Armoured Cars oy B.T. WhiteArmoured Fighting Vehicles of the World ‘A new and unrivalled publication in hard back bound volumes. Seven volumes will cover, in depth, the history of the AFV from the first lumbering giants of World War I to the Panzers, Cruisers and Shermans of World War II and the ultimate—the computerized killers of today with their infra-red illuminators and detectors. Each of the seven volumes includes a number of AFV Profiles together with revised issues of Armour in Profile and up toa third new material. Fully illustrated with colour plates, each volume gives a comprehensive picture of the period, VoLuME ONE AFWs of World War One Votume Five German AFVs of Vo.umr Two British AFVs 1919-1940 preeia arin Vote Six AFVs of World War Two: Vo.ume Turee British AFVs 1940-1946 Russian, French, Japanese, VoLtume Four American AFVs of Italian World War Two Vout Seven Modern AFVs Price £3 10s. (£3-50) each from your local book or model shop or £3 15s. (£3-75) direct from the Publishers. One of the world’s leading AFV experts says: “Until now there has been no one source available in English which promises to cover so thoroughly the entire spectrum of armoured fighting vehicles as the projected seven volumes of ‘Armoured Fighting Vehicles of the World’. Profile Publications Limited are to be congratulated. Not only will these volumes provide a wide variety of vehicle descriptions but of equal interest, many details of develop- mental history never before published in the separate Armour or ‘AFV' Profiles or indeed, anywhere else Were this wealth of information included in one volume the cost would be prohibitive. But being produced in several volumes each of related items, the specialist as well as the general student is benefited. One may purchase the reasonably priced volume covering a specific field or distribute the cost of the entire unique set over a period of time. Itis a privilege to be associated in a small way with this project.” Robert J. Icks, Colonel U.S.A.R. ~ Retired Now available: Volume 1 167 over 300 black and white illustrations, 19 pages of colour and a comprehensive index, Contents: The Dramatic Innovation: Early Armoured Cars: Tanks Marks I to V; Tank Mark IV; A7V Sturm- panzerwagen: Schneider and St. Chamond: Renault F.T.: Medium Tanks Marks A to D; the 8th August 1918 (The Batile of Amiens); Tanks Marks VI and VIL: Tank Mark VII “The International”; Gun Carrier and Supply Tanks: American Tanks: The Experimentals: British Tanks 1915—1919 (Comparative Tables); Index. To be published Autumn 1970 Volume 2 British AFVs 1919-1940 Contents of volume two are— Experiment in Armour: Mediums Marks Ito Hl; AIEI The Independent; L Tanks Mark Ito VI; Light Tanks Mark VII Tetrarch and Mark VIII Harry Hopkins; Amphibious Tanks; Vickers Six Ton: Matilda; Valentine: The Old Gang: Carden-Loyds; Carriers; Armoured Car Development in the Inter War Years: British Armoured Units and Formations (1919-1940). Under the editorship of Duncan Crow, a team of authors and artists are producing a series of Profiles and Bound volumes which will be recognized as a major work of reference on AFVs of the World. If you have any difficulty in obtaining Profiles from your local book or model shop please write direct to: Mail Order/Subscription Department, PROFILE PUBLICATIONS Ltd, Coburg House, Sheet Street, Windsor, Berks. SL41EBLeft: Morris rmoured Car, Reconnaissance (Model CS9|LAC). Produced in 1938 and the only recently built type of armoured car in service at the outbreak of war. The prototype ts shown-this differed only in minor details from the production car Right: Steyr-Daimler-Puch (Austro-Damler} Model ADSK. This was the original lype supplied to Britain for experimen atinces Guy, Daimler, Humber, A.E.C. by B.T. White THE year 1938, during which it seemed increasingly apparent to the less sanguine students of European affairs that war with Germany was inevitable, found the British army with only one modern type of armoured car in service. ‘This was a four-wheeled Morris type, based on the 15-owt. truck chassis. This design allowed for the quick and relatively cheap production of 100 armoured cars to re-equip the two cavalry armoured car regiments of the Army but, reverting as it did in many ways to features that were no improvement on armoured cars designed in 1914, could be regarded as no more than a stop-gap. Rolls-Royce armoured cars of a design only im- proved in details over that of the original 1914 Admiralty turreted pattern were still in service, although some were reatmed with an anti-tank riffe and in this form were actually used in action in Libya in 1940. Armoured cars of the 1938 Morris type and the Rolls-Royce 1920/1924 pattern with their conventional suspension and