Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

Last updated
Rolls Royce Armoured Car
Rolls Royce 1920 Mk1 1 Bovington.jpg
Rolls Royce 1920 Pattern Mk1 Armoured Car at The Tank Museum, Bovington
Type Armoured car
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service1915–1944
Wars
Production history
Manufacturer Rolls-Royce
No. built120 (First World War)
VariantsRolls-Royce 1920 Pattern, Rolls-Royce 1924 Pattern, Fordson Armored Car, Rolls Royce Indian Pattern [1]
Specifications
Mass4.7 tonnes [1]
Length4.93 m (194 in) [1]
Width1.93 m (76 in) [1]
Height2.54 m (100 in) [1]
Crew3 (commander, driver, and machine-gunner) [1]

Armor 12 mm (0.47 in)
Main
armament
.303 (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun [1]
Secondary
armament
none
Engine6-cylinder petrol, water-cooled [1]
80 hp (60 kW) [1]
Power/weight19 hp/tonne
Suspension4x2 wheel (double rear wheels), leaf spring [1]
Operational
range
240 km or 150 miles [1]
Maximum speed 72 km/h (45 mph) [1]

The Rolls-Royce Armoured Car is a British armoured car developed in 1914 and used during the First World War, Irish Civil War, the inter-war period in Imperial Air Control in Transjordan, Palestine and Mesopotamia, and in the early stages of the Second World War in the Middle East and North Africa.

Contents

Production history

The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) raised the first British armoured car squadron during the First World War. [2] In September 1914 all available Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost chassis were requisitioned to form the basis for the new armoured car. The following month a special committee of the Admiralty Air Department, among whom was Flight Commander T. G. Hetherington, designed the superstructure which consisted of armoured bodywork and a single fully rotating turret mounting a regular water-cooled .303 in (7.7 mm) Mk I Vickers machine gun.

The first three vehicles were delivered on 3 December 1914, although by then the mobile period on the Western Front, where the primitive predecessors of the Rolls-Royce cars had served, had already come to an end. [2] Later in the war they served on several fronts of the Middle Eastern theatre. [3] Chassis production was suspended in 1917 to enable Rolls-Royce to concentrate on aero engines. [4]

The vehicle was modernized in 1920 and in 1924, resulting in the Rolls-Royce 1920 Pattern and Rolls-Royce 1924 Pattern. In 1940, 34 vehicles which served in Egypt with the 11th Hussars regiment had the "old" turret replaced with an open-topped unit carrying a .55 (14 mm) Boys anti-tank rifle, .303 in (7.7 mm) Bren light machine gun, and smoke-grenade launchers.

Twenty Rolls-Royce armoured cars in service with No. 2 Armoured Car Company RAF [5] in Egypt and Iraq received new chassis from a Fordson truck and became known as Fordson Armoured Cars. Photographs show them as equipped with what appear to be turrets fitted with a Boys anti-tank rifle, a machine gun and twin light machine guns for anti-aircraft defence.

In addition to RNAS and Tank Corps-supplied armoured cars, the RAF had Rolls-Royces built to equip its armoured car companies. This was done independently of the War Office. They were designated Car, Armoured, Rolls-Royce Type A. Shaped like the 1914 RNAS car, they were fitted with the 1920 turret. [6]

Combat history

A 1924 Pattern Rolls-Royce Armoured Car with a "new" open-topped turret in the Bardia area of the Western Desert, 1940. Rolls-Royce Armoured Car Bardia 1940.jpg
A 1924 Pattern Rolls-Royce Armoured Car with a "new" open-topped turret in the Bardia area of the Western Desert, 1940.

