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54-480: The Daimler armoured car was a successful British armoured car design of the Second World War that continued in service into the 1950s. It was designed for armed reconnaissance and liaison purposes. During the postwar era, it doubled as an internal security vehicle in a number of countries. Former British Daimler armoured cars were exported to various Commonwealth of Nations member states throughout

108-947: A Fordson truck in Egypt . By the start of the new war, the German army possessed some highly effective reconnaissance vehicles, such as the Schwerer Panzerspähwagen . The Soviet BA-64 was influenced by a captured Leichter Panzerspähwagen before it was first tested in January 1942. In the second half of the war, the American M8 Greyhound and the British Daimler Armoured Cars featured turrets mounting light guns (40 mm or less). As with other wartime armored cars, their reconnaissance roles emphasized greater speed and stealth than

162-531: A Mannesmann-MULAG  [ de ] armored car to break through the Germans' lines and force the Germans to retreat. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Middle East was equipped with Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars and Morris tenders. Some of these vehicles were among the last of a consignment of ex- Royal Navy armored cars that had been serving in the Middle East since 1915. In September 1940

216-699: A Type 86 armoured recovery vehicle which were assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment replacing the British armoured cars. That year the SLAC introduced main battle tanks with the formation of its first tank regiment , the 4th Armoured Regiment at Clappenburg in Trincomalee equipped with T-55A medium tanks and T 55 ARVs brought down from the Czechoslovakia. In 1992, SLAC deployed twenty Type 86 infantry fighting vehicles . The two T-55A tanks of

270-572: A Czech T 54 AVLB bridge-layer . Many of the SLAC units deployed in the Operation Riviresa in 1995 and became the first units enter Jaffna. The 6th Regiment was raised in January 1997 and was initially deployed in an infantry role. In 1998, thirty three BTR-80 APCs and BTR-80 A IFVs were added to the 'A' vehicle fleet shared between the 1st, 3rd, 6th recce regiments and were used in Operation Jayasikurui . In May 1998,

324-734: A Stalwart. On 15 December 1988, the Armoured Brigade was formed under the command of Brigadier Y. Balaretnarajah who became the first Armoured Brigade Commander bring under it the 1st, 3rd Reconnaissance Regiments and the ACTC. Its expansion was limited since the Government of Sri Lanka face difficulties in precuring spares and new military equipment from its traditional suppliers in the United Kingdom and Singapore due to pressure from Western countries. The US government approved

378-603: A few cars with heavier guns. As air power became a factor, armored cars offered a mobile platform for antiaircraft guns. The first effective use of an armored vehicle in combat was achieved by the Belgian Army in August–September 1914. They had placed Cockerill armour plating and a Hotchkiss machine gun on Minerva touring cars, creating the Minerva Armored Car . Their successes in the early days of

432-487: A few vehicles reached the South-East Asia theatre . A typical late war recce troop in north-west Europe would have two Daimler armoured cars and two Daimler Dingo scout cars. 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 . To improve the gun performance, some Daimlers in

486-468: A fictionalized account of their use. The Motor Scout was designed and built by British inventor F.R. Simms in 1898. It was the first armed petrol engine-powered vehicle ever built. The vehicle was a De Dion-Bouton quadricycle with a mounted Maxim machine gun on the front bar. An iron shield in front of the car protected the driver. Another early armed car was invented by Royal Page Davidson at Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in 1898 with

540-698: A less threatening vehicle such as an armored car is more likely to be attacked. Many modern forces now have their dedicated armored car designs, to exploit the advantages noted above. Examples would be the M1117 armored security vehicle of the USA or Alvis Saladin of the post-World War II era in the United Kingdom. Alternatively, civilian vehicles may be modified into improvised armored cars in ad hoc fashion. Many militias and irregular forces adapt civilian vehicles into AFVs (armored fighting vehicles) and troop carriers, and in some regional conflicts these "technicals" are

594-492: A more powerful engine. Like the scout car, it incorporated some of the most advanced design concepts of the time and is considered one of the best British armoured fighting vehicles of the Second World War. The 95 hp engine was at the rear linked through a fluid flywheel to a Wilson preselector gearbox and then a H-drive arrangement with prop-shafts to each wheel. Four wheel steering similar to early models of

