The Armoured Autocar was a Canadian armoured car used as a mobile

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

nest during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Development

Cleaning armoured cars, Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade April 1918 LAC 3395367

The Armoured Autocar was developed by Major Raymond Brutinel, who immigrated to Canada from France. Brutinel, a Captain in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

Reserve, became a self-made millionaire in Canada prior to the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. At the beginning of the war, he promoted an idea to combine machine guns and mechanical mobility. Brutinel assured the Minister of Militia that he could raise a mobile machine gun unit with private funds. Raising units with private funding was a standard practise of the time. As Vickers machine guns were unavailable at the time, Brutinel travelled to the Colt Company of Hartford, Connecticut and placed an order for 20 Colt

s. He then travelled to the

Autocar Company The Autocar Company is an American specialist manufacturer of severe-duty, Class 7 and Class 8 vocational trucks, with its headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. Started in 1897 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a manufacturer of Brass Era automo ...

of Ardmore, Pennsylvania to purchase truck chassis which had a reliable reputation, and which could support the weight of the armour. He then moved on to the

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

Company where he bought stocks of 9.5mm armour plate. Canadian Armoured Autocar1

Design

Returning to Canada, Brutinel directed the design of the armoured bodies that would be mounted on the truck chassis. The end result was an open topped armoured box with an angled front plate and drop sides. The machine guns were pedestal mounted, capable of firing over the sides of the vehicle, and also able to be dismounted for ground use. The Armoured Autocar weighed 3 tons, had a crew of 8 and had a maximum speed of on roads; its offroad capabilities were limited. On 15 September 1914, the

Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade The Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade, also known as Brutinel's Brigade or the Brutinel Brigade, was the first fully motorized unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War. It was established on August 24, 1 ...

, C.E.F. was mobilized, comprising the 1st and 2nd Sifton Batteries. The Establishment called for a Major (Brutinel), 9 other officers and 124 other ranks. At the time of mobilization, the Brigade was equipped with 8 Armoured Autocars, 20 machine guns, 8 trucks and 4 automobiles. Within the following year, a further 3 batteries named Eaton, Borden and Yukon, were raised with private funding which lead to the establishment of a second unit. The brigades moved overseas and while there was no mobile role for them in the static fighting of the time, they somehow managed to retain their armoured equipment. Destroyed Armoured Autocar

Specification

On 16 May 1915, the units were redesignated 1st and 2nd Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades, C.E.F. Each consisted of A, B, C, D and E batteries. Each battery consisted of 8 Armoured Autocars and 12 specially designed light trucks. An individual Armoured Autocar carried 2 machine guns, 20,000 rounds of ammunition, extra gasoline and enough food for 14 NCOs and men. A Section was made up of 2 cars under the command of a Lieutenant, and a Battery consisted of 4 Sections under the command of a Captain. In addition to the armoured vehicles, each brigade also included a Section of motorcycles with 51 scouts who operated as signallers and dispatch riders. The Armoured Autocars were to prove their worth in the German breakthrough of 1918. While Brutinel had envisioned the unit spearheading an advance through the enemy lines, they were to ultimately excel in the defensive role by utilizing their firepower and mobility. Unfortunately, the open tops of the cars left their crews vulnerable. Brutinel's Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades were the world's first specifically designed and equipped armoured units. That they ever saw the light of day was a direct result of the Minister of Militia of the day, Sam Hughes, who with all of his faults, was more open to the concept of mechanical mobility in combination with firepower than were the traditional army leaders of the period. It would be 20 years after the conclusion of World War I before the idea of armoured machine gun carriers would catch on with the British War Office. The one surviving example of the Armoured Autocar is held by the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (french: link=no, Musée canadien de la guerre; CWM) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history, in ad ...

in Ottawa, Ontario. The example is armed with Vickers machine guns.

Replacement

A normal " Ground " Vickers Machine Gun crew consisted of 6 men. # 1 was the gunner who also carried the tripod to the setup position. # 2 was the belt feeder who carried the gun to the setup position. #3 & 4 were in charge of the ammo boxes, cooling water and spare parts. #5 was a scout and runner. #6 was a range taker and spare body. All men in the crew were trained in all positions and could strip and reassemble the weapon blindfolded. The cramped size of the Canadian Motor Machine Gun Autocars only allowed 3 men each for the 2 Vickers, plus one driver and one officer, who had the option of using a Lewis Machine Gun mounted in front.

Legacy

The Canadian Armoured Autocar is considered to have played a major role as an influence on later armoured car designs such as American Half-Tracks like the M2, M3 and M5 vehicles used by Allied Forces during the duration of the Second World War. Imperial German Forces also adopted the Sd.Kfz 251, along with the Russian BA-30. Armoured cars of the first world war are what most consider to be the predecessors to modern day light tanks, reconnaissance vehicles and armoured vehicles/armoured troop transports.

References