The British Churchill MINE CLEARING Flail Tank "Toad"

Museum Assistant Manager, Jason, gives us a tour of The British Churchill MINE CLEARING Flail Tank aka "Toad"
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[@ptonpc]

Nice to see the old girl saved.

[@danpatterson8009]

I admire your video production discipline- good sound, well lit, and a speaker who knows his stuff and gets right to the point. More, please!

[@alecfraser1928]

Very interesting Jason. I didn't realise these were developed post war on the Churchill chassis.

[@fredfarnackle5455]

Well, I may be mistaken - but I don't think so - I am sure they were invented and used during WWII, maybe not on a Churchill but I have seen old movie footage of them in action during D-Day.

[@michaelhart895]

Churchill tanks were most definitely used as flail tanks in WW2.

[@andrewsteele7663]

Thank you, Jason. I am utterly astonished by the incredible vehicle you possess. I've only seen such machines in videos. I am eagerly anticipating the opportunity to see it in person. Thank you once again. Cheers.

[@Cadfael007]

You can watch a destroyed Churchill Mine Cleaner at the Overloon Museum (NL). The mine cleaner was destroyed during the battle of Overloon. I first watched the tank 50 years ago. Meanwhile all tanks in Overloon have been restored.

[@russwoodward8251]

In working condition. Amazing. Thank you Jason and Aus Armour.

[@markiemark53523]

Brilliant! Loving these videos on the museums collection. Can I request episodes on the Churchill AVRE and RAM Kangaroo please?

[@dingodoctor7373]

Nice to see this video, I actually restored the lane marker sytem on the back. As I recall, there are about 59 tubes on the conveyor chain and as each one comes to the end the marker post is fired out with a blank .303" cartridge. When the vehicle was completed it was actually driven with the flail going along a bed of straw, the chains temporarily shortenend, in front of the owner Jacques Littlefield and live BBC TV cameras. The flail engine is not exactly a Centurion engine as it is the fuel injected version as fitted to the Conqueror tank. Another misnomer is that the Churchill's is not two Bedford engines, it is in fact a 'flat six' or opposed. It is a side valve and there were no other Bedford side valve engines.

[@paulcoopmans4288]

According to my late dad,they called it the Crab .

[@peckelhaze6934]

Never seen the "Toad" before so this is a very noce surprise.

[@jetnavigator]

What a contraption.

[@chopper7352]

Another amazing vehicle. A sole surviving example of the class & in running condition. 👍

[@craigjones9244]

My son and I visited the museum last Christmas we had a great time very educational.

[@edfrancis712]

glad to have been of some service, great video!

[@MGB-learning]

Outstanding vehicle walk-around and vehicle history. Thank you!

[@mzimmerman1988]

Thanks! Engineering vehicles are under appreciated.

[@kiowafourty964]

Thank you guys for taking the time to make this. This is the kind of history I want to watch. Great work

[@billyponsonby]

Fascinating. I imagine at Aus ArmourFest you don’t run the flail - it seems like a dangerous prospect even without mines involved. Ashchurch vehicle depot is just down the road from me. The gate guard is a chieftain tank named Mike.

[@Splattle101]

What a monster!

[@johnnewman366]

Hi Jason, another great ‘Factsheet Friday’, goes well with ‘Workshop Wednesday’. We need three more, how about: ‘Mechanical Monday’ ‘Team Talk Tuesday’ ‘Track Test Thursday’ Yes? No? Maybe.....? Haha! Cheers, (PS, I read on ‘Tanks-Encyclopaedia’, that your Toad was previously part of the Littlefield Collection, and Aus Armour procured it at auction in 2014 for USD$80,500, a good investment, probably worth a lot more today.)

[@The1nsane1]

I like it, ‘Factsheet Friday’. Well done.

[@frenzalrhomb6919]

Other than someone's Army "used equipment sales day," where or how does one go about the "procurement" of a vehicle like this?

[@chriskortan1530]

Armoured Archives!

[@Theogenerang]

Perfect for cane harvesting season.

[@jamesbelcher9374]

Another fantastic video, I always learn something I didn’t know before watching your videos. I also heard that you have a rare Australian vehicle in your collection the Scout Car S1, I’d love to find out more about it.

[@Mangolorian-je3eo]

Hope these come back just so we call call one the Mine Flayer.

[@simonmcowan6874]

I never knew this existed, thank you for showing us this monster.

[@brissyboy7164]

What a beast of a machine absolutely awesome , i really hope to train it up from brissy for a weekend just to have a museum look around ............................ Thumbs Up

[@babuzzard6470]

Thanks Jason, another interesting and informative video, can’t wait to get to Cairns and see all the museum.👍🇦🇺

[@Mag_Aoidh]

Excellent Jason!

[@thegewehrgaming]

I saw a document on this exact tank it was from a collector then bought by you guys

[@mchrome3366]

Excellent narration and explanation. Thanks

[@andrewbantick6311]

Walking speed clearing mines great!

[@rockercovers7139]

What a machine .....

[@54mgtf22]

Thanks Jason. Good job 👍

[@stevenslavicek9711]

I saw this vehicle yesterday it is very impressive.

[@gerardhogan3]

Nicecdrills as always Jason. Always enjoy your tec data

[@bigmac60]

Nice work Jason

[@entropyachieved750]

Very nice addition to have

[@drmarkintexas-400]

🏆🎖️🙏💪🤗 Thank you for sharing this

[@Max_Flashheart]

That is amazing congrats

[@kineticdeath]

I just imagine jeremy clarkson exclaiming "engaging flails!"

[@smalcolmbrown]

Thanks :)

[@roymilton426]

Fascinating, thanks,

[@JimmySailor]

I’ve always thought if a zombie outbreak were to occur a mine flail would be a nice bit of kit.

