative detail in these. Long may the tank chats series continue. Every time I see one it makes me want to make another trip to Bovington.

[@russwoodward8251]

Thank you for this presentation Mr. Fletcher.

[@entropy11]

"There should be a door here but it fell off ages ago and nobody knows where it is now."

[@wojciechgrzybek4122]

I love this tank. One of the best (or even the best) friend/foe ratio casualties especialy captives from trenches and bunkers.

[@PorscheRacer14]

Another great video. It's truly an honour to hear Mr. Fletcher talk at length. Cheers from Canada 😊

[@Ob1sdarkside]

Fletcher's turn of phrase is wonderful. He's a joy to listen to.

[@nickbayton941]

I could listen to this wonderful man talk about tanks all day.

[@DC9622]

Another excellent video from Mr Fletcher. He goes into greater detail in his book British Battle Tanks, accompanied with his usual dry humour, worth a read.

[@adrianrosenlund-hudson8789]

I love these videos. I read somewhere that Crocodiles used to work in tandem with Churchill AVREs, which would blow in the wall of a fortification with its gun for the Croc's flamethrower to exploit. They'd roll up and often the mere sight of these monsters caused surrender.

[@wot1fan885]

Flecther is awesome. Could sit around just letting him pass on his knowledge forever. Thx for these videos so interesting. Chieftain and Flecther are so interesting to listen to.

[@Stue-e]

Thanks, I'm painting a tamiya crocodile model and this video has really helped

[@matthewrussell9417]

So informative, thank you! I always wondered about the operational use of these beasts. Wouldn't want to be anywhere near one!

[@jimcameron9848]

This was "one of the most lethal bits of kit". Priceless.

[@445cat]

I really love this man.

[@petebianconi5781]

This guy makes me want to go to Bovington tank museum. Real nice presentation and a wealth of knowledge 👍👍

[@jaysonlacanienta6952]

Thanks for the information tank Einstein 😄

[@derekmcmanus1423]

Another Tank chat...hooray!

[@macbrown99]

Some say he doesn't actually have a mouth, and that his entire house is made of tweed. All we know is, he's called the Fletcher.

[@hmshood319]

On today's episode of Bovington Gear

[@anhk_yt]

Fantastic video lads, keep it up.

[@psymons9133]

Now that is good content, with excellent delivery and humor!

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

The flamethower probably saved more lives then it took. Although, I do understand anyone disagreeing, the prospect of being a human match is not at all enticing.

[@dermotrooney9584]

LazyLife IFreak - psych effect varied enormously. Original doctrine was to dash into "effective" range quick as possible (12mph?) for shock effect but that didn't get defenders to surrender and cost crocs and crews. Firing off a few rods from a long way off then sauntering up with inf alongside got 90% to run or surrender.

[@andreww2098]

Carbon dioxide poisoning was the main cause of death during a flamethrower attack, The US Marines would find dead Japanese soldiers apparently unharmed in bunkers and caves and no sign of suicide.

[@FrankDyke]

Unless you've killed everyone, victory comes ultimately from destroying the enemy's will to fight, and flamethrowers do that brilliantly.

[@dermotrooney9584]

@@FrankDyke -if handled well.👍

[@michaeldiebold8847]

War is about killing. The how of it seems secondary to me.

[@Edward_Plantagenet]

Jolly handy at clearing woods that sentence is why this man is so watchable in a nutshell

[@TheIhredpower]

Mr. Fletcher, you are a national treasure.

[@neilwilson5785]

Excellent as always. Learned a lot.

[@jacobeberhardt1649]

Mr. Fletcher seems like an absolute joy to speak to.

[@TheHelado36]

I just come back only to listen to this awesome gentleman !

[@Birkbecks]

the door fell off ages ago and nobody know where it is Brilliant !!!!!!

[@tomcomber3723]

Nice tank chat this is quite funny as I made a video on the crocodile a few days ago. Bovington is my favourite museum and got me interested in tanks

[@user-dl3se9iy4r]

Excellent as ever

[@coolmikefromcanada]

i think they have a croc at the regiments museum in calgary but they didn't have the trailer its interesting to see the whole system together like this

[@normandate7696]

He is passionate about the subject, that is why he is so very good. BTW I like the emblem on the tank, an armoured fist holding a damn great mace covered in spikes.

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

79th Armoured Division. ‘Hobart’s Funnies’.

[@francisphillipeck4272]

"Otherwise they'd be misused" ...you don't say? Lol

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you

[@buggs9950]

14:18 "They had visions of the trailer being a flaming nuisance" No pun intended..

[@Tyler.i.81]

Sir that is a wonderful restoration

[@billy4072]

flaming nuisance. lol.

[@tomholmez1236]

Oh i do love tank chats

[@Jkush463]

love this guys videos

[@doncooper6801]

Read "Flamethrower" by Andrew Wilson. He was a Crocodile commander in NW Europe.

