Foehammer’s Konflikted Painting Table
Marine Assault and Recovery Vehicle (MARV)
“If necessity is the mother of invention, then the father is the incompetence of military logistics.” – Sergeant Peter Gundersson, USMC 2nd Engineering Battalion
The MARV (Marine Assault and Recovery Vehicle) was first created by the USMC 2nd Engineering Battalion on the island of Iwo Jima in late 1946. Instead of the requested resupply of demolition and construction equipment, a clerk’s paperwork error resulted in the supply ship offloading a squadron of new Grizzly ARVs destined for Patton’s 5th army in Western Europe.
The Marine Engineers and Mechanics quickly found the ARVs could be modified into surprisingly effective assault vehicles. Their array of winches, drills, and cutting saws, typically used in the recovery and repair of armored vehicles, were equally proficient at neutralizing japanese bunkers, tunnel networks and pillboxes. If no such targets were present, the MARVs could be put to their original purpose of extracting bogged-down tanks and trucks from the prolific south-pacific mud.
One of the most common modifications added to MARVs is installation of a flamethrower into the mantlet which typically holds the Grizzly’s 75mm gun.
Home-brewed rules to come.
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