| Humber armoured car | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Mk IV armed with a 37 mm gun was the most produced variant of the Humber armoured car. | |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United Kingdom andBritish India in Second World War, Italy operated captured models,[1] other nations post war. |
| Wars | Second World War 1948 Arab-Israeli War Operation Polo Portuguese-Indian War Sino-Indian War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Rootes Group (Karrier) |
| Produced | 1940–1945 |
| No. built | 5,400 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 5 t |
| Length | 15 ft 1.5 in (4.610 m) |
| Width | 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) |
| Height | 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m) |
| Crew | Mk I, II, IV: 3 Mk III: 4 |
| Armour | 15 mm (0.59 in) |
Main armament | Mk I-III: 15 mmBesa machine gun Mk IV:M5 or M6 37 mm gun |
Secondary armament | 7.92 mmBesa machine gun |
| Engine | Rootes 6 cylinderpetrol engine 90 hp (67 kW) |
| Power/weight | 12.9 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Wheel 4x4, rigid front and rear axles, rear-wheel drive with selectable four-wheel drive |
Operational range | 200 miles (320 km) |
| Maximum speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
TheHumber armoured car was one of the most widely produced Britisharmoured cars of the Second World War. It supplemented theHumber Light Reconnaissance Car and remained in service until the end of the war.
The Guy company did not have sufficient production capacity to produce sufficientGuy armoured cars as well as other vehicles, so shortly after war broke out theRootes Group were approached to produce an armoured car – at the time the terminology "Tank, Light (Wheeled)" was used by the Army.[2] Working from the Guy design,Karrier designed a vehicle using as a basis their KT 4artillery tractor chassis (already in production for theIndian Army) and the armoured body of the Guy armoured car. Karrier moved the KT4 engine to the rear and fitted welded bodies and turrets provided by Guy. As it had been based on proven elements, trials of prototypes passed without serious issues and an order for 500 was placed in 1940 and the first deliveries made in 1941.[3]
The Karrier name was dropped to avoid confusion with the BritishUniversal Carrier tracked vehicle[4] and the vehicles were designated "Armoured Car, Humber Mk 1" using the name ofHumber Limited (another member of the Rootes Group) though production was by Karrier at the Luton works ofCommer (another Rootes company).[3]
The first Humbers were more or less identical to the Guy down to the faults in the armour, but this was later rectified.
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.
The Humber was a relatively complicated build compared to the Daimler Amoured Car but the Rootes Group had larger production capacity so both companies worked on a common design for production. While design of this possible replacement, the2-pounder (40mm) armedCoventry armoured car, was underway, 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.
The Humber was a rectangular chassis frame with a rear mounted engine. The gearbox was mounted to the front of the engine; it fed a centrally mounted transfer box which distributed power to front and rear differentials. The rigid axles were mounted on leaf springs front and rear with hydraulic dampers. The welded armoured hull was mounted at four points – front, rear and sides – to give some flexibility but with precautions against excessive movement of the hull on the chassis.[5]
For forward vision the driver had a flap in the front of the "cab" (which became part of the glacis from the Mark II onwards). When shut the view he was protected by a Triplex bullet proof glass block. These could be readily replaced if damaged. There were other flaps to the sides. In order to see to the rear there was a combination of a flap in the rear bulkhead between the fighting compartment and engine bay and a mechanism that raised the engine cover.[5]
The turret, armed with one 15mm and one 7.92mmBesa machine guns, was hand traversed. The vehicle commander acted as the wireless operator.
The vehicle was used in theNorth African Campaign from late 1941 by the11th Hussars and other units. It was also widely used in theEuropean theatre byreconnaissance regiments of British and Canadian infantry divisions. A few vehicles were used for patrol duty along theIran supply route. ABritish Indian Army armoured car regiment, partly equipped with Humbers, served in the reconquest of Burma.[6]Portugal received a number of Humber vehicles in 1943, most of them going to theArmy, but with 20 going to theNational Republican Guard. After the Second World War, the Humber was employed byEgypt in 1948–49 as well as byBurma,Ceylon,Cyprus,Denmark,India,Mexico and theNetherlands.
The Humber armoured car was used inBurma Campaign by the16th Light Cavalry, an Indian armoured car regiment, which formed part ofFourteenth Army troops.[6][7]
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AfterIndependence, anIndian Army regiment,63rd Cavalry, was raised with Humber Mk IV armoured cars as one of its squadrons which was later hived off as an independent reconnaissance squadron and the integral squadron re-raised, the second time with Daimlers.[8] The Humbers and Daimlers of the Indian Army formed the mounts of thePresident's Bodyguard and were deployed in the defense ofChushul at heights above 14,000 ft during the 1962Indo-China War.[9][10] The Humber was used against the Indian Army in 1948 by the 2nd and 4th Hyderabad Lancers, armoured car cavalry units of the Hyderabad State Forces, duringOperation Polo.[11]
Humber armoured cars were employed during theIndian invasion of Goa in December 1961. These vehicles equipped the four reconnaissance squadrons of thePortuguese garrison inGoa. The Portuguese Humbers engaged the invading Indian forces in the brief fights that occurred in the border villages of Doromagogo, Malinguém and Polem, and in the break through the Indian troops surrounding the Portuguese forces inMapusa.[12]
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Several static and operational cars are distributed through North America and Europe.The Tank Museum, Bovington, England has an original and sole survivor Guy Wheeled Tank on display and a Humber Mk II not currently on display.[13] A Mk IV is on display at the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum inCairns, Australia.[14] Two Portuguese cars are on display, one at the Museu do Combatente inLisbon and the other at the Military Museum ofElvas.
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