[@johnanon6938]

The only one left and its fully operational... hopefully one day there's some some good modern footage of that beast spinning up. Kurt use tripods to stay behind cover with hearing protection. (fingers crossed)

[@outlawflyer7868]

Cool, would have been nice to have seen those lane markers if you had them.

[@andrewdowns3403]

well done Jason , as always , now all you have to do is start it up and drive it around the car park

[@Alexia_Nothisone]

It look so weird i love it

[@tedstrikertwa800]

Looks like something out of Warhamner 40K 🤘

[@shaneblack4862]

I didn't realise this example was the last.

[@leroleromilanez]

Um veículo muito interessante!

[@johnhollinger6352]

Very good explications interesting as usal 5:42

[@bigmac60]

😂

[@thurin84]

nice! was the underside up armored at all?

[@rustandmagic]

Good alternative to the moss rakes if you have a bad lawn ;)

[@chrisj2848]

Great video. Lets take'r out for a rip!

[@gregoryheim9781]

"... weighs approximately 1.13 kilos." No, we want to know EXACTLY how much it weighs. 😂

[@QALibrary]

Wonder if any of the bridge layers are left

[@horrido666]

The thing looks like a funny right off of Gold Beach. I'm surprised it takes so much power to drive the flail. Where is all that power going?

[@Laxpowertoo]

Great video again Jason. I think it's called a toad because the guy who painted it had a wart.

[@gadgetfellow]

wow

[@Ganiscol]

Working condition - how noice would it be to see it flail about a bit 😅

[@RSW6666]

Shout out to Kurt, who I'm assuming did the filming.

[@mrmcmoustache9615]

That’s threatening looking

[@spencereagle1118]

The sight of that flail reminds me of a horrific story Bill Millin, the famed 'mad piper' of the D-Day landings, recounted in a memoir. They had placed several wounded men in a natural depression on the beach to shield them from fire when a Sherman flail tank, not knowing they were there, drove straight over them. Millin had tried desperately to atract the drivers attention, but with the gunfire and the noise of the machine itself he was unable to do so.

[@zaynevanday142]

Dang ! 😮

[@dukwdriver2909]

Ashchurch is a vehicle storage and distribution depot only. So, I am wondering if the excellent condition is because it was never actually issued to a unit and spent all its Military life in storage.

[@johnnewman366]

No she wasn’t kept in storage. According to ‘Tanks-Encyclopaedia’, this vehicle was left out in the elements in the UK for many years, it was restored between 2006-2008, and then handed over to the Littlefield Collection in the US, Aus Armour then procured it at auction in 2014 for US$80,500. She’s well travelled!

[@dukwdriver2909]

@@johnnewman366 Need to get the British Army Reg No from the data plate. Then apply for a copy of the Service Record Card to find out its Military service before being auctioned off to see how much "action" it saw in the Army. Annual driving round the depot for readiness checks or, issued to a Unit? Being left out in the elements after disposal is an entirely different matter. Is it really more than 10 years since Littlefield died? How time flys.

[@dazaspc]

The original String Trimmer. I wonder how disturbing they were to operate when you actually started hitting mines? I would imagine hitting a double stack would not have been nice even with all that Armour.

[@HK94]

👍

[@kirankrishnars9089]

❤❤

[@nicholashett6265]

I’m guessing a gearbox using different ratios…or different final drive ratio?

[@skyd8726]

You can always trust a bloke wearing Just Jeans cargo shorts!

[@BlastedBilly]

looks like something out of a horror movie!

[@joereedsmith1531]

90 to 99 KPH?

[@kenbb99]

After it got about 30 meters into a minefield it had to be towed ... the towed.

[@myopickid4180]

When you saw the Churchill as a slow tank, the British made it even slower.

[@HonorablesirGolfer]

Help I’m from the largest land conservation project in epping help they broke my jaw and are taking everything - titanium Jon

[@CHEEKYMONKEY2647]

its a FV3902 Churchill Flail, not a 9302 as you stated in the video, this tank didnt come into service until 1954... The famous Sherman Crab, a valuable asset on the invasion beaches of D-Day in 1944, found at The Tank Museum, Bovington, UK.

[@zorbakaput8537]

Alert - Spelling Police have entered.

[@CHEEKYMONKEY2647]

@@zorbakaput8537 your jealous you didnt spot it lol

[@zaynevanday142]

Meh

[@frostedbutts4340]

Nobody asked virgin.

[@panelvanman7671]

wasnt it one of hobarts funnies ?

[@felwinter5528]

I think I remember hearing that there was one in the funnys from one of the tank museum videos

[@darrylhilbig6459]

Hobart's Funnies used Matilda II's or Churchills (Crab).

[@panelvanman7671]

@@darrylhilbig6459 The vehicles converted were chiefly Churchill tanks

[@darrylhilbig6459]

I realised that after I sent it. Too lazy to fix it. 😅

[@Hauggyful]

I just want to thank you for using the metric system. God bless you kangaroos!

[@markdavis2475]

Would a flail tank be more effective in Ukraine than a roller-equipped tank?

[@zaynevanday142]

Great idea for fund raising hire the “Toad” out to dig up gardens and farmers fields 😂😂😂

[@ramilv739]

Well suited for riot control

[@robertcornelius3514]

A great job for a person with Autism.

[@littlehills739]

the anti protester mover :) dont get me wrong u can protest but not blocking roads or work sites

[@woody5109]

Such a desperate invention.

[@archangel729]

Interesting but the video too short and ends abruptly you can do better . Please do better . 5 :43 minute video not worh making sry guys big tank fan but this one not a good video .