Help with identifying armoured vehicle

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by sol, Jun 17, 2020.

  1. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Found this image on Alamyi ...

    [​IMG]

    with caption ...

    British and Gurkha soldiers enter Fort Dufferin in Mandalay, Burma's second city on 10th March 1945 during the Burma Campaign. After the wall had been breached near the North Gate the troops were able to break into the fort under the cover of an intensive artillery bombardment and supported by tanks.

    (link to image)


    Universal Carrier in foreground obviously belong to 2nd British Infantry Division and number 87 would suggest that it belongs to HQ of 5th Infantry Brigade. And the last vehicle on the image is Lee tank, probably from C Squadron, 3rd Carabiniers.

    But I can't, with certainty, to identify the vehicle behind Carrier. It looks as Otter light reconnaissance car but it doesn't have turret and I couldn't find any reference of them serving in Burma. Does anyone know did any Otter was sent to the Far East Area or is it maybe some other kind of vehicle?
     
  2. Richelieu

    Richelieu Well-Known Member

    As it appears to be crewed by Australians, could it be a CAR, ARMOURED O.P. (AUST)?

    AWM have three images but frustratingly not a frontal view. The vision block on the Alamy image seems to be a similar pattern to that on the Australian Dingo scout car.
     
  3. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Those are just British solders with bush hats. Apart from RAF and some officers, no Australian infantry unit was based in area. Bush hats were used by all British units in Burma.

    Considering car, I don't think that it's Australian Armoured Car, O.P.
     
  4. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I am pretty dubious of this, because I'm not sure the lines look right, but could it be an Indian Pattern Armoured Car Mk 2? I think from photos that the Mk I had a single and wider lookout so that can be ruled out.
     
  5. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    4jonboy likes this.
  6. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  7. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    I also though that it could be Armoured Carrier Indian Pattern but it doesn't fit. It had mush bigger right side hatch and the one on the left side is much closer than the one on the vehicle on image above

    [​IMG]

    Also if I'm not wrong, the vehicle on the image don't have a flat front and have similar "grill" bars as Otter

    [​IMG]
     
    Rothy likes this.
  8. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Wander could it be maybe used by RAF in Burma. There were several Canadian RAF units in India.
     
  9. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Another vote for Otter. Down to bolt placement & mirrors.
    (Thought they were a rare modern survivor, but the Shadock has 25 listed - not bad really.)
     
  10. Rothy

    Rothy Well-Known Member

    From "The RAF Regiment at War" by Kingsley Oliver....

    "In February 1945, three armoured car squadrons (2970, 2971 and 2972) were formed at Secunderabad but only one, 2970, had been deployed operationally in Burma before the war ended."

    No other details - how annoying.

    Steve
     
    sol likes this.
  11. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    2970 Squadron

    Formed at Secunderabad as an Armoured Car Unit in Unit in February 1945, being deployed to Agartala, Rangoon and Mingladon, where it disbanded in March 1946.

    Source link

    "Constant Vigilance: The RAF Regiment in the Burma Campaign" is listing 2970 Squadron at Agartala on the September 12th, 1945 so I guess it was transferred to Burma only after the war is over. And seems like those squadron were equipped with Armoured Carrier Indian Pattern.
     
    Rothy likes this.
  12. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    It is not easy to find images of turretless Otter from the war. Here one used, seems like, as artillery FOO for Canadian Army in NWE

    [​IMG]
     
    Rothy likes this.
  13. JITTER PARTY

    JITTER PARTY Well-Known Member

    Could it not be a C15TA? It would seem to be a more useful vehicle than an Otter in the circumstances, and I found this quote on its Wikipedia page; "Trucks left by the British forces in Vietnam were taken over by the French, which used them in Indochina and later transferred them to South Vietnam." It would seem to indicate that someone was using them in SE Asia in 1945.
     
  14. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    No because the driver's front vision flaps are too big on a CT15A compared to the one in post #1.
     

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