Daimler Armoured Car
Daimler Armoured Car | |
---|---|
petrol 95 hp (71 kW) | |
Power/weight | 12.5 hp/tonne |
Transmission | 5 speed (both directions) with fluid flywheel |
Suspension | 4 × 4 wheel, independent coil spring |
Operational range | 200 miles (320 km) |
Maximum speed | 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) |
The Daimler Armoured Car was a successful British
Former British Daimler armoured cars were exported to various Commonwealth of Nations member states throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In 2012, some were still being operated by the Qatari Army.[1]
Design and development
The Daimler Armoured Car was a parallel development to the
The prototypes had been produced in 1939, but problems with the transmission caused by the weight of the vehicle delayed service entry until mid-1941. Daimler Company built 2,694 armoured cars.
The Daimler had full independent suspension and four wheel drive. Epicyclic gearing in the wheel hubs enabled a very low ratio in bottom gear – it was credited with managing 1:2 inclines. The rugged nature combined with reliability made it ideal for reconnaissance and escort work.
The variant of the turret and the 2pdr gun were also used on the
Combat history
The Daimler saw action in
A British Indian Army armoured car regiment, the 16th Light Cavalry, which formed part of Fourteenth Army troops was partly equipped with Daimlers and served in the reconquest of Burma.[3][4]
To improve the gun performance, some Daimlers in the European Theatre had their 2-pounders fitted with the Littlejohn adaptor, which worked on the squeeze bore principle. This increased the gun's theoretical armour penetration and would allow it to penetrate the side or rear armour of some German tanks.[5]
Daimlers were used by the
An
The
Conflicts
- Second World War
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
- 1948 Arab–Israeli War
- Indo-Pakistani War
- Ceylonese insurrection of 1971
- Sri Lankan civil war
Variants
- Mark I
- Mark I CS – close support version with 76 mm gun.
- Mark II – improved turret, modified gun mount, improved radiator, driver escape hatch incorporated into roof, WP grenade container fitted in turret and smoke generator container modified.[10]
- A turretless regimental command version, known as SOD ("Sawn-Off Daimler").
Operators
Current
Former
- Australia
- Belgium
- Canada
- India[6]
- Israel
- Malaysia[1]
- Myanmar
- New Zealand
- Poland
- Sri Lanka
- United Kingdom
- Kuwait
Gallery
Notes
- ^ a b c "Surviving Daimler Armoured Cars" (PDF). France. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-11-290460-1.
- ISBN 978-0-297-85761-7.
- ^ Davies, R. Mark. "British & Indian Armoured Units of the Burma Campaign : A Painting Guide" (PDF). Fire and Fury Games. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- ISBN 978-1-39908-103-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-7094-004-3.
- ^ "The President's Bodyguard". The President of India. The President's Secretariat, Government of India. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- ^ Bhat, Anil (2011). "A Tryst with India's History". Salute magazine. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "History of the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ Boyd, David. "Daimler Armoured Car". wwiiequipment.com. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
References
- "Armoured Car, Daimler, Mark II (E1963.20)". Tank Museum, Bovington. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
collection record
[permanent dead link]
External links
- Missing-lynx.com
- World War II vehicles
- Daimler Armoured Car at Tanxheaven.com: [1], [2].
- The Daimler Fighting Vehicles Project