transmission on the rear wheels only were not good in performance off roads, although the development of an efficient design of sand tyre helped improve theit going in the desert. This is not to say that various vehicles that showed a much better cross- country performance had not been built in the inter war years in Britain as well as—more widely—on the Continent. In Britain in the 1920's and 1930's, efforts ‘were concentrated on the development of the rigid (as opposed to articulated) 6 x 4 chassis both as a military load carrier and later as an armoured car. This six- wheeled type, with drive to all four of the rear wheels, showed a considerable improvement over 4x2 vehicles, although it had the disadvantage of “bellying —the chassis between the front wheels and the front pair of rear wheels grounding—in certain conditions. However, 43 Lanchester Armoured Cars of this type were built in 1927-1931, followed by 6 Crossleys and these shared with some 76 Rolls-Royces armoured car duties with the British Army all over the world during the inter-war years and some were still in service even after the outbreak of World War IT. ‘The Royal Air Force, which also used armoured cars—these were for internal security in Iraq and Palestine, in conjunction with aeroplane squadrons— mostly employed Rolls-Royces similar to those of the Army. Some 6x4 armoured cars of different pattern to the Army’s were experimented with, however, as well as 4x4 types designed by Nicholas Straussler. ‘Twelve of the latter were eventually ordered in 1937- 1938. Perhaps the most advanced model of British 6x 4 armoured car was the Armstrong-Siddeley, tested by the Air Ministry about 1938, which had a relatively short wheelbase, a well shaped hull and rear mounted engine, but the 6x4 layout was, as a whole, losing favour for A.F.V.s by this time. On the Continent, several designs for armoured cars (besides those of Straussler, which originated in Hungary) were developed around the years 1933-1937 and which showed considerable advantages in cross- country going. Also, in Britain by 1937 there were several new designs of 4x4 chassis some of which ‘were coming into use as gun tractors for the army. ARMOURED CAR TRIALS In 1938 the War Office decided to institute tests to determine the best form of chassis to develop as an armoured car both to replace all existing types and to be suitable for further production in the event of war. Asa start, early in February, six different chassis from five manufacturers were got together for comparative tests. All were four-wheeled types, with four-wheel drive, but three had conventional suspension with rrigid axles and three had independent suspension. The three chassis with conventional suspension were a Guy Ant (supplied by Guy Motors Ltd.,‘Steyr-Daimler-Puch chassis with mock-up armoured ear hull and trret (British Official~~-Crown Copyrigh) RU) = Wolverhampton), a Unipower, a forestry tractor type of vehicle, provided by Universal Power Drives Ltd. of Perivale, Middlesex, and an American G.M.C. chassis, The three independently sprung chassis were a Morris Quad, supplied by Morris Commercial Cars Ltd,, Birmingham, and two Steyr-Daimler-Puch vehicles imported from Austria. One of these Austrian vehicles (which were from the Austro-Daimler division of Steyr-Daimler-Puch A.G.) was a small turretless armoured car with a rear mounted air-cooled engine and the other was a front engined unarmoured troop carrying vehicle, also adaptable to towing light artillery. The preliminary tests eliminated the Unipower and the G.M.C. chassis and further trials were then con- centrated on the British-built Guy and Morris chassis (of which six of each were ordered for extended trials) and on the Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch vehicles. By the end of February 1938 the fact was established that the Steyr-Daimler-Puch models were of high per- formance, being fast and economical in fuel. However, the driving position was cramped (this applied more to the armoured car than the troop carrier), the air- cooled engine was noisy and the braking was poor. ‘The performance of the Guy was found to be about the same as that of the Austrian vehicles although Morris Light Tank (Wheeled) in use by the Cairo City Police in 1941. The armament has been added locally. (British Official) Guy Light Tank (Wheeled) —the fist prototype. (Tank Museum) Left: Morris Light Tank ( Wheeled)—chassis. Note the rear mounted Morris water-cooled engine with twin radiators; the Inbular backbone with diagonally placed stub axles and volute springs. (BM.C) there were some problems with the suspension and the cooling of the water-cooled engine. ‘The Morris Quad proved to be the worst performer of the semi-finalists. The design of