Before the outbreak of World War II and already in its years, a large number of various wheeled armored vehicles were created in Great Britain. Moreover, they were produced in very large batches. So only Humber presented three variants of wheeled armored vehicles, all of them were mass-produced. These were the light reconnaissance armored car Humber Light Reconnaissance Car (about 3,600 vehicles produced), the reconnaissance armored vehicle Humber Scout Car (about 4,300 vehicles produced) and the medium armored vehicle Humber Armored Car, which, according to the British classification, was actually a light wheeled tank (more than 3,600 vehicles were produced) …
Humber is a fairly old British car brand. The company was founded by Thomas Humber, who gave it his name, back in 1868 and initially specialized in the production of bicycles. In 1898, it began producing cars, and in 1931 it was bought by the Rootes group of companies, the Roots brothers. During the Second World War, the company specialized in the production of armored vehicles and vehicles for the transport of military personnel and cargo.
Humber Light Reconnaissance Car
During the war years, two reconnaissance armored vehicles found a place in the model range of armored vehicles under the Humber brand. In 1940, the company's engineers implemented a project for converting a serial Humber Super Snipe passenger car into an armored car with the installation of appropriate weapons and armor. The created combat vehicle received a fairly technologically advanced and easy-to-manufacture body, the sheets of which were located at small angles of inclination. The thickness of the armor did not exceed 12 mm, however, small angles still increased the security of the vehicle and its resistance to small caliber bullets. Initially, the armored vehicle did not even have a roof, for this reason, the weapons represented by the Bren machine gun and the Boys anti-tank rifle were placed directly in the frontal sheet of the hull. In addition, a smoke grenade launcher was also installed on the vehicle. According to the British classification, the armored car was called a light reconnaissance vehicle - Humber Light Reconnaissance Car.
The first serial modification of the armored car, designated Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk. I, differed slightly from the prototype, but the roof had already appeared on the Mk. II version released soon. In addition, a small turret was located directly above the fighting compartment, into which a 7, 7-mm machine gun was transferred. At the same time, the thickness of the armor was reduced to 10 mm, since the total combat weight of the vehicle was already almost three tons.
Already in 1941, the armored car was again modernized. In order to withstand the weight that has grown after the previous improvements and at the same time improve the running quality of the combat vehicle, the chassis of the armored car was significantly modified, becoming all-wheel drive (4x4 wheel arrangement). The rest of the armored car, designated Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk. III, corresponded to the previous model of the combat vehicle.
The fourth modification of the combat vehicle, designated Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk. IIIA, appeared only in 1943. It was distinguished by a slightly modified body shape, the presence of a second radio station and additional viewing slots located in the frontal part of the body. A little later, the last version of the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk. IV armored car was released, which differed from the previous version only in "cosmetic" improvements that did not affect the characteristics in any way.
A fairly simple armored car, built on the basis of a commercial model and equipped with a standard gasoline engine, was produced in Great Britain for four years from 1940 to 1943, during which time about 3600 Humber Light Reconnaissance Car armored vehicles of all modifications were assembled in the country. These armored vehicles were widely used in battles in North Africa, where, in particular, they were used as part of the 56th Reconnaissance Regiment of the 78th Infantry Division. From September 1943, they could be seen as part of the British troops that landed in Italy, and in the summer of the following year, these wheeled armored vehicles took part in the battles in France. In addition to army units, these combat vehicles were widely used in ground reconnaissance units of the Royal Air Force (RAF).
After the end of World War II, the light reconnaissance armored vehicles Humber Light Reconnaissance Car remained in service only with British units in India and the Far East, where in those years the liberation movement against the colonialists unfolded. The exact date of their complete decommissioning from service is unknown, but, most likely, this happened in the early 50s of the XX century.
The performance characteristics of the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car:
Overall dimensions: length - 4370 mm, width - 1880 mm, height - 2160 mm, ground clearance - 230 mm.
Combat weight - about 3 tons (Mk III).
Reservation - up to 12 mm (hull forehead).
The power plant is a 6-cylinder Humber carburetor engine with an output of 87 hp.
The maximum speed is up to 100 km / h (on the highway).
Progress in store - 180 km (on the highway).
Armament - 7, 7-mm machine gun Bren, 13, 97-mm anti-tank rifle Boys and 50, 8-mm smoke grenade launcher.
The wheel formula is 4x4.
Crew - 3 people.
Humber scout car
Another reconnaissance armored vehicle of the British army was the Humber Scout Car. Despite the fact that the Daimler Dingo armored car was adopted as the main reconnaissance vehicle back in 1939, the need for new armored vehicles was so great that in the fall of the same year, the British military issued a new order for the creation of a similar combat vehicle … But in connection with the outbreak of World War II, the main efforts of British industry were concentrated on mass production and already mastered products, especially since the British army suffered a major defeat in France, having lost almost all military equipment. As a result, the Rootes Group Humber company from Coventry took up the creation of a new reconnaissance armored car only in 1942. When creating a prototype, the company's engineers took into account the combat experience of using the Dingo armored vehicles, which proved themselves quite well in the battles of 1940-42, and they also took into account the experience of creating heavier armored vehicles Humber Armored Car.
