Daimler AC Mk.I

[David]

Daimler AC Mk.I

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The British Army has always been a major user of armored cars, and the Daimler was one of its best designs. Based on the original and equally successful Daimler Dingo Scout Car, these advanced cars served on all fronts with the British from 1941 until finally withdrawn in the 1960s. They even outlasted their planned replacement, which is something few AFVs have achieved. Design began in 1939, and resulted in what was basically an enlarged Dingo fitted with a turret, even the hexagonal fighting compartment and hull front bin were found on both. Other items shared with its older little brother were rear engine (but a bigger 6 cylinder, 95bhp, 4095cc one) and transmission via separate driving shafts and universal joints to each of four wheels. Each wheel station was independently sprung, with four large coil springs mounted as two units of pairs one inside the other. This gave a large wheel travel and good cross country performance. The pre-selector gearbox was another Dingo feature, the armored car having five speeds available for forward or reverse travel using a transfer box via a fluid flywheel. The original vehicle was to have been called the BSA Light Wheeled Tank, and have two machine guns as per the Guy Wheeled Tank and also four-wheel steering as on the Dingo. This steering arrangement was never fitted in production, indeed only the earliest Dingos had it, and armament was a 2pdr gun even on the prototypes. This gave the car firepower similar to current British tanks and better than the machine guns of earlier armored cars. Photos of the prototype show it had no side doors and small detail differences form the production cars. Turret vision slots were different, smoke dischargers were fitted one each side of the turret, and there was a raised section above the driver's position as well as headlight differences. Production vehicles had escape hatches in each hull side. The three man crew was the largest which could be fitted in, and without a major redesign a more powerful gun could not be fitted. One feature, which was useful for reconnaissance work, was the rear driving position, with a steering wheel and throttle on the left rear of the fighting compartment and a small peep slot in the hull rear. Turret hatch opened in a manner similar to early Crusader tanks, a series of rods and torsion bars allowed the hatch to open with a cantilever action. This meant the hatch was either fully open or fully closed. First vehicles were issued in the UK in 1941 and small numbers of cars went to North Africa from mid 1941 for evaluation. It was not until 1942 that the 11th Hussars became the first active service users. Initially Daimlers served alongside other cars, mostly Humbers, and armored car units also used Dingos. Looking at the 1944 establishment, it was possible to see Daimler armored and scout cars working with Staghounds as command and anti aircraft vehicles, supported by AEC Matador Mk III cars or 75mm guns on half-tracks - surely this gave unit mechanics and logisticians busy days and sleepless nights! Later on, the Daimler became the standard car in British armored car regiments and the Reconnaissance Corps units attached to infantry divisions in place of Humbers, although Staghounds were used as command vehicles. As was common, detail improvements were introduced as production progressed. Most noticeably, the external stowage changed, a spare wheel was fitted on the left hull side (unfortunately blocking one of the side escape hatches) and later a rack to carry two sand channels on the right side. I have never seen these used for their original purpose in photos, and indeed cars in North Africa and Sicily often carried a rack for petrol or water cans on the hull side with the sand channels being carried on the front of the hull, while a sun compass bracket could be fitted on the right side of the turret. An external condenser can was carried in hot climates. It was planned to replace both Daimler and Humber armored cars with the Coventry, designed and built jointly by both manufacturers. In the event, more Daimlers were built. Mk II cars had a more rounded gun mantlet, the older 'Mounting, 2pdr and Medium BESA MG No 4 Mk II' with its square-ended mantlet being replaced by the 'No 10 Mk I'. There was now an escape hatch above the driver, the left hand side door was eliminated, while improved engine cooling meant armored louvers over the whole hull rear plate and only two covered slots in the horizontal engine cover instead of four (oddly, the prototype seemed to have had this later arrangement) as well as a number of mechanical improvements.

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Country :	Great Britain
Role :	Reconassiance
In-Service Date :	November 1941
Manufacturer :	Daimler
Number Produced :	2694
Crew :	3
Rado :	No. 19
Road Speed :	80 Kilometers per Hour
Rough Speed :	36 Kilometers per Hour
Road Range:	328 Kilometers
Off-Road Range:	163 Kilometers
Engine Name:	Daimler OHV
Coolant :
Cylinders:
Capacity:	Liters
Horsepower :
Power / Weight Ratio :	hp per tonne
Transmission :	Daimler Preselective
Gears :	5 Forward / 5 Reverse
Suspenion :	Independant Quad Coil
Fuel Type :	Gasoline
Fuel Capacity:	45 Liters
Road Consumption:	0.14 Liters per Kilometer
Off-Road Consumption:	0.28 Liters per Kilometer
Length :	4.01 meters
Height :	2.23 meters
Width :	2.7 meters
Weight :	6803 kilograms
Ground Clearance :	41 centimeters
Ground Pressure :	Unknown kg/cm²
Track Links :	None per track
Track Width :	None centimeters
Track Ground Contact :	None centimeters
Gradiant :	30°
Vertical Obsticle :	0.69 meters
Fording Depth :	1.22 meters
Trench Crossing :	1.07 meters
Turning Radius :	12.8 meters
Main Gun :	40mm Q.F. 2 Pounder Mk.X L / 50
Gunsight :	No.33 Mk.IV S
Traverse :	360° (Hand)
Elevation :	+25° / -12°
Main Gun Ammo :	52
Secondary Weapons :	1x 7.92mm Besa MG (Coaxial - 2700 rounds) 1x 7.7mm Bren (Loose - 500 rounds)
Hull Front (Upper) :	14mm
Hull Front (Lower) :	14mm
Hull Sides (Upper) :	10mm
Hull Sides (Lower) :	10mm
Hull Rear :	14mm
Hull Top :	8mm
Hull Bottom :	7mm
Turret Front :	16mm
Turret Mantlet :	16mm
Turret Sides :	16mm
Turret Rear :	14mm
Turret Top :	8mm

Penetration Data for the 40mm Q.F. 2 Pounder Mk.X L / 50

(All data is displayed vs. RHA / FHA plate @ 30°)

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AP Shot Mk.I ( Armor Piercing ) Weight Velocity 100 m 500 m 1000 m 1500 m 2000 m 1.08 kg 808 m/s 66 / 49 mm 50 / 38 mm 35 / 28 mm 25 / 21 mm 18 / 16 mm

APHE Shot Mk.I ( Armor Piercing High Explosive ) Weight Velocity 100 m 500 m 1000 m 1500 m 2000 m 1.18 kg 808 m/s 64 / 46 mm 47 / 35 mm 33 / 26 mm 22 / 18 mm 15 / 13 mm

APCBC Shot Mk.I ( Armor Piercing Capped Ballistic Cap ) Weight Velocity 100 m 500 m 1000 m 1500 m 2000 m 1.22 kg 792 m/s 59 / 61 mm 52 / 55 mm 45 / 48 mm 39 / 42 mm 33 / 36 mm