Humber Armoured Car
Encyclopedia
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.
KT 4 artillery tractor
chassis and the armoured body of the Guy Armoured Car
. The KT4 was already in production for the Indian Army, and Guy were having problems with the production levels required. The Karrier name was dropped to avoid confusion.
The first order for 500 was placed in 1940. The first Humbers were more or less identical to the Guy down to the faults in armour but this was rectified. Production started in 1941.
The Mark III improved upon the Mark II by providing a three-man turret. Mark III production ended in 1942 after 1,650 had been built. With a possible replacement, the 2-pounder armed Coventry armoured car
, on its way, the Mark IV was designed. This put the US 37 mm gun in the turret but at the cost of one crewman. The Coventry was not ordered as a replacement and so production of Mark IV continued, for a total of 2,000, despite its flaws.
from late 1941 by the 11th Hussars
and other units. It was also widely used in the European theatre
by reconnaissance
regiments of British and Canadian infantry divisions. A few vehicles were used for patrol duty along the Iran
supply route. The Humber armoured car was also used in Burma.
A captured vehicle (a Mk IV) was used by the Aufklärungs Abt of the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen
at Arnhem
.
After the Second World War, the Humber was employed by Egypt
in 1948–49 as well as by Burma, Ceylon, Cyprus
, Denmark
, Mexico
, the Netherlands
, Portugal
.
Humber was used by the Hyderabad State Forces against the Indian Army during Operation Polo
.
.
Humber Light Reconnaissance Car
The Humber Light Reconnaissance Car, also known as Humberette or Ironside, was a British armoured car produced during the Second World War....
and remained in service until the end of the war.
Development
Made by the Rootes Group, the Humber was essentially a combination of the KarrierKarrier
Karrier is a marque of car and commercial vehicle, the origins of which can be traced back to Clayton and Company, a 1904 company from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK. In 1908, they started making Karrier cars and in 1920 changed the company name to Karrier Motors Ltd.In 1929, Karrier started...
KT 4 artillery tractor
Artillery tractor
Artillery tractor is a kind of tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, a vehicle used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights.-Traction:...
chassis and the armoured body of the Guy Armoured Car
Guy Armoured Car
The Guy Armoured Car was a British armoured car produced in limited numbers during World War II. The car saw limited action during the Battle of France.-Production history and description:...
. The KT4 was already in production for the Indian Army, and Guy were having problems with the production levels required. The Karrier name was dropped to avoid confusion.
The first order for 500 was placed in 1940. The first Humbers were more or less identical to the Guy down to the faults in armour but this was rectified. Production started in 1941.
The Mark III improved upon the Mark II by providing a three-man turret. Mark III production ended in 1942 after 1,650 had been built. With a possible replacement, the 2-pounder armed Coventry armoured car
Coventry armoured car
The Coventry armoured car was a British four wheel drive armoured fighting vehicle developed at the end of World War II as a potential replacement for the lighter Humber and Daimler armoured cars.-Development:...
, on its way, the Mark IV was designed. This put the US 37 mm gun in the turret but at the cost of one crewman. The Coventry was not ordered as a replacement and so production of Mark IV continued, for a total of 2,000, despite its flaws.
Service history
The vehicle was used in the North African CampaignNorth African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
from late 1941 by the 11th Hussars
11th Hussars
The 11th Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army.-History:The regiment was founded in 1715 as Colonel Philip Honeywood's Regiment of Dragoons and was known by the name of its Colonel until 1751 when it became the 11th Regiment of Dragoons...
and other units. It was also widely used in the European theatre
European Theatre of World War II
The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
by reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
regiments of British and Canadian infantry divisions. A few vehicles were used for patrol duty along the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
supply route. The Humber armoured car was also used in Burma.
A captured vehicle (a Mk IV) was used by the Aufklärungs Abt of the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen
9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen
The 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen", also known as SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9, SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 9 Hohenstaufen or 9. SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen, was a German Waffen-SS Armoured division which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. The...
at Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
.
After the Second World War, the Humber was employed by Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1948–49 as well as by Burma, Ceylon, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Humber was used by the Hyderabad State Forces against the Indian Army during Operation Polo
Operation Polo
Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....
.
Survivors
Several static and operational cars are distributed through North America and Europe. There is a Mk I on display at the Bovington Tank MuseumBovington Tank Museum
The Tank Museum is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles in the United Kingdom that traces the history of the tank. With almost 300 vehicles on exhibition from 26 countries it is the second-largest collection of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in the world.The Musée des Blindés in France...
.
Variants
- Mark I
- Original version, based on the Guy Armoured Car body. Armed with one 15 mm and one 7.92 mm calibre BesaBesa machine gunThe Besa Machine Gun was a British version of the Czechoslovak ZB-53 air-cooled, belt-fed machine-gun, which in the Czechoslovak army was marked as the TK vz. 37...
machine guns. Three man crew: driver, gunner, commander. About 300 units built.
- Mark I AA / Quad AA
- The Mark I fitted with a different turret mounting four 7.92 mm BESA machine guns able to elevate to near vertical and an AA sight. The vehicle was intended to provide anti-aircraft support for armoured car units, but the Allied air superiority meant they were needed less and less as the war progressed.
- Mark II
- Changes to the turret, better armour around driver and radiator. 440 units built.
- Mark II OP
- Observation post vehicle, armed with two 7.92 mm BESA MGs.
- Mark III
- Larger three-man turret with provisions for a wireless operator freeing up the wireless operation tasks of the commander.
-
- "Rear Link" – gun replaced with dummy to allow installation of Wireless No. 19 High Power and its generator. Issued two per regiment for communication between front and HQ.
-
- Mark IV
- Equipped with the US M5 or M6 37 mm high velocity gun in place of the 15 mm BESA. The larger gun required the removal of the third crewman in the turret (the wireless operator). Turret hatches were rearranged with the new gun and crew layout. About 2,000 units built.
External links
- WWII vehicles
- Armyvehicles.dk
- Photo galleries at Tanxheaven.com (Mk IV): http://tanxheaven.com/ljs/humbermk4armouredcarljs/humbermk4armouredcarljs.htm, http://tanxheaven.com/huw/humbermk4huw/humbermk4huw.htm.
- Dutch Cavalry Museum has two Humber Armoured Cars and the Humber Light Reconnaissance CarHumber Light Reconnaissance CarThe Humber Light Reconnaissance Car, also known as Humberette or Ironside, was a British armoured car produced during the Second World War....
in its exposition.