In terms of its dimensions, the new Humber armored car gravitated to the already produced Daimler, but differed in its layout with a front engine. The body of the new armored vehicle, designated Humber Scout Car, was assembled from armor plates with a thickness of 9 to 14 mm. The small thickness of the armor was partly offset by the rational angles of the armor plates in the front and along the sides of the hull. This gave the armored car a certain resemblance to the German armored car Sd. Kfz.222.
When creating an armored vehicle, the designers used the chassis from an all-wheel drive Humber 4x4 car, tires of 9, 25x16 inches were used. The front wheels had a transverse suspension, the rear wheels had a suspension on semi-elliptical leaf springs. The transmission of the armored car consisted of a two-speed transfer case, a disengageable front axle, a single-plate clutch, a four-speed gearbox and hydraulic brakes.
At the heart of the Humber Scout Car was a standard 4,088cc liquid-cooled 6-cylinder carbureted engine with a maximum output of 87bhp. at 3300 rpm. The same engine was installed on the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car. The engine power was enough to accelerate an armored vehicle weighing just over two tons to a speed of 100 km / h when driving on paved roads, which was a very decent indicator for those years.
The armament of the armored car was exclusively machine-gun and consisted of one or two 7, 7-mm Bren machine guns with disk magazines for 100 rounds. One of them was installed on the roof of the fighting compartment on a special pin. The driver monitored the surrounding area through two hatches located in the frontal sheet of the hull. The hatches had an armored carriage, in addition to this, they could hide behind armored covers. The sides of the hull also had small inspection hatches, which were covered with armored covers. All cars had a Wireless Set No. 19. The full crew of the reconnaissance armored vehicle Humber Scout Car consisted of two people, but if necessary it could be expanded to three people.
The first serial modification of the reconnaissance armored vehicle under the designation Humber Scout Car Mk. I was put into service in 1942, after which about 2,600 copies of this combat vehicle were collected for almost two years. The second modification of the Humber Scout Car Mk. II had practically no external differences, the modifications concerned only the transmission and the engine; in this version, about 1,700 more armored vehicles were produced. Since by the time these armored vehicles appeared, the fighting in North Africa was almost over, they were sent first to southern Italy, and then to France and Belgium, where they took an active part in the battles with the Germans. They were part of the 11th British Panzer Division, and were also in service with the 2nd Polish Corps, which fought in Italy, the Czechoslovak Tank Brigade and the Belgian armored squadron.
After the end of World War II, a significant number of Humber Scout Car armored vehicles continued to serve in the British army, while some of the armored vehicles were transferred to the armies of Holland, Denmark, France, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Norway. They were actively replaced with new equipment by 1949-1950, as a result, only armored vehicles assigned to the Belgian gendarmerie were in service until 1958.
The performance characteristics of the Humber Scout Car:
Overall dimensions: length - 3840 mm, width - 1890 mm, height - 2110 mm, ground clearance - 240 mm.
Combat weight - 2, 3 tons.
Reservation - up to 14 mm (hull forehead).
The power plant is a 6-cylinder Humber carburetor engine with an output of 87 hp.
The maximum speed is up to 100 km / h (on the highway).
Cruising in store - 320 km (on the highway).
Armament - one or two 7, 7 mm Bren machine guns.
The wheel formula is 4x4.
Crew - 2 people.
Humber armored car
At the end of 1939, the Roots company designed a new wheeled armored car, which could be classified as a middle-class armored vehicle, the car received the official designation Humber Armored Car. Taking as a basis the Karrier KT4 artillery tractor, which was quite successfully used in the colonial possessions of Great Britain (for example, India) and had excellent driving characteristics, it was possible to create a fairly good armored car. The chassis of the new combat vehicle was all-wheel drive and had a 4x4 wheel arrangement, tires measuring 10.5x20 inches and a suspension on semi-elliptical leaf springs. The transmission of the armored car consisted of a four-speed gearbox, a two-speed transfer case, a dry friction clutch and hydraulic brakes. The power plant was a 6-cylinder liquid-cooled carburetor engine Rootes, which developed a maximum power of 90 hp. at 3200 rpm.
The body of the new armored vehicle with some modifications was used from the Guy Armored Car model. The Guy Armored Car was a British medium armored vehicle of the Second World War period, according to the national classification it was designated as a Light Tank (Wheeled) Mark I. This combat vehicle was created by the engineers of Guy Motors back in 1938 on the basis of the Guy Quad-Ant artillery tractor, becoming the first British four-wheel drive armored vehicle. Given the numerous contractual obligations for the production of artillery tractors and trucks to the British government, Guy Motors was not able to produce armored vehicles (in sufficient numbers), so their production was transferred to the industrial corporation Rootes, which during the war years produced up to 60% of all British wheeled armored vehicles under its own brand Humber. At the same time, Guy Motors continued to produce welded hulls for armored vehicles.
