Humber Light Reconnaissance Car
| Humber Light Reconnaissance Car | |
|---|---|
Humber LRC Mk IIIA
|
|
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Humber (Rootes Group) |
| No. built | more than 2,400 |
| Specifications (Mark II) | |
| Weight | 3.17 tons |
| Length | 14 ft 4 in (4.37 m) |
| Width | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Crew | 3 |
|
|
|
| Armour | up to 12 mm |
|
Main
armament |
Boys anti-tank rifle |
|
Secondary
armament |
0.303 in (7.7 mm) Bren light machine gun Smoke discharger |
| Engine | 4.1 L 6-cylinder inline sidevalve petrol engine 80-87 hp (60-65 kW) |
| Power/weight | 29 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | 4 x 2 wheel |
|
Operational
range |
110 mi (180 km) |
| Speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) on road |
The Humber Light Reconnaissance Car, also known as Humberette or Ironside, was a British armoured car produced during the Second World War.
Produced by the Rootes Group, the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car was an armoured car based on the Humber Super Snipe chassis (as was the ). It was equipped with a No. 19 radio set. From 1940 to 1943 over 3600 units were built.
The vehicle was used by Infantry Reconnaissance Regiments and the RAF Regiment in Tunisia, Italy and Western Europe. After the war, some vehicles remained in service with the British units in India and in the Far East. The LRC was used widely by the Reconnaissance Corps and was also used by the Reconnaissance squadron of the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group.
Three Mk I vehicles were modified for use by the British Royal Family and the Cabinet ministers and were known as Special Ironside Saloons.
The original version with open-topped hull and 4×2 drive. Armoured to a maximum of 10 mm on the front and 7–9 mm on the sides. Armament was a Boys anti-tank rifle and a Bren light machine gun. Only a limited number were built before the Mk I was replaced by the Mk II.
The Mk II had an enclosed roof with a turret for the machine gun and retained the 4×2 drive of the Mk I. The Boys faced forward in the front of the hull. Otherwise armoured as the Mark I, the roof was 7 mm and the turret 6 mm.
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