The Bedford OXA was a British heavy
improvised
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
armoured car, produced during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Development
It was developed by mounting an armoured body onto a
Bedford OXD
The Bedford OY is an army lorry (truck) built by Bedford for the British Armed Forces and introduced in 1939. It was based on Bedford's O-series commercial vehicles with a modified front end and single rear tyres. It was designed for a 3-ton payl ...
30cwt (1.5 ton) truck chassis, armed with a
Boys anti-tank rifle
The Boys anti-tank rifle (officially Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55in, Boys, and sometimes incorrectly spelled "Boyes"), is a British anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It was often nicknamed the "elephant gun" by its users due to its si ...
.
Its official designation was "Lorry 30cwt Anti-Tank". A total of 948 units were built in 1940–1941.
Operational use
The vehicle was used by regular
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
units in 1940 and
British Home Guard
The Home Guard (initially Local Defence Volunteers or LDV) was an armed citizen militia supporting the British Army during the Second World War. Operational from 1940 to 1944, the Home Guard had 1.5 million local volunteers otherwise ineligible f ...
units until 1942.
See also
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Armadillo armoured fighting vehicle
The Armadillo was an extemporized improvised armoured fighting vehicle produced in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940–1941. Based on a number of standard lorry (truck) chassis, it comprised a wooden fighting compartment protected by a ...
References
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World War II armoured cars
World War II armoured fighting vehicles of the United Kingdom
OXA
Armoured cars of the United Kingdom
Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944
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