Coventry armoured car
Encyclopedia
The Coventry armoured car (AFVW19) was a British four wheel drive (4X4) armoured fighting vehicle
developed at the end of World War II
as a potential replacement for the lighter Humber
and Daimler
armoured cars.
The Coventry was an advanced design and featured a similar layout to the more compact Daimler, but with a more conventional suspension and drive system. It included duplicate driving controls to allow rapid disengagement in combat. There were two production versions. The Mark 1 employed a three man turret with a 2-pdr gun and a 7.92 mm coaxial Besa machine gun
.
The protoypes from Daimler and Humber were produced with a 2 pounder gun. In, 1943 orders were placed for 1,700 vehicles which were to be able to carry the 6 pounder gun. A version - AFVW90 - with a larger turret with a 75 mm gun but one less crewman was planned and 900 of these ordered.
Deliveries of the Coventry Mk 1, from the Humber assembly line, began in June 1944 and 63 vehicles had been produced by the end of the year. It was decided, in 1943, that instead of replacing the Daimler production of that armoured car would be continued. As a result the order for the 2 pdr Coventry was reduced to 300 and that they would be sent to India. The 75 mm armed Mark II did not enter production.
Output concluded with a further 220 vehicles in 1945. The Coventry was deployed by the British Army
, but they arrived too late for wartime service. Some of these units were sold to France and later saw action against the Viet Minh
in French Indochina
.
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
developed at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a potential replacement for the lighter Humber
Humber Armoured Car
The Humber Armoured Car was one of the most widely produced British armoured cars of the Second World War. It supplemented the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car and remained in service until the end of the war.-Development:...
and Daimler
Daimler Armoured Car
The Daimler Armoured Car was a British armoured car of the Second World War.-History:The Daimler Armoured Car was a parallel development to the Daimler Dingo "Scout car", a small armoured vehicle for scouting and liaison roles. It was another Birmingham Small Arms design...
armoured cars.
Development
The Coventry was a combined effort between Daimler and the Rootes group to produce a standard armoured car design.The Coventry was an advanced design and featured a similar layout to the more compact Daimler, but with a more conventional suspension and drive system. It included duplicate driving controls to allow rapid disengagement in combat. There were two production versions. The Mark 1 employed a three man turret with a 2-pdr gun and a 7.92 mm coaxial Besa machine gun
Besa machine gun
The Besa Machine Gun was a British version of the Czechoslovak ZB-53 air-cooled, belt-fed machine-gun, which in the Czechoslovak army was marked as the TK vz. 37...
.
The protoypes from Daimler and Humber were produced with a 2 pounder gun. In, 1943 orders were placed for 1,700 vehicles which were to be able to carry the 6 pounder gun. A version - AFVW90 - with a larger turret with a 75 mm gun but one less crewman was planned and 900 of these ordered.
Deliveries of the Coventry Mk 1, from the Humber assembly line, began in June 1944 and 63 vehicles had been produced by the end of the year. It was decided, in 1943, that instead of replacing the Daimler production of that armoured car would be continued. As a result the order for the 2 pdr Coventry was reduced to 300 and that they would be sent to India. The 75 mm armed Mark II did not enter production.
Output concluded with a further 220 vehicles in 1945. The Coventry was deployed by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, but they arrived too late for wartime service. Some of these units were sold to France and later saw action against the Viet Minh
Viet Minh
Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
.