British Military Vehicles Between the Wars
In 1918, after the Armistice was signed, the British Army held a stock of 165,128 military vehicles, made up of 48,175 motorcycles, 43,187 motor cars and ambulances,66,352 trucks, 1,293 steam wagons, and a further 6,121 miscellaneous vehicles. Thousands were left in Europe, but hundreds more were parked in vehicle dumps in Great Britain, and the Government started to dispose of these surplus vehicles through a series of auctions starting in the spring of 1919.
The army kept sufficient for immediate requirements, but so many trucks remained in service that there was little need to purchase any new vehicles for most of the1920s and thus equally little need for development. One exception was the series of abortive experiments with full- and half=tracked trucks that had been carried out under the aegis of the Department of Tank Design and Experiment at Woolwich. By 1923, these trials had been abandoned as impractical and expensive. There were later experiments with half-tracked vehicles using the Citroen-Kegresse and Roadless systems, but the British Army did not procure any significant numbers.
However, there remained a shortage of medium-weight vehicles and in 1922 a new subsidy scheme was introduced which covered 30cwt and 3-ton vehicles. There was little interest from the motor industry until the following year when some aspects of the specifications were simplified. Albion, Karrier, Clement-Talbot and Crossley all built prototypes. In 1925, Guy, Huy, Halley, Thornycroft and Vulcan also built prototype vehicles. A plan to extend the scheme to cover 15cwt vehicles was abandoned.
In 1924, Louis Renault had produced a 6*4 heavy motor car which he believed could offer similar performance to the rival Citroen-Kegresse in cross-country performance. One of these was acquired by the Royal Army Service Corps(RASC) Training College. The rear wheels of the Renault were mounted on two axles in a way that allowed maximum ground contact regardless of the terrain. Realizing the advantages of this, but believing that the design could be improved, Colonel Herbert Niblett and his team designed and patented an improved version which was known as the " War Department Pattern articulated rear bogie". The bogie was suitable for both 30cwt and 3-ton vehicles and could be used freely by any manufacturer designing vehicles to meet the requirements of the British Army. By 1927, most of the big manufacturers in the British truck industry were producing subsidy vehicles, but the specification was no updated again and the design soon became obsolete.
It was also at this time that responsibility for the research, experimental work and design of British military vehicles was transferred from the Department of the Quartermaster General to the Master General of Ordnance. The RASC resisted the change, arguing that valuable experience wold be lost, but it was to no avail and the Mechanical Warfare Experimental Establishment(MWEE) was created to oversee the function.
The MWEE established a series of annual vehicle trials in which manufacturers could demonstrate their trucks against those of competitors in the hope of being rewarded with valuable military contracts. These trials were held from the mid-1930s on the mountain roads in north Wales and were intended to encourage technological development. All types of experimental vehicles were tested, including a number from overseas manufacturers. It was all a curiously gentlemanly business and the British truck industry appeared as reluctant to try new ideas as the Army was to buy them.
By the time the Government realized that another war with Germany was inevitable, it was suggested that another war with Germany was inevitable, it was suggested that the answer to the shortage of general transport vehicles lay in being able to impress or hire suitable civilian trucks. By 1938, the RASC had compiled a register of 10,000 vehicles which could be readily mobilized should it become necessary. It would be true to say that few, if any, of these were really suitable, but did at least allow the existing military 6*4s to be replaced in the general service role and converted for more specialized tasks.
So, when the British Expeditionary Force left for France it was equipped with a miscellany of some 85,000-100,000 often aging and unsuitable vehicles, Most were abandoned in May 1940, and many foolishly believed that this presented the perfect opportunity for future British military vehicles to be manufactured to a standardized design.
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