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Britain's Daimler Armored Cars
Daimler |
Daimler |
Daimler |
Design
In 1939 development of the Daimler was started.4
The Daimler had no chassis as the suspension was attached directly to the hull.4 There was a fluid flywheel torque converter instead of a normal clutch.4
There were two locations for driving the Daimler, at the front and rear.4 The driver was positioned at the front, and the commander could use the rear location to quickly drive the Daimler out of danger.4
The five forward gears could be also used in reverse.4
The Daimler had disc brakes.4
These had problems as the weight of the vehicle overload the transmission. These were fixed, but not until April 1941 did the first production vehicles appear.
Prototype
First prototypes appeared in late 1939.
Production
- Total: 2,6944
Variants
- Daimler Mk I: Used turret that was used on Tetrarch tank. Some had smoke dischargers on turret sides. Used Girling hydraulic disc brakes. Another steering wheel and controls were available to the commander to drive to the rear. Some guns were fitted with Littlejohn Adaptor that would squeeze projectile and allow for greater armor penetration.
- Daimler Mk I CS: Had 76.2 mm gun installed but few produced.
- Daimler Mk II: Improved turret. Entered service in 1943.4 Gun mounting was improved.4 The radiator had better protection.4 The driver received an escape hatch.4
Usage
First used in North Africa during 1941 and 1942. These would replace the Marmon-Herrington vehicles.
| Daimler Mk I Armored Car | Daimler Mk II Armored Car | |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | 32,4 | 3 |
| Physical Characteristics | ||
| Weight | 7.5 tons2,4 7,620 kg4 |
|
| Length w/gun | 13'2,4 3.96 m2,4 |
|
| Length w/o gun | ||
| Height | 7' 4"2,4 2.235 m2, 2.24 m4 |
|
| Width | 8'2,4 2.44 m2,4 |
|
| Ground clearance | ||
| Ground contact length | ||
| Ground pressure | ||
| Turret ring diameter | ||
| Armament | ||
| Main | 2 pdr4 40 mm4 |
|
| Secondary | ||
| MG | 1: 0.312" Besa MG4 1: 7.92 mm Besa MG4 |
|
| MG - coaxial | ||
| Side arms | ||
| Quantity | ||
| Main | ||
| Secondary | ||
| MG | ||
| Side arms | ||
| Armor Thickness (mm) | 164 | |
| Hull Front, Upper | ||
| Hull Front, Lower | ||
| Hull Sides, Upper | ||
| Hull Sides, Lower | ||
| Hull Rear | ||
| Hull Top | ||
| Hull Bottom | ||
| Turret Front | ||
| Turret Sides | ||
| Turret Rear | ||
| Turret Top | ||
| Engine (Make / Model) | Daimler2,4 | |
| Cylinders | 62,4 | |
| Net HP | 952,4 | |
| Transmission | ||
| Fuel type | Gasoline2, Petrol4 | |
| Octane | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Performance | ||
| Traverse | ||
| Max speed | 50 mph2,4 80.5 kph2,4 |
|
| Cross country speed | ||
| Road range | 205 miles2,4 330 km2,4 |
|
| Cross country range | ||
| Turning radius | ||
| Elevation limits | ||
| Fording depth | ||
| Trench crossing | ||
| Vertical obstacle | ||
| Suspension (Type) | ||
| Wheels each side | ||
| Return rollers each side | ||
| Track length | ||
| Tires | ||
| Track width | ||
| Track centers/tread |
Sources:
- The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles - The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day, General Editor: Christopher F. Foss, 2002
- The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, Chris Bishop, 1998
- -
- World Encyclopedia of Armored Fighting Vehicles, Jack Livesey, 2006