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648-844: A section of the No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment Company was detached to General Wavell's ground forces during the first offensive against the Italians in Egypt. During the actions in the October of that year the company was employed on convoy escort tasks, airfield defense, fighting reconnaissance patrols and screening operations. During the 1941 Anglo-Iraqi War , some of the units located in the British Mandate of Palestine were sent to Iraq and drove Fordson armored cars. "Fordson" armored cars were Rolls-Royce armored cars which received new chassis from

702-624: A third squadron. When Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972, the CAC became the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps. Following the insurrection, the regiment deployed a saber squadron to provide security for the Criminal Justice Commission from 1973 to 1976. A forth squadron was raised in 1974. The first volunteer ( reserve ) unit of the SLAC, the 2nd (Volunteer) Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps was formed in 1979 under

756-500: A tracked vehicle could provide, so their limited armor, armament and off-road capabilities were seen as acceptable compromises. A military armored car is a type of armored fighting vehicle having wheels (from four to ten large, off-road wheels) instead of tracks , and usually light armor . Armored cars are typically less expensive and on roads have better speed and range than tracked military vehicles. They do however have less mobility as they have less off-road capabilities because of

810-660: 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 Light Tank Mk VII Tetrarch . The Daimler saw action in North Africa with the 11th Hussars and the Derbyshire Yeomanry . It was also used in Europe and

864-453: Is said to be more compatible with tight urban spaces designed for wheeled vehicles. However, they do have a larger turning radius compared to tracked vehicles which can turn on the spot and their tires are vulnerable and are less capable in climbing and crushing obstacles. Further, when there is true combat they are easily outgunned and lightly armored. The threatening appearance of a tank is often enough to keep an opponent from attacking, whereas

918-805: The BTR-40 or the Cadillac Gage Commando . Postwar advances in recoil control technology have also made it possible for a few armoured cars, including the B1 Centauro , the Panhard AML , the AMX-10 RC and EE-9 Cascavel , to carry a large cannon capable of threatening many tanks. During the Middle Ages, war wagons covered with steel plate, and crewed by men armed with primitive hand cannon , flails and muskets , were used by

972-465: The Davidson-Duryea gun carriage and the later Davidson Automobile Battery armored car . However, these were not "armored cars" as the term is understood today, as they provided little protection for their crews from enemy fire. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first military armored vehicles were manufactured by adding armor and weapons to existing vehicles. The first armored car

1026-536: The Hussite rebels in Bohemia. These were deployed in formations where the horses and oxen were at the centre, and the surrounding wagons were chained together as protection from enemy cavalry. With the invention of the steam engine , Victorian inventors designed prototype self-propelled armored vehicles for use in sieges, although none were deployed in combat. H. G. Wells ' short story " The Land Ironclads " provides

1080-583: The Queen's Dragoons Guards received four British Ferret unturreted scout cars along with twenty BSA M20 with side cars that were armed with Bren light machine gun . The squadron expanded its number of personal and increased its training. In 1957, the squadron moved to Ampara on flood relief duties and in December moved to Rock House Army Camp in Colombo, which became its regimental headquarters. In 1958,

1134-630: The Royal Naval Armoured Car Division reaching a strength of 20 squadrons before disbanded in 1915. and the armoured cars passing to the army as part of the Machine Gun Corps. Only NO.1 Squadron was retained; it was sent to Russia. As the Western Front turned to trench warfare unsuitable to wheeled vehicles, the armoured cars were moved to other areas. The 2nd Duke of Westminster took No. 2 Squadron of

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1188-649: The Sri Lankan civil war most notably during the First Battle of Elephant Pass in which at least one Daimler was knocked out. Background: British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II , Tanks in the British Army Armored car (military) Since World War II the traditional functions of the armored car have been occasionally combined with that of the armoured personnel carrier , resulting in such multipurpose designs as

1242-651: The 1950s and 1960s. In 2012, some were still being operated by the Qatari Army . The Daimler armoured car was a parallel development to the Daimler Dingo scout car, a small armoured vehicle for scouting and liaison roles. It was another Birmingham Small Arms Company design. A larger version designed on the same layout as the Dingo fitted with the turret similar to that of the Mark VII 'Tetrarch' Light Tank and

