Austin Armored Car (Series)

Reconnaissance Vehicle [ 1914 ]

Over 200 Austin Armored Cars were produced from World War 1 and beyond, the last in service during the 1930s.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/20/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

The armored car prove its military value during the fighting of World War 1 (1914-1918) where mechanized forces were just beginning to find their place on the battlefield. Such vehicles offered mobile firing platforms and armored scouting services and able to affect any one given engagement of the conflict. While indispensible as they seemingly were, many of the early armored cars were simply built upon existing, civilian-minded, commercial automotive chassis that were never truly sound for frontline military service, particularly across uneven terrain while carrying the added weight from armor, armament and ammunition.

With the assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire in June of 1914, Europe mobilized for war as long-standing alliances were brought into play. Among these was the Russian Empire who aligned with Serbia against Austria-Hungary and Germany and, in response, the Russians moved on forming their own mechanized armored corps stocked with armored cars for the war years ahead.

However, such a commitment soon found that Russian industrial infrastructure lacked the capacity to produce the vehicles needed. It was decided that Russian authorities would be sent abroad in the hopes of finding an armored car design suitable for use by its military forces and the search led to Britain where, in response, the Austin Motor Company moved to fulfill the Russian Army requirement and took a civilian car chassis, applied the needed military components and presented the product for review. In September of 1914, the Russians ordered the first 48 cars of what were known as the "Austin 1st Series".©MilitaryFactory.com

The Austin cars still retained their general civilian appearance, particularly in their length and four, heavily- spoked, rubber-tired wheels set at the extreme corners of the design. Replacement wheels were carried into battle as an emergency measure while armor plating was added to the hull superstructure which accommodated four crew within. The crew consisted of the driver, the vehicle commander and a pair of machine gunners each manning 0.30 caliber machine guns in separate side-by-side traversing turrets set behind the driver's position. Armor protection ranged from 3mm to 4mm across the various facings. The 30 horsepower engine remained in a compartment at the front of the vehicle though the added armored superstructure made the vehicle back-heavy, putting considerable pressure on the rear axle and their driving wheels. The crew was allowed entry/exit through a double-panel, rear-mounted door and another door lay at the front-left side of the cabin. Power for the vehicle was served through an Austin 4-cylinder, inline, liquid-cooled, gasoline-fueled engine providing 50 horsepower. This was coupled to a four-speed (with 1 reverse) transmission system and the entire vehicle suspended atop a 4x2 wheeled suspension system which offered some cross-country capability. Operational range reached 125 miles while road speeds peaked at 35 miles per hour on ideal surfaces.

Once the first batch of Austin cars were delivered to Russia, authorities there arranged for improved protection by adding thicker armor plates along the front facings, the facings expected to see the most action from enemy guns. Despite this initiative, early actions shown the vehicles to be ill-protected and a complete reworking of their protection scheme was enacted through Izhorski Works (improved to 7mm). While crew protection was improved, this led to overweight vehicles that additionally stressed both their chassis and wheels all the more while limiting driving performance. Despite this drawback, the vehicles were nonetheless pressed into action mainly due to a lack of better alternatives.

Come March 1915 with the war now in full swing, a new improved version of the Austin appeared as the "Austin 2nd Series". Unlike the previous offering, a more heavy-duty chassis was selected in the 1.5-ton range and thusly a higher output Austin brand powerplant (50 horsepower) used to provide the needed performance. The rear entry-exit door was deleted and a completely new armored hull superstructure added which benefitted the machine gun firing arcs. At least 60 units were ordered by Russia and, upon their arrival, were reworked to better suit Russian Army needs. This included armored shields added along the sides of the machine gunner positions and a whole new rear-facing driver's position (adding one crew) which allowed the vehicle a method of escape without having to turn the entire car around its large turning radius.

