Leyland Armoured Car
Encyclopedia
Leyland Armoured Car refers to four armoured cars built between 1934 and 1940 and which were used by the Irish army
.
until 1972 and with the reserve An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA) until the early 1980s.
The Leyland Armoured Car was based on a 6x4 Leyland Terrier lorry
chassis
. The first chassis was purchased from Ashenhurst of Dublin in 1934 and an armoured hull from a obsolete Peerless Armoured Car
was modified and fitted. The new vehicle was tested and it was recommended that the twin Peerless turrets be replaced with a single turret. In 1935 3 more Leyland Terrier chassis were bought and the Landsverk L60
tank turret was selected in 1936 to replace the twin Peerless turrets, however it was not until 1940 that all four Leyland Armoured Cars where finished. The armament of the Leylands was a Madsen 20mm cannon and a Madsen .303 machine gun
. The Leylands entered service with the 1st Armoured Squadron alongside the Landsverk L180
and Irish build Dodge armoured cars. In the 1958 the Leylands front hull was modified and were re-engined with Ford V-8s. .30 Browning machine guns
replaced the Madsens machine guns and another Browning was fitted in the hull next to the driver.
One Leyland was scrapped in the 1960s. In 1972 the 1st Armoured Squadron re-equip with Panhard AML
armoured cars and the three surviving Leylands joined the reserve FCA 5th Motor Squadron until they also re-equip with Panhard AMLs in the early 1980s. One of these was also owned by the 4th Cavalry squadron in Longford in the years 1979 to some time in the early eighties although it did not see service and was more a museum piece
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
.
History
The first Leyland Armoured Car was built in 1934, and three more were built by 1940. The Leylands served with the Irish ArmyIrish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
until 1972 and with the reserve An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA) until the early 1980s.
The Leyland Armoured Car was based on a 6x4 Leyland Terrier lorry
Lorry
-Transport:* Lorry or truck, a large motor vehicle* Lorry, or a Mine car in USA: an open gondola with a tipping trough* Lorry , a horse-drawn low-loading trolley-In fiction:...
chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
. The first chassis was purchased from Ashenhurst of Dublin in 1934 and an armoured hull from a obsolete Peerless Armoured Car
Peerless 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...
was modified and fitted. The new vehicle was tested and it was recommended that the twin Peerless turrets be replaced with a single turret. In 1935 3 more Leyland Terrier chassis were bought and the Landsverk L60
Strv L-60
Stridsvagn L-60 was a Swedish tank developed in 1934. It was developed by AB Landsverk as a light tank which included several design features later adopted by Germany and Russia in their tank designs....
tank turret was selected in 1936 to replace the twin Peerless turrets, however it was not until 1940 that all four Leyland Armoured Cars where finished. The armament of the Leylands was a Madsen 20mm cannon and a Madsen .303 machine gun
Madsen machine gun
The Madsen was a light machine gun developed by Julius A. Rasmussen and Theodor Schoubue and proposed for adoption by Captain Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen, the Danish Minister of War and adopted by the Danish Army in 1902...
. The Leylands entered service with the 1st Armoured Squadron alongside the Landsverk L180
Landsverk L180, L181 and L182
The Landsverk L-180, L-181 and L-182 are a family of armored cars developed for the Swedish company AB Landsverk on a Mercedes-Benz and Büssing-NAG truck chassis....
and Irish build Dodge armoured cars. In the 1958 the Leylands front hull was modified and were re-engined with Ford V-8s. .30 Browning machine guns
M1919 Browning machine gun
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War...
replaced the Madsens machine guns and another Browning was fitted in the hull next to the driver.
One Leyland was scrapped in the 1960s. In 1972 the 1st Armoured Squadron re-equip with Panhard AML
Panhard AML
-Former Operators:: unknown number of AML-60s and AML-90s in service between 1960-1975.: 34 Eland 90s and Eland 60s in service with the Rhodesian Security Forces in 1979, passed on to successor state.-Trivia:...
armoured cars and the three surviving Leylands joined the reserve FCA 5th Motor Squadron until they also re-equip with Panhard AMLs in the early 1980s. One of these was also owned by the 4th Cavalry squadron in Longford in the years 1979 to some time in the early eighties although it did not see service and was more a museum piece