AEC armoured command vehicle

AEC armoured command vehicles (ACVs) were a series of command vehicles built by the British Associated Equipment Company (AEC) during the Second World War .

History

British service

During the World War II, the United Kingdom was the only country to develop and widely employ purpose-built armoured command vehicles. Those were essentially armoured buses based on truck chassis.

The most common ACV of the British Army was the AEC 4x4 ACV. The vehicle, based on AEC 0853 Matador truck chassis, entered production in 1941. A total of about 415 units were built. The vehicle was used for the first time in the North African Campaign and remained in service until the end of the war. Big and comfortable, it was nicknamed "Dorchester" by the troops, after the luxury hotel in London.

In 1944, a larger AEC 6x6 ACV was developed. The vehicle was based on the AEC 0857 truck chassis. It was powered by the AEC 198 150 hp (110 kW) engine, with a welded hull made from 9 mm (0.35 in) thick rolled steel and a weight reaching 17 tons. 151 units were built.

Both vehicles were built in two configurations, called LP (low power) and HP (high power), with different radio equipment.

Some ACVs were conversions of armoured demolition vehicles that used the same bodywork.

German service

Three 4x4 ACVs were captured by the German Afrika Korps. Two of them, named "Max" and "Moritz", were employed by Rommel and his staff throughout the campaign.

Versions

Armoured Command Vehicle

AEC 4×4 ACV Mk. I – AEC 0853 Matador truck chassis, one large internal compartment.
AEC 4×4 ACV Mk. II – AEC 0853 Matador truck chassis; Two smaller internal compartments, an office and a radio room.
AEC 6×6 ACV – AEC 0857 truck chassis.

Variants

High power variant: One No. 19 wireless set, one R 107 high-frequency reception set. The No. 19 set had a maximum output of 30 watts and maximum range of 45 miles (72 km).
Low-power variant: Two No. 19 wireless sets. No. 19 set with a maximum output of 30 watts and maximum range of 45 miles (72 km) for communications with higher commands.

Armored Demolition Vehicle

Created and used by engineering units; mounted equipment such as compressors, jack hammers and other tools used by the sappers.

Notes

References

Forty, George – World War Two Armoured Fighting Vehicles and Self-Propelled Artillery, Osprey Publishing 1996, ISBN 1-85532-582-9.
Moschanskiy, I (February 1999), "Бронетанковая техника Великобритании 1939–1945 часть 2" [Armored vehicles of the Great Britain 1939–1945 part 2], Моделист-Конструктор [Modelist-Konstruktor], Bronekollektsiya
Henry, Richard (December 2015), "Armoured Command Vehicles", Military History Journal, vol. 16, no. 6, The South African Military History Society