Standard Beaverette
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Beaverettes on maneuvres in Northern Ireland, 1941 |
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| Standard Car 4x2 | |
|---|---|
| General characteristics | |
| Crew | 3 |
| Length | Mk I: 4.11 m Mk III: 3.10 m |
| Width | Mk I: 1.60 m Mk III: 1.73 m |
| Height | Mk I: 1.52 m Mk III: 2.16 m |
| Weight | Mk I: 2 t Mk III: 2.6 t |
| Armour and armament | |
| Armour | Mk III: up to 9 mm Mk IV: up to 12 mm |
| Main armament | 0.303 (7.7 mm) Bren MG or twin Vickers MG |
| Secondary armament | |
| Mobility | |
| Power plant | Standard 4-cyl. gasoline 46 hp (34 kW) |
| Suspension | 4x2 wheel, leaf spring |
| Road speed | Mk III: 38 km/h |
| Power/weight | 17-23 hp/tonne |
| Range | Mk III: 300 km |
Standard Car 4x2, or Car Armoured Light Standard, better known as the Beaverette, was a British armoured car produced during World War II.
[edit] History
The first version of the vehicle was built in 1940 by Standard Motor Company at the instigation of Lord Beaverbrook, then Minister of Aircraft Production (hence the name Beaverette). It was based on commercial car chassis, on which a simple riveted armored hull was mounted. The hull was open at the top and at the rear. The armament consisted of Bren machine gun which could be fired through a slot in the glacis armor. Subsequent versions received all-around protection and a machine gun turret - an enclosed one with Bren MG or an open-topped one with twin Vickers machine guns. Some vehicles also carried Boys anti-tank rifle. Some had No 11 or No 19 radio set. The production was stopped in 1942. About 2,800 units were delivered.
The Beaverette was used by the British Army and RAF for home defence service and training. The vehicle is said to suffer from excessive weight and to be hard to handle.
Of the surviving vehicles, one Mk III is on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.
[edit] Variants
- Mk I - original version.
- Mk II - had all-around armor.
- Mk III Beaverbug - had shortened chassis, redesigned hull without curved fenders, with top armor and a machine gun turret.
- Mk IV - glacis armor was redesigned to improve visibility.
- A similar vehicle, known as Beaverette (NZ), was produced in New Zealand. The car utilized Ford 3/4 or 1-ton truck chassis. 171 units were built.
[edit] References and external links
- George Forty - World War Two Armoured Fighting Vehicles and Self-Propelled Artillery, Osprey Publishing 1996, ISBN 1-85532-582-9.
- I. Moschanskiy - Armored vehicles of the Great Britain 1939-1945 part 2, Modelist-Konstruktor, Bronekollektsiya 1999-02 (И. Мощанский - Бронетанковая техника Великобритании 1939-1945 часть 2, Моделист-Конструктор, Бронеколлекция 1999-02).
- Beaverette Virtual Museum
| British and Commonwealth armoured cars of World War II |
|---|
| Scout Cars |
| Daimler Dingo | Dingo Scout Car (Australia) | Humber Scout Car Lynx Scout Car (Canada) | S1 Scout Car (Australia) |
| Light Reconnaissance Cars |
| Humber LRC | Morris LRC | Otter LRC (Canada) |
| Armoured Cars |
| AEC Armoured Car | Coventry Armoured Car | Daimler Armoured Car Fox Armoured Car (Canada) | Guy Armoured Car | Humber Armoured Car Lanchester Armoured Car | Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car (South Africa) Morris CS9 | Rhino Heavy Armoured Car (Australia) | Rolls-Royce Armoured Car Rover Light Armoured Car (Australia) | Standard Beaverette |
| Armoured Trucks |
| Bedford OXA | C15TA Armoured Truck (Canada) |
| Wheeled Carriers |
| Armoured Carrier Wheeled Indian Pattern (India) |
| Armoured Command Vehicles |
| AEC ACV | Guy Lizard ACV |
| Tanks and other large armoured vehicles |
| Unarmoured vehicles |
| British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II |
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