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Otter light reconnaissance car

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Otter Light Reconnaissance Car
An Otter crossing a Bailey bridge over the Volturno river at Grazzanise in October 1943
Specifications
Mass4.44 t (4.37 long tons; 4.89 short tons)
Length4.50 m (14 ft 9 in)
Width2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Height2.44 m (8 ft 0 in)
Crew3
Armourup to 12 mm
Main
armament
.55 in Boys anti-tank rifle
Secondary
armament
0.303 in (7.7 mm) Bren light machine gun
EngineGMC 6 cyl. gasoline
106 hp (79 kW)
Power/weight24.1 hp/tonne
Suspension4 x 4 wheel, leaf spring
Maximum speed 75 km/h (47 mph)

The Otter Light Reconnaissance Car (known officially by the British as "Car, Light Reconnaissance, Canadian GM Mark I") was a light armoured car produced by Canada during the Second World War for British and Commonwealth.

History

The Otter Light Reconnaissance Car (LRC) was developed by General Motors Canada to meet the demand for this type of armoured car. The design followed the layout of the British Humber Mark III LRC. The Otter was based on the Chevrolet C15 Canadian Military Pattern truck chassis and used many standard GM components. The armament consisted of a hull-mounted Boys anti-tank rifle and a Bren light machine gun in a small open-topped turret. Although it used a more powerful engine than the Humber, it was larger and heavier (by a ton); overall performance was less than that of the Humber, but still acceptable.

Between 1942 and 1945, 1761 units were produced in Oshawa, Ontario, though fewer than 1,000 were delivered overseas.[1] The Otter served with Canadian units in the Italian Campaign and Northwest European operations. It was also employed by the South African Army[2] and the British RAF Regiment. Some RAF regiment vehicles used aircraft armament such as 20mm cannon and 0.303 Browning machine guns. After the war the Otter was used by the Jordanian Army and Dutch Army during the Indonesian Revolution.

Surviving Vehicles

  • The Karl Smith Collection in Tooele, Utah.
  • The RAF Regiment Museum, Honington.
  • Hellenic Historical Vehicles Preservation Club, Greece,[3]
  • Fort Nieuw Amsterdam Open Air Museum Surinam
  • Otter armoured car captured by the Haganah from the Arab Liberation Army in 1948.
    Otter armoured car captured by the Haganah from the Arab Liberation Army in 1948.
  • GMC Otter Light Reconnaissance Car, Bridgehead 2011
    GMC Otter Light Reconnaissance Car, Bridgehead 2011
  • Otter at the Amersfoort Cavalry Museum
    Otter at the Amersfoort Cavalry Museum
  • RAF Regiment Otter at Prkos Airfield
    RAF Regiment Otter at Prkos Airfield
  • Otter MK1 at Katakolo beach, Greece. This image was taken at the place that Otters landed at on 24 Se\mptember 1944. The vehicle itself is part of the Hellenic Historical Vehicles Preservation Club collection in Greece. (www.sdio.gr)
    Otter MK1 at Katakolo beach, Greece. This image was taken at the place that Otters landed at on 24 Se\mptember 1944. The vehicle itself is part of the Hellenic Historical Vehicles Preservation Club collection in Greece. (www.sdio.gr)

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ canadiansoldiers.com article
  2. ^ "Lesakeng". South African Armour Museum. 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  3. ^ "ΣΔΙΟ". www.sdio.gr. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
Bibliography
  • White, BT AFV Profile No. 30 Armoured Cars - Marmon-Herrington, Alvis-Straussler, Light Reconnaissance (1971) Profile Publishing
  • Roger V.Lucy, ""The Otter Light Reconnaissance Car in Canadian Service", Service Publications,Ottawa, 2012
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