[@newdrug1880]

Nice video of a proper Tank.

[@burb122]

Very nice!!

[@gusgone4527]

Top class video about a terrible weapon system. Somehow being burned seems to be worse than slowly crushed under a tanks tracks. It's easy to be enthralled by the technology but people sometimes forget that a soldiers job is to locate, close with and kill the enemy.

[@tomcomber3723]

great video

[@johnhall9476]

always like to hear Mr Fletcher talking about tanks, i wonder if there is anything he does not know about tanks

[@JackWsChannel]

Yes, he does not know where that bloody trailer hatch door has got to ;)

[@johnhall9476]

Ah but he did not take it off, he cant read minds, im sure if he had anything to do with the door he would know where it was, :=)

[@ccetc1]

love the churchill crocodile and tiger 2 both turret desgins

[@TerryDowne]

The man, the mustache, the legend...

[@ashiba4024]

My great uncle was one of the inventor's on this flamethrower Reginald Fraser passed away in 1966. My great uncle was a great inventor and for his work on this he received the British Order from Queen Elizabeth's father. It would be nice if they would speak more of the people including my great uncle and giving honor to them and their smarts for building this.

[@thetankmuseum]

David Fletcher has a book detailing the development of the Churchill Crocodile and credits Reginald's drawings of the concept within this. You may wish to have a read. It's called; 'Churchill Crocodile Flamethrower'.

[@ashiba4024]

@@thetankmuseumes, I read the book and where I saw my great uncle marginally mentioned. My great uncle was a very intelligent man who wrote over 800 scientific papers and in over 80 pattens to his name. From what I learned of him he was a very humble man and so there was not a whole lot written on him and or photos of him displayed. It would be nice if he would be recognized more for his endeavors such as his close work with Mr. Churchill.

[@Kyle-gw6qp]

Engineers are almost never acknowledged. Your great uncle is not somehow specially ignored.

[@kerrydennison7947]

In the Pacific they use the M3 Stewart tank equipped with the Canadian Zippo flamethrower.

[@BD90..]

Tank Einstein is very entertaining

[@joebloggs4807]

With all that knowledge I would imagine David is a “Jolly Handy” guy to have at the tank museum:-)

[@michaelwear2252]

My father served with the 141 RAC I have a copy of a book, The Playboys, an unofficial biography of the journey from France to the end. He is mentioned by name it it Trooper Wear.

[@tonydarcy5042]

My Grandad was a Tank driver with the playboys,didn’t say much about the war he was ashamed of what he did and saw as a result of the view from the driving position.( I can only imagine) . Not sure if he maybe mentioned in the book his name was Trooper Cooper.He never collected his medals or caught up with any of his comrades which is really sad. I’m just trying to gather any information out there that may help me understand and record his military history.

[@michaelwear2252]

@@tonydarcy5042 Hi had a quick look. There is a roll of honour listing wounded and killed. I only know of my father because he told me and showed me where he is mentioned.

[@tonydarcy5042]

@@michaelwear2252 thanks ,I very much just ordered a copy for posterity and hopefully open my eyes to what he endured.

[@michaelwear2252]

@@tonydarcy5042 makes me think of my late father-in-law. He was a coal miner before the war. After it was over, he wouldnt talk about what he had seen either. He wanted to put something back and went into nursing.

[@vanvan-oc4nj]

Great mr Fletcher, thx for good professional info !! I like it !

[@kiereluurs1243]

English please.

[@robbleeker4777]

Very informative..... They were very cunning when it came to specialised tanks, during WW2... I think it's also a bit sad because they were specialised to do one particular thing, a lot less have been produced and therefor, less of these tanks even survived..

[@TigerBaron]

Love this in CoH.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

**Crocodile go Fwooooooosh**

[@Nick-ye5kk]

Apparently "people didn't like the idea of being burnt"

[@dalel3608]

Thanks David. We use this "Sticky fuel" to light brush piles from a helicopter.

[@BountyFlamor]

5:40 "otherwise they would be misused." For making BBQ? 😃

[@phantomtherat6485]

It is beautiful😍

[@stephenwarhurst6615]

More German's surrendered to the Crocodile then was killed by the Crocodile

[@dermotrooney9584]

Stephen Warhurst - more Germans surrendered to Brit inf than were killed by them too.

[@alichinogaming6089]

What?! They surrendered and then were killed?? That's horrific! (jk)

[@dermotrooney9584]

AlichinoGaming 😂 typo?

[@sergarlantyrell7847]

So you're suggesting flinging tea bags at the Jerries in the hopes that they would recognize a British regiment and surrender on the spot. And now I am just imagining a Churchill crocodile that instead of spitting flame, fired boiling hot tea...

[@alichinogaming6089]

Yeah ;)

[@TheHelado36]

Should write a book only of “Fletcherism”

[@HB45175]

A jolly handy funny!

[@Daniel-S1]

Thanks.