Humber Armoured Car

The Humber Armoured Car was a reconnaissance armored vehicle used by the British Army during World War II. It was developed by the firm Karriers Motors Limited of Bedfordshire, England, from the Guy Light Tank, which had been built a year before. It was produced in four versions: Humber Mark I, II, III, and IV, entering service in early 1941. Employed by the British 8th Army, they first saw combat action in North Africa, during Operation Crusader of the Western Desert Campaign, at the end of 1941. It would also see action in the Burma Campaign in Asia. By 1945, more than 5,000 vehicles had been made.

Technical Characteristics

The Humber was a 4×4, wheeled armored vehicle, which was compact, fast, and versatile. Mechanically reliable, it was powered by a 90 HP, 6-cylinder, gasoline engine, which was mounted in the rear compartment. 15mm-thick steel armor plates protected its crew of 4 soldiers. It had an operational range of 320 km and a maximum speed of 80 km/hour.

Weapons

The Humber Mk I, II, and III versions were armed with a 15mm Besa machine gun, which was set up in a rotating turret. The Mk IV variant, however, was fitted with a 37-mm gun, which came handy whenever there was the need to provide fire support to the advancing infantry spearhead. All versions featured the 7.92mm Besa machine gun as a secondary armament.

Specifications

Type: armored reconnaissance vehicle

Weight: 5 tons

Length: 4.6 m (15 ft 1.5 in)

Width: 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)

Height: 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)

Crew: 4; 3 in the Mk IV model.

The Humber Mk III in North Africa in late November 1941.

Below, the Humber Mk I, which had just been delivered (on February 1, 1941) to the Army

Below, the Mk II in North Africa