Identity of Two Vehicles

Announcements Photo Research
#1

I’m interested in identifying two vehicles.

Vehicle 1:

At first glance I thought this was a Morris Quad; but this vehicle is clearly armoured and I thought Quads weren’t armoured?

Vehicle 2:

Is this a captured German armoured car of some sort?

Also, what is that 4 inch tube on far left side of the drivers shield? Is it a smoke discharger?

Cheers,
Saxon

#2

they both look like British armored cars of some type.

#3

The first vehicle looks like a GMC truck 15-cwt known as GM C15TA Otter

The second is a Humber Light Reconnaissance Mk IIIA

#4

vehicle no.1 is a canadian manufactured Otter 1 Light Reconnaissance Car

Vehicle no.2 is a Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk III

#5

Thanks guys,

I actually managed to discover the ID of no.2 just before you posted. But thanks for the help with no.1

Is that a smoke discharger on the front of the Humber LRC ?

Here’s a link to info about the Humber, but no mention of what that tube is:

http://www.warwheels.net/HumberLRC3INDEX.html

cheers,
Saxon

#6

The British had a 3" smoke discharger fitted to quite a few of its armoured vehicles

There are some pics on here of them fitted to the outside of the turrets

http://www.ian.a.paterson.btinternet.co.uk/equiparmourtanks.htm

#7

Thanks, that’s what I suspected.

#8

Vehicle No.1 is definitely a C15TA (which is short for Canadian Military Pattern 15cwt Truck, Armoured) and not an Otter LRC, which is a different vehicle.

http://www.geocities.com/cmpvehicles/c15ta.html

These beasties began replacing M3A1 White Scout Cars in the Canadian Army in the latter half of 1944 and then largely replaced halftracks as well. Their main combat role was therefore in the Motor Battalions of Canadian Armoured Brigades (such as the Lake Superior Regiment) and the Reconnaissance Regiments of Canadian Infantry Divisions (in which they would serve alongside the Humber LRC shown below). They also seem to have supplemented the 3-ton Troop Carrying Vehicles of the RCASC.

By 1945, C15TAs were common as command vehicles in many Commonwealth units in NW Europe. After the war these excellent vehicles were used by the Dutch, Norwegian and Danish Armies and then police forces, with some not leaving service until the late 1990s!

The C15TA was not the same thing as an Otter LRC, although they did look very similar and were both based on the CMP 15cwt 4x4 chassis.

http://www.warwheels.net/OtterMk1INDEX.html

The Otter was fully-enclosed by armour and had a small Bren LMG turret, while the C15TA was open at the rear and had a canvas tilt. The Otter was obsolete as an LRC by mid-1944 and in NW Europe was only used by Royal Canadian Engineer units and hedquarters liaison units. Its role as an LRC had been taken by the smaller, nippier Humber LRC (vehicle No.2). However, it did soldier on as an LRC in Italy.

The Humber LRC replaced the Morris LRC in British recce regiments and the Otter LRC in Canadian recce regiments. It also equipped the RAF Regiment’s Armoured Field Squadrons and was widely used as an HQ vehicle and CO’s runabout (the original Humber LRC ‘Ironsides’ was developed as an armoured staff car for senior Royals and members of the Government to get around London during the Blitz).