1296-568: The 4th Armoured Regiment captured by the LTTE in the Battle of Pooneryn in November 1993. One of these destroyed by the air force and the other was re-captured at the end of the war. The 5th Regiment raised in 1994 as an infantry role and converted to an armored role as the 5th Reconnaissance Regiment with the arrival of Russian sixteen BMP-1 IFVs, followed by Chinese thirty Type 63 II APCs and

1350-464: The 7th Battalion, Sri Lanka National Guard was transferred as the SLAC as the 7th (Volunteer) Regiment in an infantry role. In 1999, the 8th Regiment was raised as a reinforcement regiment in an infantry role. In 1998 the SLAC was presented with the President's Standard in recognition of the service it has rendered. In 2000, Czech T-55 AM II MBTs , BMP-2 , BMP-3 IFVs were added followed by

1404-551: The BMP-2 command vehicles in 2002. The regiments underwent reorganizing with new equipment, the 4th Armoured Regiment was reorganized in 2001 with three squadrons of T-55 AM II; 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment received one squadron of T-55A and the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment phased out its old British AFVs and was fully equipped with BTR 80s and BTR 80A. With the hostilities resuming in 2006, SLAC units deployed in offensive operations on all fronts. Its 4th Armoured Regiment lost six tanks in

1458-531: The British Ferret are armed with just a machine gun. Heavier vehicles are armed with autocannon or a large caliber gun. The heaviest armored cars, such as the German, World War II era Sd.Kfz. 234 or the modern, US M1128 mobile gun system , mount the same guns that arm medium tanks. Armored cars are popular for peacekeeping or internal security duties. Their appearance is less confrontational and threatening than tanks, and their size and maneuverability

1512-798: The Ceylon Armoured Corps. The 1st Recce Regiment was deployed on several occasions in the 1950s and 1960s on flood relief and internal security operations. It was deployed for counter-insurgency operations in Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Ranatunga during the 1971 Insurrection against the JVP . In 1971, the regiment received twelve British Alvis Saladin armoured cars in May and ten Soviet BTR-152 armored personnel carriers (APCs) in November to supplement its counter-insurgency operations with

1566-644: 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. Daimlers were used by the territorial units of the British Army until the 1960s, outlasting their planned replacement, the Coventry armoured car . It

1620-569: The Indian Army formed the mounts of the President's Bodyguard and were deployed in the defense of Chushul during the 1962 Sino-Indian War . The Ceylon Army received twelve Daimlers in 1959 with the establishment of its 1st Reconnaissance Regiment. The Daimlers served with the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps till the late 1990s having served with the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment in the 1971 JVP insurrection and early part of

1674-1220: The RNAS to France in March 1915 in time to make a noted contribution to the Second Battle of Ypres , and thereafter the cars with their master were sent to the Middle East to play a part in the British campaign in Palestine and elsewhere The Duke led a motorised convoy including nine armoured cars across the Western Desert in North Africa to rescue the survivors of the sinking of the SS Tara which had been kidnapped and taken to Bir Hakiem. In Africa, Rolls Royce armoured cars were active in German South West Africa and Lanchester Armoured Cars in British East Africa against German forces to

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1728-636: The armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army , with vehicles such as the T-55AM2 main battle tank ; the BMP infantry fighting vehicle ; and the BTR-80 and WZ551 armoured personnel carriers . It comprises five regular armoured regiments , a volunteer regiment, and a regimental band . It has an independent Armoured Brigade and is headquartered at Rock House Army Camp , Colombo . The Ceylon Army

1782-497: The command of Lt. Col Eustace Jayasekara with troops from the Ceylon National Guard . With the escalation of the Sri Lankan civil war , three saber squadrons were deployed in the northern and eastern provinces of the country, to provide fire support for infantry and for the protection of road convoys. The forth squadron was deployed in Colombo for the defense of the capital. The Armoured Corps Training Centre (ACTC)

1836-638: The deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the North and East provinces, the regiment deployed a saber squadron each in Jaffna and Kilinochchi , while it deployed the remaining two squadrons in Colombo and Gampaha as the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection started in the south of the island. In November 1988, the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment was raised with Saladins, Saracens, Ferrets and

1890-662: The first amphibious landings made by the army in Operation Balavegaya to break the siege on Elephant Pass . The siege on Elephant Pass made it clear that the civil war had shifted from an insurrection into a conventional war. The army looked for new sources of heavier weaponry and found it in China and Czechoslovakia. It looked for tracked vehicles for better cross country movements and larger caliber guns. In 1991, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps received from China twenty Type 85 light tanks , ten Type 90 APCs , command vehicles and

1944-575: The higher ground pressure. They also have less obstacle climbing capabilities than tracked vehicles. Wheels are more vulnerable to enemy fire than tracks, they have a higher signature and in most cases less armor than comparable tracked vehicles. As a result, they are not intended for heavy fighting; their normal use is for reconnaissance , command, control, and communications, or for use against lightly armed insurgents or rioters. Only some are intended to enter close combat, often accompanying convoys to protect soft-skinned vehicles. Light armored cars, such as

1998-518: The key Battle of Jaffna . The 6th recce regiment was disbanded in February 2007 with its personal and equipment transferred to the newly formed Mechanized Infantry Regiment . In August 2007 a new 6th Reinforcement Regiment was raised followed by the 10th Reinforcement Regiment was raised in August 2008. In 2009 more Chinese WZ551 APCs were added and the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment was re-designated as

2052-772: The only combat vehicles present. On occasion, even the soldiers of national militaries are forced to adapt their civilian-type vehicles for combat use, often using improvised armor and scrounged weapons. In the 1930s, a new sub-class of armored car emerged in the United States, known as the scout car . This was a compact light armored car which was either unarmed or armed only with machine guns for self-defense. Scout cars were designed as purpose-built reconnaissance vehicles for passive observation and intelligence gathering. Armored cars which carried large caliber, turreted weapons systems were not considered scout cars. The concept gained popularity worldwide during World War II and

2106-444: The period was the French Charron, Girardot et Voigt 1902 , presented at the Salon de l'Automobile et du cycle in Brussels , on 8 March 1902. The vehicle was equipped with a Hotchkiss machine gun , and with 7 mm (0.28 in) armour for the gunner. One of the first operational armored cars with four wheel (4x4) drive and partly enclosed rotating turret, was the Austro-Daimler Panzerwagen built by Austro-Daimler in 1904. It

2160-780: The roof of the drive compartment as needed. The Spanish Schneider-Brillié was the first armored vehicle to be used in combat, being first used in the Kert Campaign . The vehicle was equipped with two machineguns and built from a bus chassis. An armored car known as the ''Death Special'' was built at the CFI plant in Pueblo and used by the Badlwin-Felts detective agency during the Colorado Coalfield War . A great variety of armored cars appeared on both sides during World War I and these were used in various ways. Generally, armored cars were used by more or less independent car commanders. However, sometimes they were used in larger units up to squadron size. The cars were primarily armed with light machine guns, but larger units usually employed

2214-423: The sale of Cadillac Gage armored cars without turrets and guns and the British government's refusal to supply spare parts for the Alvis Saladins and Ferret armoured cars. The SLAC received 10 Type 63 (YW531) APC from China in 1988. The 2nd (Volunteer) Regiment was transferred to the Sri Lanka Light Infantry as its 5th (Volunteer) battalion in 1989. Three saber squadrons from the two regiments were deployed for

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2268-401: The scout car was considered but not implemented following experience with the Dingo. 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. The Daimler Company built 2,694 armoured cars. The Daimler had full independent suspension and four wheel drive. Epicyclic gearing in the wheel hubs enabled

2322-430: The south. Armored cars also saw action on the Eastern Front. From 18 February - 26 March 1915, the German army under General Max von Gallwitz attempted to break through the Russian lines in and around the town of Przasnysz , Poland, (about 110 km / 68 miles north of Warsaw) during the Battle of Przasnysz (Polish: Bitwa przasnyska ). Near the end of the battle, the Russians used four Russo-Balt armored cars and

2376-399: The squadron was deployed to counter the communal riots and on 15 December 1958 it was expanded to a formation reconnaissance regiment with two recce squadrons and had increased its fleet with BSA M21 motorcycles, eight Ferret Mk II Scout Cars and two Daimler Armoured Cars . The 1st Reconnaissance Regiment became allied to and inherited the traditions of Queen's Dragoons Guards and it became

2430-416: The vehicles provided by a local shipbuilder. In London Murray Sueter ordered "fighting cars" based on Rolls-Royce, Talbot and Wolseley chassis. By the time Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars arrived in December 1914, the mobile period on the Western Front was already over. More tactically important was the development of formed units of armored cars, such as the Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade , which

2484-544: The war convinced the Belgian GHQ to create a Corps of Armoured Cars , who would be sent to fight on the Eastern front once the western front immobilized after the Battle of the Yser . The British Royal Naval Air Service dispatched aircraft to Dunkirk to defend the UK from Zeppelins. The officers' cars followed them and these began to be used to rescue downed reconnaissance pilots in the battle areas. They mounted machine guns on them and as these excursions became increasingly dangerous, they improvised boiler plate armoring on

2538-440: Was armored with 3–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) thick curved plates over the body (drive space and engine) and had a 4 mm (0.16 in) thick dome-shaped rotating turret that housed one or two machine-guns. It had a four-cylinder 35 hp (26 kW) 4.4 L (270 cu in) engine giving it average cross country performance. Both the driver and co-driver had adjustable seats enabling them to raise them to see out of

2592-413: Was especially favored in nations where reconnaissance theory emphasized passive observation over combat. Examples of armored cars also classified as scout cars include the Soviet BRDM series , the British Ferret , the Brazilian EE-3 Jararaca , the Hungarian D-442 FÚG , and the American Cadillac Gage Commando Scout . Sri Lanka Armoured Corps The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides

2646-468: Was established in 1949. Under Prime Minister Colonel Sir John Kotelawala , the Government of Ceylon decided on the need to add armor to support infantry elements of the newly established regular army. To this effect a cavalry arm was considered and the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron was established on 1 October 1955 under the command of Major D. S. Attygalle at the Echelon Barracks . Squadron moved to Ridiyagama for training with British Army advisers from

2700-463: Was established on 1 January 1984 at Kalattewa, Anuradhapura . The regiment received several Alvis Stalwart amphibious vehicles in 1985 and thirty two Alvis Saracen APCs in 1986. With the Saracens the SLAC was able to allocate two Saracens per troop providing assault troops to provide close combat support in the form of mechanized infantry . In the 1980s the regiment supported all major military operations, notably Vadamarachchi Operation . Following

2754-412: Was powered by a four-cylinder 3.3 L (200 cu in) 16 hp (12 kW) Cannstatt Daimler engine, giving it a maximum speed of around 9 mph (14 km/h). The armament, consisting of two Maxim guns , was carried in two turrets with 360° traverse. It had a crew of four. Simms' Motor War Car was presented at the Crystal Palace , London , in April 1902. Another early armored car of

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2808-402: Was still being used, along with Daimler Dingoes, by B Squadron, 11th Hussars in Northern Ireland as late as January 1960. An Indian Army regiment, 63 Cavalry , was raised with Humber armoured cars in one of its squadrons. This squadron was later hived off as an independent reconnaissance squadron and the integral squadron re-raised with Daimlers. In the early sixties, Humbers and Daimlers of

2862-403: Was the Simms' Motor War Car , designed by F.R. Simms and built by Vickers, Sons & Maxim of Barrow on a special Coventry -built Daimler chassis with a German-built Daimler motor in 1899. and a single prototype was ordered in April 1899 The prototype was finished in 1902, too late to be used during the Boer War . The vehicle had Vickers armor, 6 mm (0.24 in) thick, and

2916-541: Was the first fully mechanized unit in the history. The brigade was established on September 2, 1914, in Ottawa , as Automobile Machine Gun Brigade No. 1 by Brigadier-General Raymond Brutinel . The brigade was originally equipped with eight Armoured Autocars mounting two machine guns. By 1918 Brutinel's force consisted of two motor machine gun brigades (each of five gun batteries containing eight weapons apiece). The brigade, and its armored cars, provided yeoman service in many battles, notably at Amiens. The RNAS section became

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