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Peerless Armored Car

1919 WORLD WAR 2

Unprecedented history of armored vehicles

Before the advent of "tank" warfare and trench warfare in World War I, armored vehicles proved to be a viable battlefield device due to their inherent mobility and armament. However, limitations are obvious, especially in rough terrain, where their tactical effectiveness suffers. Armored vehicles typically consisted of a fixed armored superstructure mounted on an existing car or truck chassis and were never fully perfected for military service.

The British took various forms during World War I, such as the 1915 American Peerless Truck, modified to suit the role with armor and machine guns.

At the end of the war, the armored car was still popular because it was still a relatively cheap war machine that proved effective enough and also provided security for the vast British colonies. In 1919, a completely new design appeared, also based on the Peerless truck, which eventually became known as the "Peerless Armored Car".

The armored superstructure was developed by the Austin Motor Company, and armament consisted of two machine guns for a crew of four.

These vehicles retain an unrivaled 40 hp engine in the front compartment. The armored superstructure was placed on the chassis, forming the cab, fighting compartment and protecting the engine. Road speeds may reach 16 mph (due to their weight), and operating ranges reach 90 miles. The rear axle is fitted with twin tires to compensate for the extra weight of the armor and weapons.

The rear has an open design, which partially reduces weight. All tires are solid rubber with metal-spoke rims. The car is 20 feet long, 7 feet wide, 4 inches wide and 9 feet tall. Armor protection is 10mm thick at its thickest point.

Armament consists of 2 x 7.7mm Hotchkiss machine guns, each mounted side by side in separate movable turrets. The turret is located on a cylindrical casing behind the cab. The compartment features a rectangular hinged door and flipping armored sights.

Driving controls are replicated to the rear of the vehicle to allow the car to easily get out of trouble without having to make a full U-turn. By modern standards, the Peerless was still the accepted form of armored vehicle at the time.

In practice, the Peerless range proved to be adequate, although it was still limited by its wartime counterparts - mainly on off-road touring where durable suspension systems and lightweight designs were required. They proved clumsy in the operations they encountered and were largely relegated to security, as was the case in Ireland.

In fact, about seven examples are shown in the Irish Civil War. Over time, several offshoots of the basic Peerless model emerged, including a rifled variant with a 3-inch gun mounted, and an anti-aircraft version with a 13-pounder.

The Leyland Armoured Vehicle shares some history with the Peerless, as a 1935 Irish initiative saw Peerless's armoured superstructure on the chassis of a Leyland "Terrier" truck with the addition of a Landsverk L60 series turret as the main weapon. Four examples are retrofitted in this way.

Additionally, the machine gun turrets of the remaining approximately 14 Peerless vehicles were removed and mounted on a Ford-designed chassis to create the 1940 Ford Mk V armored vehicle.

Although completely obsolete by the time of World War II, peerless armored vehicles still existed, although their value on the battlefield was extremely limited at the time.