- Yes
- No
Hello, and welcome to my suggestion for a rather overshadowed modification to the Land Rover in british service, one equipped with a 106mm M40 recoilless rifle, I feel this would be a nice option for a small scout vehicle to give britain a light “tank” for around 6.3.
History
Spoiler
106mm M40 was an Anti-tank recoilless rifle developed by the US in the 50s, and had a rather brief service with the British. It was first deployed in the 1956 Suez crisis, and was initially intended to be fired whilst dismounted, simply being transported by either a Land Rover or an Austin Champ, however it was not long before crews began to realise that the M40 could be fired whilst mounted on the back of said vehicles, giving it far better mobility and making it easier to set up, as a result of this it soon became commonplace for the few M40s the British had, to be mounted on the back of the Land Rovers meant to transport them, there are even reports of said M40s being credited with the destruction of an Egyptian SU 100 during the Suez Crisis.
Following this, the M40 would continue to serve with parachute regiments of the British army, being used on the land rovers as a fast scout car and light anti tank vehicle, primarily being deployed within reconnaissance units and operating alongside other vehicles like the Ferret Armoured car. The M40 would again see service in the middle east in the late 50s, being deployed to areas such as Oman during the Radfan Campaign and Dhofar rebellion, being used until the mid 1960s when the larger 120mm WOMBAT recoilless rifle began to enter service, replacing the M40s and overshadowing it to become the most well known Recoilless rifle in British service.
Images
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A British Paratrooper sitting with a french liaison officer in front of his Land Rover equipped with the M40 during the Suez Crisis, 1956
The Crew of A Land Rover (M40), part of 1 Para, D Company, during the Suez Crisis
British Paratroopers loading an M40 onto the back of their Land Rover, 1963
British Soldiers loading a HEAT round into their M40 mounted on a Land Rover
A Guards Para Coy. AT Platoon firing their 106mm rifle
A 106mm AT Platoon on patrol with at least two Ferret Armoured cars, 1963
Specs/Armament
Spoiler
General Characteristics/Performance
(Series I Land Rover (1956))
Crew: 3/4 (Gunner/Commander, Driver, Loader, Machine Gunner (optional))
Length: 3.35m (11 ft)
Width: 1.55m (5.1 ft)
Height: 1.79m (5.9 ft)
Turning Circle: 10.7m (35.1 ft)
Weight (without gun): 1829 kg (4032 lbs)
Top Speed: 98 km/h (61 mph)
Engine: 2.0 L L4 engine (50 bhp)
Armour: Structural Steel, almost non existent
Armament
-
Main Gun
- 106mm M40 Recoilless Rifle
-
Ranging Gun/MG
- 12.7mm M8C Ranging gun (Ammo: 120)
M40 Specs
Bore: 105mm
Ammunition: HEAT, HESH
Range: 6870m
Weight: 209Kg
Length: 3.4m
Height: 1m
Penetration: 433mm (HEAT), 152mm (HESH)
Place in game
Spoiler
Personally I feel this would be a fun addition to the mid ranks of the UK ground tree, giving the tree a light “tank” at a BR where there are not many other options that can be added, it would likely sit at a BR of around 6.3, offering a change in performance to the Current South African Ratels, with it sacrificing armament and armour for size and a massive speed increase, making it ideal for scouting and capturing points on larger maps.
Now, Despite the argument people may have of it being too much of a “rat”, I would like to add that this vehicle has almost no armour, and a low ammunition count, which would mean it will be easy to disable or destroy with any weapon, from Artillery, Machine gun fire, or Close air Support, and its gun is already identical to many other vehicles already in game, particularly the Italian FIAT 6614 or the German SPz 12-3 LGS.
Sources
Spoiler
106mm Recoilless Anti-Tank Rifle | ParaData
Related Media | ParaData
Series 1 anti tank platform | Land Rover UK Forums
https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/help-please-with-identifying-these-lightweight-land-rovers.79126/
Land Rover series - Wikipedia
M40 recoilless rifle - Wikipedia
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/auta_details1.php#gsc.tab=0