this vehicle was @ completely new departure for the Morris Commercial firm. It consisted of a tubular chassis with a water- cooled engine mounted at the rear with the fan at the back and radiators at either side. The transmission ‘was taken from a transfer box in front of the engine by means of diagonal shafts to bevel boxes at each wheel. Many faults arose in the tests carried out up to October 1938, including failure of the water pumps and stub axles, Also the Morris Quad was slower than the other types and the driver's position was uncom- fortable. It was recommended, therefore, that further development should be limited to improvement of the steering position—modification of the steering column and of the driver's seat to make it adjustable—in order to make the six vehicles built suitable to be handed over to the Army for training purposes. To end their story at this point, the Morris Quads had armoured hulls and turrets similar to those of the Guy Armoured Cars, No armament appears to have been fitted during. their trials although one car tested in Egypt was eventually handed over to the Cairo City Police for riot control purposes. Rejoicing in the name of “Ursula” it was equipped locally with a light machine-gun (possibly of Italian manufacture) plus crew weapons, Tests continued through 1938 with the Guy armoured cars (three of which had been completed by September) and the Steyr-Daimler-Puch vehicles, five of which in all were obtained for experiment, four as armoured cars and the other as an armoured gun tractor. The Steyr-Daimler-Puch armoured cars resolved themselves into three main types: the original model, turretless, with air-cooled engine; a modified version with a different hull with edditional vision portsete., in which the air-cooled engine was replaced by a Morris water-cooled type; and a chassis similar to that above with a Morris engine and fitted with a mock-up body with a rectangular turret (which was of identical pattern to the Guy and Morris turrets). It had been felt desirable to try out the Steyr- Daimler-Puch design with a British-built engine since this would have obvious advantages if the Austrian vehicle were chosen for production, Also, the original air-cooled engine, although efficient, was noisy, which Ameomed Cars, Guy, Marks 1 and Aa lineup of veces ing tothe Royal Canadian Dragoons, traning in the United Kingdom in 1342. (Canadian “offcial) was a liability in a reconnaissance vehicle. Therefore, Morris type CD water-cooled engines were fitted in some of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch armoured cars in order to compare their performance with that of the air-cooled engine. The water-cooled engine gave a markedly inferior performance in the Steyr-Daimler- Puch armoured car. GUY ARMOURED CAR In the meantime, trials of the Guy Armoured Car continued to show a good, if not spectacular, per- formance, Two out of the first three pilot vehicles were handed over in the autumn of 1938 to the Queen’s Bays for troop trials, This was a newly- mechanized cavalry regiment which, it might be ‘supposed, should be likely soon to reveal any mechani- cal weaknesses in the design. Such faults as showed up were not fundamental and were fairly easily rectified. They included some defects in the rear axle casing, the front anchorage of the rear springs, and the shock absorbers, while the cooling needed some improve- A rear view, of an Armoured Car, Guy Mark IA. This shows early the “solid” rear plate, with air intake underneath. This far is of the 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry on an exercise in 1941 Spe Lite Tank Wheeled) sith potepe shi, Apart fram th rvted construction and ming details (including he polio of the front shock absorbers), this car corresponds closely ta the production vehicles which followed. (British OmeHumber Armoured Car chassis. Rear mounted engine, rectangular Srame, sembeliptic leaf spring suspension. (Rootes Ltd.) Armoured Car, Humber Mark III. This side view (of a car with full Desert equipment on patrol near the Qattara Depression) ‘shows the nest form of turret with increased head room ‘mperial War Museum) Left: A view from above ofan Armoured Car, Humber Mark I, Showing al the armament clearly, tnclading the 15-mrn. ond P32 min Besa machine guns, he twin omoke dschargars on the From’ pte of the turrel and the OaDsn, Bren mechinesgia, {rth drum magacine) on a Lakeman A.A: mounting. The hall teas basicaly the same as thar of Humber Sark | but hada revised rats plate incorporating ie driver's ison hale, and a dierent form of engine ar inte at the rear. (Rootes Lid) Fee ne" aperiak War Museum/Jaguar Cars Ltd.)Armoured Car, Humber Mark IV. Apart from the 37-mmn. gun, his’ model was similar in mast