Bedford OXA

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Bedford OXA
Bedford OXA at ​​Thetford in Norfolk (April 1941)

Bedford OXA at ​​Thetford in Norfolk (April 1941)
General properties
crew 8 (commander, driver, gunner, machine gunner, four infantrymen)
length 6.68 m
width 1.63 m
height 2.14 m
Dimensions 7.178-11.024 tons
Armor and armament
Armor up to 9 mm steel
Main armament 1 anti-tank rifle Boys 13.97 mm (0.55 in)
Secondary armament 1 machine gun Bren 7.7 mm (0.303 in)
agility
drive Bedford 6-cylinder petrol engine
72 HP (54 kW)
suspension Rigid axles on leaf springs
Top speed 64 km / h
Power / weight 11.1 hp / ton
Range 480 km

The Bedford OXA was an improvised British armored car in World War II , which was built by mounting an armored superstructure on a Bedford OXD 1.5 tn. l. - Truck chassis was created in 1940. He was not (as armored vehicles English : Armored Car ), but as "armored truck" (English: Armored lorry ), respectively. It was the most popular vehicle of its type and was used by the British Home Guard until 1942.

history

The Bedford OXA was a response by the British Army during the two-year crisis from 1940 to 1941 to the threat of an invasion of the British island by the German Wehrmacht ( Operation Sea Lion ) in those years after the Western campaign in 1940 , which, however, ultimately did not take place. For this was the chassis of a four-wheeled truck type Bedford OXD 1.5 tn. l. Payload and standard drive ( 4 × 2 ) equipped with a fairly large and tall, lightly armored superstructure .

The main armament consisted of a Boys - Panzerbüchse the caliber mm 13.97, the secondary armament of a 7.7-mm Bren - machine gun and various other hand weapons . The armor was a maximum of 9 mm, with the radiator on the front of the vehicle and the wheels on the rear axle being clad in the form of an armor plate. It is interesting that the light armored car on car -based standard beaverette with up to 11 mm had a slightly stronger armor.

Due to the lack of all-wheel drive and the high weight with a rather low engine power, the vehicle was practically not suitable for all terrain and therefore relied on drivable roads. On the other hand, it had a fairly long range of 480 km . The OXA presented here quite a parallel to the First World War used road tanks of the German Army . It was called "Armored Lorry" (armored truck) from the British Home Guard still used until 1942.

The Bedford OXA was built in a total of 948 copies, making it the most frequently built improvised armored vehicle of its kind.

commitment

Like some other rather improvised British armored vehicles of the Home Guard from that early war period, the Bedford OXA saw no use against enemy forces on home soil, since the amphibious landing operation planned by the Wehrmacht against the British island ultimately did not take place.

The actual combat value of this vehicle would have been low, in particular the weak armament would have done little against an attack with tanks, such as in the western campaign in 1940 . At most, the OXD would have been useful as a patrol vehicle or against infantry .

literature

  • Moschanskiy, I .: Armored vehicles of the Great Britain 1939–1945 part 2 , Modelist-Konstruktor, Bronekollektsiya (1999–2002); (Мощанский, И .: Бронетанковая техника Великобритании 1939–1945 часть 2 , Моделист-Конструковая Броне2002)) (1999–2002)).

See also