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The basis for the first Canadian armored car was the chassis of the truck Autocar Type XXI, produced in the USA. Like other trucks of the time, this chassis was built on the basis of a rectangular frame. It had a bonded layout with front engine and gearbox placement. Autocar Company made for Canadian Army special armored cars on Type XXI truck chassis. They were standard commercial chassis with solid tyres armoured with 9.5 mm plate supplied by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. The armour gave all-round protection but was unusual in that it not only offered no head cover for the driver, but had no vision port in the front plate.
However, the cars were not intended to go into action as fighting vehicles but to act as carriers for the two machine-guns normally provided in each car. These machine-guns were originally air-cooled, American-made Colts Model 1895, but later, with the Canadian Corps in France, from August 9th 1916 0.303-in. Vickers water-cooled machine-guns (on a swivel mount allowing them 360 degree rotation) were used instead. These guns could also be off-loaded and used on normal ground tripods.
The complete vehicle, armoured, weighed 3 tons. Its crew comprised 8 men: The driver/mechanic, an officer, four machine guns servants and two riflemen. Its engine ensured a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) on flat, which was honorable, but it was never designed for the no-man's land muddy cratered nightmarish landscape of the western front: Its offroad capabilities were very limited, as most armoured cars of the time.
Their crews vulnerable, to snipers, strafing attacks, and shrapnel. The vehicles also were not large enough to accomodate all eight crewmen at once when firing both their MGs. Extra men were carried in trucks. When deployed in combat, three men served the 2 Vickers (Two machine gunners and a single loader) plus the driver and officer. When dismounted, the crew of eight was deplyed, with a gunner also carriying the tripod to the setup position, a belt feeder carrying the gun itelf to the setup position, two men in charge of the ammo boxes, cooling water and spare parts, a scout and runner and a range taker and spare body carrier. They were all trained in all positions and could strip and reassemble the weapon blindfolded.
Today, a single surviving found a home at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
However, the cars were not intended to go into action as fighting vehicles but to act as carriers for the two machine-guns normally provided in each car. These machine-guns were originally air-cooled, American-made Colts Model 1895, but later, with the Canadian Corps in France, from August 9th 1916 0.303-in. Vickers water-cooled machine-guns (on a swivel mount allowing them 360 degree rotation) were used instead. These guns could also be off-loaded and used on normal ground tripods.
The complete vehicle, armoured, weighed 3 tons. Its crew comprised 8 men: The driver/mechanic, an officer, four machine guns servants and two riflemen. Its engine ensured a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) on flat, which was honorable, but it was never designed for the no-man's land muddy cratered nightmarish landscape of the western front: Its offroad capabilities were very limited, as most armoured cars of the time.
Their crews vulnerable, to snipers, strafing attacks, and shrapnel. The vehicles also were not large enough to accomodate all eight crewmen at once when firing both their MGs. Extra men were carried in trucks. When deployed in combat, three men served the 2 Vickers (Two machine gunners and a single loader) plus the driver and officer. When dismounted, the crew of eight was deplyed, with a gunner also carriying the tripod to the setup position, a belt feeder carrying the gun itelf to the setup position, two men in charge of the ammo boxes, cooling water and spare parts, a scout and runner and a range taker and spare body carrier. They were all trained in all positions and could strip and reassemble the weapon blindfolded.
Today, a single surviving found a home at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
