WWI Armoured Cars

[Trencher]

As I am interested in WWI and especially in armoured cars of this period, I came across this one:

Steel Chariots in the Desert: The First World War Experiences of a Rolls Royce Armoured Car Driver with the Duke of Westminster in Libya and in Arabia with T.E.Lawrence by S.C. Rolls.



It is interesting to read as it includes not only a description how to drive a Rolls Royce Armoured Car, but also armoured car action and it offers a lot of background for converting an amoured "Roller" into a Tender, sabotage techniques and interesting pictures in general.

This one might be of interest as well, as it covers the development of the German AFVs during (and short after) WWI:

Die deutschen Radpanzer im Ersten Weltkrieg by Heinrich Kaufhold-Roll



The only real downside of the book is that it is currently only available in German language. The book is some 128 pages thick, and it covers various German types like the Ehrhadt E/V, Büssing A5P (a real monster-this one!) or the Daimler MG Wagen as well as those foreign Armoured Cars that were captured, and then used by the Germans. So beside the German types, the reader also finds descriptions of other important vehicles, like the Belgian Minerva, the Peugeot 1915/16, the Lancia MK-2, the strange Garford-Putilov and a number of others. The quality of the photographs are varied: some are very sharp indeed, other blurred - but then again, we are talking of some very rare vehicles. (I mean - have you ever heard of the Jeffrey-Poplawko?)

The author then discusses the armament and equipment of these vehicles, and, very important, their camouflage and marking. (Useful stuff, but perhaps a bit short.) If there is something that I really miss, it's drawings of these vehicles. There are some technical diagrams, original factory stuff, but that is it. I think that scale drawings really would have elevated the value of this fine book even further.

The final part, some 30 pages, concerns the usage of these Armoured Cars, both German and and those Captured and pressed into German service. All Fronts are covered, including the battles in Romania and Italy, and very important, also the fighting during the heavy unrest in Germany just after the war, and the wars against the Soviet Union in the Baltic States. Here the author has found some really good stuff, with British Austins, Italian Lancias and Russian Garford-Putilows sporting interesting German markings. They don't all have to bee marked drab green, you know! There is also a number of appendixes, including tables of Organization, a very interesting discussion of the different shades of "Feldgrau", and even some equipment lists of the different German types.

[goat major]

looks interesting. I can't help but think it must have been hell to endure being inside one of those in the desert.

[Trencher]

looks interesting. I can't help but think it must have been hell to endure being inside one of those in the desert.

Plus getting showered with hot casings.   
However they removed the turrets at least on one occasion.