respects, externally, t0\the Mark III. Note the uncditching channel carried across the front slacis plate. ‘Rootes Ltd) ments. Some of the necessary modifications appear to have been included in at least one, and perhaps all the last three of the six pilot vehicles built. The last of these, WD No. T4348, which was sent to Egypt for desert trials, shows in its layout all the external characteristics of the production vehicles, including larger tyres (10°50 x 20, replacing the original 10-50 x 16s), re-designed mudguards, allowing more clearance, and re-positioned shock absorbers. ‘The Guy Armoured Car had all the advantages of being based largely on well tried components, many of which were already in production for the Quad-Ant Field Artillery Tractor, The four-wheel drive ensured a good cross-country performance, although limited to some extent by the use of “solid” axles. The indepen- dent suspensions and other features of both the Mortis and the Steyr-Daimler-Puch vehicles might, if sufficient time could have been devoted to further development, have resulted in the end in a better vehicle than the Guy, but by this time it was desired to get some modern fighting vehicles into production and a contract was given to Guy Motors Ltd. for 101 armoured cars in January 1939. By this time the new nomenclature of Tank, Light (Wheeled) was applied to this class of fighting vehicle intended for long range fighting reconnaissance for the armoured division or higher formation headquarters. T! designation, followed by the maker's name was applied to both the six Guy and six Mortis pilot vehicles described above, whilst the Guy production model was known, initially at any rate, as Tank, Light (Wheeled), Mark I. When Guy Motors were given the contract for production of Light Tanks (Wheeled) the specification called for riveted construction of hulls and turrets in accordance with the designs which originated from Woolwich Arsenal. The company suggested, however, that welding of the armour plate would be much more satisfactory from a production point of view. Doubts were expressed by the War Office technical branches but a successful system for welding the hulls and turrets was developed by Guy’s together with a rotary sig for handling the bodies during the welding process. After the war Guy Motors received an award from the Royal Commission for Awards to Inventors for this, invention, which reduced both the cost and time of production of hulls and turrets for armoured cars. Armoured Car, Humber Mark. I. This particular vehicle was presented by the Maharajah of Bikaner in 1941 and was used by the [2th Royal Lancers. (linperial War Museum/Saguar Cars Ltd.) The system was adopted for the 101 Guy armoured cars of the production order as well as for all sub- sequent British armoured cars. CLASSIFICATION OF BRITISH ARMOURED CARS It is appropriate at this point to explain the three main classes of armoured car employed by the British Army in World War IL. First was the Tank, Light (Wheeled), for which, by 1941, the simple designation of “Armoured Car” was, again adopted. Second was the “Car, Scout” a new class of armoured vehicle introduced in 1939. This type of vehicle was intended to be as small and inconspicuous as possible, but with a good on- and off-the-road performance, for employment with tank and armoured car regiments for liaison in the battle area and scouting, only, although a light machine-gun was provided for protection, The evolution of this type of vehicle is dealt with below. Finally there was the “Car, Light Reconnaissance” which was introduced as such in 1941 primarily for medium range reconnaissance duties with the Recon- naissance Regiments (the successors to divisional cavalry regiments) of infantry divisions. This class of vehicle was developed from the Light Armoured Cars built in the emergency of 1940, following the evacua~ tion from Dunkirk of the British Expeditionary Force, which were at that time used in many instances as the principal and only equipment of many armoured units without tanks or proper armoured cars. The Morris, 1938 armoured cars (the type based on 15 owt truck chassis) were really in the Light Reconnaissance Car category, although before the introduction of more advanced vehicles they were used in the true Armoured Car rdle. The armament of this type of vehicle was ‘most often a Bren light machine-gun and a Boys anti- tank rifle—both basically infantry weapons—and a smoke discharger. The Light Reconnaissance Car was developed both later and mainly on separate lines from the British Armoured Car and Scout Car of World War Il although, mechanically, the specification came quite close to the latter by the end of the war and this, was followed up after the war by the production of a