×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
ARMOR
MODERN ARMIES
COUNTRIES
MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
COLD WAR
WORLD WAR 2
Land Systems / Battlefield

Coventry Armored Car


Wheeled Fighting Vehicle [ 1945 ]



The Coventry Armored Car series arrived too late to see action in World War 2 but served with French forces in Indochina.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/21/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
Throughout most of World War 2, the British Army stocked its armored car inventory with two major car types - the Daimler and Humber Armored Cars. Production of the Daimler car nearly reached 2,700 units while Humber cars numbered 5,400 - both proving highly successful in their scouting and security roles. Towards the end of the war, it was seen that a single design with better armament could be adopted to replace both preceding types and a product from a joint venture between Daimler and Rootes was developed, the latter concern the parent company of Humber. The resulting design became the "Coventry Mark I", otherwise known as the "Coventry Armored Car", which arrived in 220 examples under the Rootes Group brand label. The vehicle began serial production in June of 1944 though was delivered too late to see combat service in the war. Despite the intent to replace the existing Daimler and Humber offerings with the Coventry, both types were retained and production of Coventry cars was curtailed with the conclusion of the fighting from the originally planned 1,700 units. Manufacture of Coventry cars ceased in 1945.

With Daimler and Rootes' history in the automobile industry, the Coventry proved a largely standard armored car design of the period. It fitted four large rubber tired road wheels at the extreme corners of the chassis for optimal balance across uneven terrain and sported a shallow hull structure for a low silhouette and a 360-degree traversing turret mounting the primary and secondary armament. The driver managed a position at the front left of the hull with the remaining crew in the turret set over the fighting compartment at center. The engine was fitted in a compartment at the rear in the usual way. The standard Coventry crew included four personnel - driver, assistant driver, commander and gunner. Primary armament was a QF 2-pounder (40mm) main gun with a coaxially-fitted 7.92mm BESA medium tank machine gun. Power was served through 1 x Hercules RXLD 6-cylinder gasoline-fueled engine developing 175 horsepower. The chassis was fully suspended with an all-wheel drive capability. Operational range topped 250 miles with a maximum road speed of 42 miles per hour. Armor protection was 14mm at the most critical facings.

Initial production versions were the Mark I with their 20mm armament and three-man turret. Engineers also developed a 75mm-armed (Ordnance QF 75mm) tank-killing variant with a two-man turret that was to be taken on as the "Mark II". However, the Mark II design was canceled before production began which ended the planned 900-strong order of this version.

The end of the war signaled the end for many in-development weapon systems and large purchase contracts. The Coventry fell into the latter category and managed limited service into the Cold War years, some sent to operate under British command in India. Other examples were sold off to the rebuilding French Army in the post-war decade and used in French colonial holdings thereafter. French Army Coventry cars were pressed into action during the First Indochina War (1946-1954), setting the groundwork for the bloody Vietnam War (1955-1975) to follow.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
1945

Origin
United Kingdom national flag graphic
United Kingdom

Crew
4
CREWMEN
Production
220
UNITS


National flag of the United Kingdom Fance; United Kingdom
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Armored Car
Design, of typically lightweight nature, providing onroad/offroad capabilities for the scouting or general security roles.


Length
15.5 ft
4.71 m
Width
8.7 ft
2.64 m
Height
7.7 ft
2.35 m
Weight
22,818 lb
10,350 kg
Tonnage
11.4 tons
LIGHT
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Coventry Armored Car Mk I production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)
Powerplant: 1 x Hercules RXLD 6-cylinder gasoline engine developing 175 horsepower.
Speed
42.3 mph
(68.0 kph)
Range
248.5 mi
(400.0 km)
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Coventry Armored Car Mk I production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)
Mark I:
1 x 40mm (2-pdr) main gun
1 x 7.92mm BESA coaxial machine gun

Mark II:
1 x 75mm (QF 17-pdr) main gun
1 x 7.92mm BESA coaxial machine gun


Supported Types


Graphical image of a tank cannon armament
Graphical image of a tank medium machine gun


(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
Not Available.


Mk I - Initial production model; 2-pdr (40mm) armed turret with crew of four; 220 examples produced.
Mk II - Proposed variant; 75mm-armed turret with crew of three; cancelled before production.


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery



1 / 4
Image of the Coventry Armored Car
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
2 / 4
Image of the Coventry Armored Car
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
3 / 4
Image of the Coventry Armored Car
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
4 / 4
Image of the Coventry Armored Car
Front right side view of the Coventry Armored Car


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing all American military medals and ribbons.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)