Oxford Tracked Carrier

Last updated
Oxford carrier
Oxford Carrier recovers Jeeps, AWM HOBJ3524.jpg
An Oxford Carrier towing jeeps
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
Used byUK
Production history
ManufacturerMorris Ltd
Specifications
Mass7.849 long tons (7.975 t)
Length14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
Width7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Crew3

EngineCadillac V8 petrol, 5,671 cc
110 bhp (82 kW) at 3,200 rpm
Operational
range
125 mi (201 km)
Maximum speed 31 mph (50 km/h)
ReferencesHogg & Weeks [1]

The Oxford Tracked Carrier ("Carrier, Tracked, CT20") was an early post-World War II British armoured personnel carrier (APC) and artillery tractor.

Contents

Use

The Oxford was substantially larger - weighing in at 6 tons - than the 3-ton Universal Carrier it was designed to replace. It saw service in the Korean War, both as a tractor for the 17 pdr anti-tank gun and as an APC. Several versions of the carrier (CT21-35R, CT23-26) are listed in Chamberlain and Ellis (1973). [2] [3] [4] [5]

Further development

An improved version of the carrier known as the Cambridge Carrier was produced but never got beyond prototype stage. [6] [7]

Survivors

An Oxford Carrier is held in the collection of The Tank Museum. [8] The carrier in question was used to trial hydraulic steering and the system is still fitted to it. [9]

A surviving Oxford Carrier is on display next to other wrecked US, British and other UN combat vehicles in North Korea's Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in its capital of Pyongyang.

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References

  1. Hogg, Ian V.; Weeks, John (1980). The illustrated encyclopedia of military vehicles. London: New Burlington Books. pp. 199–200. ISBN   0-90628-675-1.
  2. Hogg, Ian V., and John S. Weeks. (1980). The illustrated encyclopedia of military vehicles. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
  3. Suttie, William. (2015). The Tank Factory British Military Vehicle Development and the Chobham Establishment. New York: The History Press.
  4. Chamberlain, Peter, and Chris Ellis. (1973). Making tracks; British carrier story, 1914 to 1972. Windsor: Profile Publications.
  5. Mackenzie, S. P. (2013). The Imjin and Kapyong battles, Korea, 1951. Bloomington: Indiana University Press
  6. David Fletcher (16 April 2021). Tank Chats #123 Oxford and Cambridge Carriers (Video). The Tank Museum. Event occurs at 4:10-4:24. Retrieved 19 September 2021 via YouTube.
  7. "Cambridge armoured personnel carrier, Devon and Dorset Regiment, 1960 (c)". nam.ac.uk. National Army Museum. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  8. David Fletcher (16 April 2021). Tank Chats #123 Oxford and Cambridge Carriers (Video). The Tank Museum. Event occurs at 3:02. Retrieved 19 September 2021 via YouTube.
  9. David Fletcher (16 April 2021). Tank Chats #123 Oxford and Cambridge Carriers (Video). The Tank Museum. Event occurs at 3:08. Retrieved 19 September 2021 via YouTube.