Humber Armored Car Mk. I
The hull of the Humber Armored Car armored vehicle had a riveted-welded structure and was assembled from armor plates with a thickness of 9 to 15 mm, while the upper armor plates were located at rational angles of inclination, which increased the security of the vehicle. A distinctive feature of the armored car was a relatively high body, which could be attributed to disadvantages. The thickness of the frontal armor of the hull reached 15 mm, the thickness of the frontal armor of the turret reached 20 mm. In the front part of the armored car body there was a control compartment with a driver's seat, in the middle part - a fighting compartment for two people, in the rear part - an engine compartment.
The armament of the armored car was housed in a welded turret, which was also partially borrowed from the Guy armored car. It included a coaxial installation with 15-mm and 7, 92-mm Besa machine guns. A double-barreled smoke grenade launcher was also located on the frontal sheet of the hull. As an auxiliary weapon on the armored car, it was possible to install another 7, 7-mm Bren machine gun as an anti-aircraft gun. At the same time, the most massive modification of the Humber Armored Car Mk. IV armored car had more powerful armament, on it the 15-mm machine gun was replaced by the 37-mm American M6 cannon.
Humber Armored Car Mk. II
In general, it should be recognized that the British wheeled armored vehicles of the Second World War were quite successful and technically superior to the cars of many countries. The Humber Armored Car was no exception. Sufficiently well-armed and well-armored, this medium armored car had excellent cross-country ability, and on paved roads it could move at speeds up to 80 km / h. All later modifications of this "Humber" retained the 90-horsepower gasoline engine and chassis, mainly the hull, turret and armament were changed. The combat vehicle was represented by the following modifications:
Humber Armored Car Mk. I - welded turret and hull, similar in shape to the hull and turret of the Guy Mk. IA armored car. The driver was located in front of the hull in an armored wheelhouse with viewing slots. About 300 armored vehicles were produced.
The Humber Armored Car Mk. I AA is an anti-aircraft version of a medium armored vehicle with an installed turret from an experimental self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the Mk VIB tank, the armament of this vehicle consisted of 4x7, 92-mm Besa machine guns.
Humber Armored Car Mk. II - the modification received an improved body and a 7, 7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun Bgen. The combat weight increased to 7.1 tons. A total of 440 armored vehicles were produced.
The Humber Armored Car Mk. II OP (Observation Post) is an armored vehicle for artillery observers. It was armed with two 7.92 mm Besa machine guns.
The Humber Armored Car Mk. III is a modified Mk. II armored vehicle with a new three-man turret. The crew increased from three to four.
The Humber Armored Car Mk. IV is a modified Mk. III armored vehicle that received the American 37 mm M6 cannon coaxial with a 7, 92 mm Besa machine gun. Combat weight increased to 7.25 tons. In total, about 2000 armored vehicles of this type were produced.
Humber Armored Car Mk. IV
Armored vehicles Humber Armored Car did not have time for battles in France in the spring and summer of 1940, so their combat debut came in the second half of 1941, when they were first used by the British in battles in North Africa. The first combat unit to receive these medium armored vehicles was the 11th Hussar Regiment, stationed in Egypt. These armored vehicles were actively used by the British, from 1941 until the end of the war, being used in all theaters of operations. Under favorable circumstances (for example, when firing from ambushes), they could effectively fight against enemy armored vehicles. True, when meeting with German tanks in an open field, they had very little chance of surviving.
After the end of World War II, the Humber armored vehicles were soon removed from service by the British army as obsolete combat vehicles. However, their service continued in the armies of other states. Great Britain delivered these armored vehicles to Burma, Portugal, Mexico, Ceylon and Cyprus. In the armies of some of these countries, they were actively used until the early 1960s.
The performance characteristics of the Humber Armored Car:
Overall dimensions: length - 4575 mm, width - 2190 mm, height - 2390 mm, ground clearance - 310 mm.
Combat weight - 6, 85 tons.
Reservation - up to 15 mm (hull forehead)
The power plant is a 6-cylinder liquid-cooled carburetor engine Rootes with a capacity of 90 hp.
The maximum speed is 80 km / h (on the highway).
Cruising in store - 320 km (on the highway).
Armament - 15-mm and 7, 92-mm machine gun Besa (modifications Mk I-III), on modification Mk IV - 37-mm M6 cannon and 7, 92-mm machine gun Besa.
Ammunition (for Mk IV) - 71 shells and 2475 rounds of ammunition for the machine gun.
The wheel formula is 4x4.
Crew - 3-4 people.
