Humber Light Reconnaissance Car

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Humber LRC Mk IIIA
Humber Light Reconnaissance Car
General characteristics
Crew	3
Length	4.37 m
Width	1.88 m
Height	2.08 m
Weight	Mk I: 2.8 t Mk II: 3 t
Armour and armament
Armour	up to 12 mm
Main armament	Boys anti-tank rifle
Secondary armament	7.7 mm Bren machine gun
Mobility
Power plant	gasoline 80-87 hp (60-65 kW)
Suspension	Mk I, II: 4 x 2 wheel Mk III: 4 x 4 wheel
Road speed	72 km/h
Power/weight	29 hp/tonne
Range	180 km

The Humber Light Reconnaissance Car, also known as Ironside, was a British armoured car produced during World War II.

[edit] History

Produced by the Rootes group, the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car was an armoured car based on the Humber Super Snipe luxury car chassis with some minor changes such as War Department pattern wheels and run-flat tyres. It was equipped with No. 19 radio set. From 1940 to 1943 over 3600 units were built.

The vehicle was used by Infantry Reconnaissance Regiments and the RAF Regiment in Tunisia, Italy and Western Europe. Three Mk I vehicles were modified for use by the British Royal Family and the Cabinet ministers and were known as Special Ironside Saloons. After the war, some vehicles remained in service with the British units in India and in the Far East.

[edit] Variants

• Mk I - original version with open-topped hull.

• Mk II - received roof armour and machine gun turret.
• Mk III (1941) - four-by-four chassis. Externally similar to the Mk II.

• Mk IIIA (1943) - had additional vision ports at the front angles of the hull.

[edit] References and external links

• George Forty - World War Two Armoured Fighting Vehicles and Self-Propelled Artillery, Osprey Publishing 1996, ISBN 978-1-85532-582-1.
• 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).
• Warwheels.net