Six RNAS Rolls-Royce squadrons were formed of 12 vehicles each: one went to France; one to Africa to fight in the German colonies and in April 1915 two went to Gallipoli. From August 1915 onwards these were all disbanded and the materiel handed over to the Army which used them in the Light Armoured Motor Batteries of the Machine Gun Corps. The armoured cars were poorly suited to the muddy trench filled battlefields of the Western Front, but were able to operate in the Near East, so the squadron from France went to Egypt. [3]

Lawrence of Arabia used a squadron in his operations against the Turkish forces. [1] He called the unit of nine armoured Rolls-Royces "more valuable than rubies" in helping win his Revolt in the Desert. [1] This impression would last with him the rest of his life; when asked by a journalist what he thought would be the thing he would most value he said "I should like my own Rolls-Royce car with enough tyres and petrol to last me all my life". [1]

Two of thirteen Rolls-Royce armoured cars used during the Irish Civil War: The Fighting 2nd (ARR3) and The Big Fella (ARR8) The Big Fella and The Fighting 2nd (6340864262).jpg
Two of thirteen Rolls-Royce armoured cars used during the Irish Civil War: The Fighting 2nd (ARR3) and The Big Fella (ARR8)

In the Irish Civil War (1922–1923), 13 Rolls-Royce armoured cars were given to the Irish Free State government by the British government to fight the Irish Republican Army. [1] [7] They were a major advantage to the Free State in street fighting and in protecting convoys against guerrilla attacks[ citation needed ] and played a vital role in the retaking of Cork and Waterford. Despite continued maintenance problems and poor reaction to Irish weather, they continued in service until 1944, being withdrawn once new tyres became unobtainable. Twelve of the Irish Army examples were stripped and sold in 1954. [7]

At the outbreak of the Second World War, 76 vehicles were in service. They were used in operations in the Western Desert, in Iraq, and in Syria. [7] By the end of 1941, they were withdrawn from frontline service as modern designs became available. Some Indian Pattern cars saw use in the Indian subcontinent and Burma.

A replica Rolls Royce Armoured Car on display at the Haynes Motor Museum. Haynes Museum Desert Rolls.jpg
A replica Rolls Royce Armoured Car on display at the Haynes Motor Museum.

Variants

A single experimental vehicle had the turret removed and replaced by a one-pounder automatic anti-aircraft gun on an open mounting. Some cars had Maxim machine guns instead of the Vickers gun.

Survivors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armored car (military)</span> Wheeled armoured fighting vehicle

A military armoredcar is a lightweight wheeled armored fighting vehicle, historically employed for reconnaissance, internal security, armed escort, and other subordinate battlefield tasks. With the gradual decline of mounted cavalry, armored cars were developed for carrying out duties formerly assigned to light cavalry. Following the invention of the tank, the armored car remained popular due to its faster speed, comparatively simple maintenance and low production cost. It also found favor with several colonial armies as a cheaper weapon for use in underdeveloped regions. During World War II, most armored cars were engineered for reconnaissance and passive observation, while others were devoted to communications tasks. Some equipped with heavier armament could even substitute for tracked combat vehicles in favorable conditions—such as pursuit or flanking maneuvers during the North African Campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conqueror (tank)</span> British heavy tank

The FV 214 Conqueror, also known as Tank, Heavy No. 1, 120 mm Gun, Conqueror was a British heavy tank of the post-World War II era. It was developed as a response to the Soviet IS-3 heavy tank. The Conqueror's main armament, an L1 120 mm gun, was larger than the 20-pounder (83.4 mm) gun carried by its peer, the Centurion. The Conqueror's role was to provide long range anti-tank support for the Centurion. Nine Conquerors were issued for each regiment in Germany, usually grouped in three tank troops. In the British Army both the Conqueror and the Centurion were replaced by the Chieftain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humber Armoured Car</span> British armoured car

The Humber Armoured Car was one of the most widely produced British armoured cars of the Second World War. It supplemented the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car and remained in service until the end of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AEC Armoured Car</span> British heavy armoured car

AEC Armoured Car is the name of a series of British heavy armoured cars built by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Armoured Car</span> Canadian armoured car

The Fox Armoured Car was a wheeled armoured fighting vehicle produced by Canada in the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car</span> Armoured car

The Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car was a series of armoured vehicles that were produced in South Africa and adopted by the British Army during the Second World War. RAF Armoured Car companies possessed them, but seem never to have used them in action, making greater use of Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars and other types.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humber Light Reconnaissance Car</span> British armoured car

The Humber Light Reconnaissance Car, also known as Humberette or Ironside, was a British armoured car produced during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Light Reconnaissance Car</span> Weapon

