Hillman Gnat
| Hillman Gnat | |
|---|---|
Bren gun | |
| Drive | Wheeled 4x2 |
| References | The Tank Museum[1] |
The Hillman Gnat was an experimental World War II era light armoured car developed in Britain.
Overview
The Hillman Gnat was designed around 1940 as a two-man light armoured car, it was intended to replace machine gun armed, unarmoured motorcycles that were fielded in significant numbers by the British Army, but were going out of favour at the time. The Gnat's development, along with the Morris Salamander, was sponsored by the then Brigadier Vyvyan Pope.[1][2]
The vehicle was based on the
Trials of the Gnat and the Salamander revealed they were too underpowered to perform in their intended role without four-wheel drive, the Gnat was particularly handicapped. Impetus for the project waned upon the death of the now Major General Vyvyan Pope in 1941, and both it and the Salamander were cancelled in 1942.[1][3]
In total four Hillman Gnats were produced.[1]
Survivors & Replicas
As of 2020, there is one confirmed replica in existence. The replica was shown during the Tankfest of 2017. It is unknown if there are any surviving Hillman Gnats to this date.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e David Fletcher, MBE, "The Gnat and the Salamander", tankmuseum.org retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ISBN 0711001235.
- ^ ISBN 0112904602.
- ISBN 0723217556.
 | This article related to weaponry is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |