Leyland Beaver-Eel

Leyland Beaver-Eel
Leyland Beaver-Eel
Type	Improvised armoured truck
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1940 – 1945
Used by	Royal Air Force
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Leyland
Designed	1940
Manufacturer	Leyland Derby Carriage Works
No. built	336
Specifications
Mass	~9.8 long tons (10 metric tons)
Length	23 ft 7 in (7.2 m)
Width	7 ft 5 in (2.27 m)
Height	11 ft 4 in (3.45 m)
Crew	5-6
Armour	0.24 in (6 mm)
Main armament	Varied, either: 1 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Hispano-Suiza HS.404 autocannon 1 × 37 mm (1.5 in) COW autocannon
Secondary armament	2 × .303 Lewis machine guns [a]
Engine	4-cyl. liquid cooled petrol engine, 360 cu in (5,900 cm3) 73 hp (54 kW) at 2120 rpm
Drive	6×4
Suspension	Leaf springs
Fuel capacity	~31 imp gal (141 L)
Operational range	~180 miles (290 km)
Maximum speed	~25 mph (40 km/h)

The Leyland Beaver-Eel, known officially as the Tender, Armoured, Leyland Type C, was an improvised armoured truck used by the Royal Air Force throughout World War II for airfield defence duties.

Overview

The Leyland Beaver-Eel was one of several armoured vehicle types designed in 1940 on the orders of Lord Beaverbrook and Admiral Sir Edward Evans for the defence of Great Britain, as a part of the hasty measures taken by the British Government following the Dunkirk evacuation and the threat of invasion. ^{[1] [ page needed ] [2] [3] [ page needed ]}

Beaver-Eel with armoured skirts, RAF markings can be seen.

The first prototype was designed, built, tested and approved, and deliveries of production vehicles commenced, all within 10 days of Admiral Evans’ visit to the Leyland Motors factory in June 1940. Leyland built 250 Beaver-Eels in its own factory, whilst an additional 86 were built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway's Derby Carriage Works. ^{[2] [3] [ page needed ]}

The Beaver-Eel consisted of an open topped armoured body mounted a Leyland Retriever 3-ton 6×4 lorry chassis. A solid frame was welded all around the chassis, over which were bolted on a series of armor plates, sometimes with armoured skirts to protect the wheels. The cabin had sloped plating on all three sides, but had an access door at its rear. The front had two armoured shutters, with sight slits, and two swinging covers for the side slits, which provided poor visibility. A ladder was installed on either side to climb into the truck, which was stored inside.

Propulsion was a 4-cylinder liquid cooled petrol engine with a capacity of 360 cu in (5,900 cm³) for an output of 73 hp (54 kW) at 2120 rpm. The crew comprised the driver and co-driver (or unit commander) seated in front, and a gun crew of 3 to 4 persons, depending on the weapons used.

The vehicle was armed with whatever was available, but the most common was a 20 mm (0.8 in) Hispano-Suiza HS.404 autocannon or a 37 mm (1.5 in) Coventry Ordnance Works autocannon on a shielded mount in the rear flatbed, and two additional pintle-mounted .303 Lewis machine guns. ^{[a] [1] [3] [4]}

The Beaver-Eel was used throughout the war by the Royal Air Force on the British mainland for aerodrome and aircraft factory defence. ^[4]

See also

• Bison Mobile Pillbox
• British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II

Notes

1. An extra Lewis gun was usable from the cab.

References

Citations

1. Fletcher 1989
2. Michael Seth-Smith, The long haul: a social history of the British commercial vehicle industry, London: Hutchinson Benham Ltd, 1975, ISBN   0-09-124440-4.
3. White (1970)
4. Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd, Leyland: Seventy years of progress, Leyland: Leyland Motor Corporation, 1967.

Bibliography

• Fletcher, David (1989). The Great Tank Scandal: British Armour in the Second World War - Part 1. HMSO. ISBN   978-0-11-290460-1.
• Brian Terence White, British Tanks and Fighting Vehicles, 1914-1945, London: Ian Allan, 1970, ISBN   0711001235