Morris Light Reconnaissance Car (LRC) was a British light armoured car for reconnaissance use produced by Morris Motors Limited and used by the British during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standard Beaverette</span> Improvised Armoured Car

Standard Car 4x2, or Car Armoured Light Standard, better known as the Beaverette, was a British improvised armoured car produced during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanchester 6×4 armoured car</span> British armoured car

The Lanchester 6x4 armoured car was a British armoured car with a 6x4 drivetrain produced in limited numbers in the late 1920s and early 1930s. A heavier, more rugged development of the earlier Lanchester 4x2 armoured car, it remained in service with Territorial and colonial units until the early 1940s and saw action in the Battle of Malaya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanchester armoured car</span> Armoured car

The Lanchester armoured car was a British armoured car built on the chassis of the Lanchester "Sporting Forty", it saw wide service with the Royal Naval Air Service and British Army during the First World War. The Lanchester was the second most numerous World War I armoured car in British service after the Rolls-Royce armoured car.

This article lists British armoured fighting vehicle production during the Second World War. The United Kingdom produced 27,528 tanks and self-propelled guns from July 1939 to May 1945, as well as 26,191 armoured cars and 69,071 armoured personnel carriers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peerless armoured car</span> Armoured car

During the First World War, sixteen American Peerless trucks were modified by the British to serve as armoured cars. These were relatively primitive designs with open backs, armed with a Pom-pom gun and a machine gun, and were delivered to the British Army in 1915. They were used also by the Imperial Russian Army as self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.

The Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF was a military unit of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) which was based at Amman in what was then called the Transjordan. It was the counterpart of No.1 Armoured Car Company RAF, which performed a similar role in Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armoured fighting vehicles of the Irish Army</span>

Throughout its history, the Irish Army has used a number of armoured fighting vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavalry Tank Museum, Ahmednagar</span> Tank Museum in Maharashtra, India

Cavalry Tank Museum is a military museum in Ahmednagar in the state of Maharashtra, India. It was established by the Armored Corps Centre and School in February 1994. It is the only museum of its kind in Asia and houses about 50 exhibits of vintage armored fighting vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaunay-Belleville armoured car</span> Armoured car

The Delaunay-Belleville armoured car was a British armoured car built on the chassis of the luxury French Delaunay-Belleville tourer. It saw service with the Royal Naval Air Service in the early years of the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seabrook armoured lorry</span> Armoured car

The Seabrook armoured lorry was a British heavy armoured car built on the chassis of an American 5-ton truck which saw service with the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierce-Arrow armoured lorry</span> Armoured car

The Pierce-Arrow armoured lorry was a heavy armoured car mounting a QF 3-pounder Vickers gun, it was used by the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talbot armoured car</span> Armoured car

The Talbot armoured car was a British armoured car built on the chassis of a Clément-Talbot tourer. Built in small numbers to several patterns, the Talbot armoured cars saw service with the Royal Naval Air Service (R.N.A.S.) in the early years of the First World War, serving alongside Rolls-Royce and Delaunay-Belleville armoured cars.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Jim Motavalli (April–May 2009). "The Bulletproof Ghost". Military History. Leesburg, Virginia: Weider History Group. 26 (1): 58–63.
  2. 1 2 Willmott, H. P. (2003), First World War, Dorling Kindersley, p. 59
  3. 1 2 Rolls S.C. (1937). Steel Chariots in the Desert. Leonaur Books.
  4. Pugh, Peter (2001). The Magic of a Name – The Rolls-Royce Story: The First 40 Years. Icon Books. ISBN   1-84046-151-9.
  5. "The Fighting Fordsons". www.keymilitary.com. 7 March 2021.
  6. Warwick, Nigel WM (2014). In Every Place: The RAF Armoured Cars in the Middle East 1921–1953. Rushden, Northamptonshire: Forces and Corporate. p. 608. ISBN   978-0-9574725-2-5.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Advani, Sabu (2009). Carpenter, Rhonda; Iwalani, Kahikina (eds.). "Rolls-Royce Armored Cars". The International Club for Rolls-Royce & Bentley Owners Desk Diary 2010. Tampa, FL US: Faircount: 40–45.
  8. Combat Camera, Issue 8, May 2014, Page 14 & 15