Following closely to the specifications of the 2nd Series cars became the "Austin 3rd Series" which was ordered on August 25th, 1916. The side vision ports were reduced in size and bulletproof glass added at the front vision ports. Machine gun shields at the turrets were standard and the rear hull included the rear driving cabin.

The 3rd Series cars were selected by the Russian government for local manufacture and sixty chassis arrived from Austin while the armored hull superstructures were then worked on by the local concern of Putilov Works of St. Petersburg. The cars were expected for delivery in 1917 but Russian Revolution delayed their eventual entry until March of 1918 to which thirty-three cars were rolled out until production stopped in 1920. These came to be known popularly as "Russian Austins" or "Austin-Putilov" cars due to their true Austin origins.

At least sixteen of the Austins destined for Russia were claimed by the British Army after the Russian Revolution had taken hold. Notable British Army actions and Austin cars occurred during the Battle of Amiens (1918) where these vehicles were transported, under protection behind lumbering British tanks, and released after crossing No Man's Land. With their mobility and armament, the cars wreaked havoc on the stationed German forces which resulted in the capture of a whole headquarters.

Also in 1917, just prior to the Russian Revolution, the "Austin Model 1918" became another evolution of the Austin car line. The new model series included a reinforced chassis and double-tired rear wheel drive to counter the rear weight. However, the model was not shipped due to Russia (70 were on order) due to its internal turmoil and some of this model series were then acquired by the Japanese Army which used them into the 1930s.

One of the final Austin Armored Car versions of note utilized Austin-Putilov hulls mated to the halftrack running gear and chassis of the French Kegresse tractor which, in turn, produced the "Austin-Kegresse" model seeing twelve vehicles completed. Manufacture spanned from July of 1919 to March of 1920.

Beyond their use in World War 1, the Austin Armored Cars were heavily leaned on during the Russian Civil War by both the Red Army and White Army. One of the last Austin Armored Cars removed from service was an Austrian Army unit retired in 1935.©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.

Specifications

Austin Motor Company - UK
Manufacturer(s)

Austria; Bulgaria (captured); Estonia; Germany; Finland; Latvia; Mongolia; Poland; Romania; Imperial Russia; United Kingdom
Operators

1914
Service Year

United Kingdom
National Origin

4
Crew

215
Units

ARMOR CAR / SECURITY
Design, of typically lightweight nature, providing onroad/offroad capabilities for the scouting or general security roles.

RECONNAISSANCE
Can conduct reconnaissance / scout missions to assess threat levels, enemy strength, et al - typically through lightweight design.

16.1 ft
(4.9 meters)
Length

6.6 ft
(2 meters)
Width

9.3 ft
(2.84 meters)
Height

10,582 lb
(4,800 kg)
Weight

5.3 tons
(Light-class)
Tonnage

1 x Austin 4-cylinder inline water-cooled gasoline engine of 50 horsepower.
Drive System

35 mph
(56 kph)
Road Speed

124 miles
(200 km)
Road Range

2 x 0.303 Hotchkiss OR Maxim machine guns

AMMUNITION
Variable.

Austin Armored Car - Base Series Designation

Austin 1st Series Model 1914 - Passenger car chassis; rear-wheel drive; 30 horsepower engine output; 4mm armor protection maximum; 48 units produced.

Austin 2nd Series Model 1915 - 1.5-ton truck chassis; 50 horsepower engine output; revised hull with improved armor protection; rear-facing driver position; added protection at machine guns.

Austin 3rd Series - Rear-facing driver's position; reduced side vision slots; forward vision slot bulletproof glass; machine gun side shield protection; 60 units produced.

Austin Model 1918 - Reinforced chassis with double-tired road wheels.

Austin-Putilov - Austin chassis with Putilov armored superstructures; 33 units completed.

Austin-Kegresse - Austin-Putilov hulls on French Kegresse halftrack vehicles; 12 units completed.

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 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

Images

1 / 1

Image of the Austin Armored Car (Series)

Image courtesy of the Public Domain.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 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. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

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 military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

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