AEC Mk I Deacon
AEC MkI Gun Carrier "Deacon" | |
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![]() AEC Deacon |
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General properties | |
crew | 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader) |
length | 6.39 m |
width | 2.36 m |
height | 2.82 m |
Dimensions | 12.2 t |
Armor and armament | |
Armor | up to 20 mm |
Main armament | Ordnance QF-6-pounder-7-cwt (caliber 57 mm) |
agility | |
drive | AEC A173 6-cylinder diesel engine 95 HP / 71 kW |
Top speed | 30 km / h |
Power / weight | 7.8 hp / t |
The AEC Mk I "Deacon" was a British wheeled armored vehicle and tank destroyer of the Second World War . It was developed to give the British Army's anti-tank troops greater mobility. The basis for the vehicle was the AEC armored car and the AEC Matador truck . It was modified so that it could transport a 6 pounder PaK . The vehicle was only in service from 1942 to 1943 and exclusively in the North African theater of war.
construction
Actually, the Deacon was just the result of some improvisation within the British Army and a far cry from what actually constitutes a tank destroyer. The chassis of the AEC was modified so that the driver's cab was moved far forward. The rotating gun platform was erected on the base plate of an AEC Matador truck. The gun crew was secured on the sides and front, but not from behind or above, which made the vehicle vulnerable to air attacks. Production of the vehicle began in December 1942. A total of 175 vehicles were produced.
Combat service
The Deacon was only used in North Africa, a combat area that is made for wheeled vehicles. For the first time, the vehicles were used as part of the 76th Anti-Tank Regiment in the context of the Battle of El Hamma . The vehicles were able to prove themselves in combat against German Panzer III . After the end of the fighting in North Africa, they were first withdrawn from active service. Some were to be sold to Turkey , some were converted into armored ammunition carriers.
See also
literature
- I. Moschanski: Armored vehicles of the Great Britain 1939–1945 part 2. Modelist-Konstruktor, Bronekollekzija 1999-02 (И. Мощанский: Бронетанковая техника ВеликобританииМ 1939–1945 часрканим 1939–1945 часрканим 1939–1945 часрканим 1939–1945 - .
- Wolfgang Fleischer: 1000 tanks and military vehicles. Naumann & Göbel Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne, ISBN 978-3-625-12224-1 .