- Yes
- No
- 3.3
- 3.7
- 4.0
- 4.3
- I said no!
Hey folks,
Today I would like to suggest the Staghound III armoured car in Canadian service. This vehicle consists of the Staghound I hull, fitted with a Crusader Mk III turret sporting a 75mm OQF tank gun. The Canadians were avid users of the Staghound, operating the Staghound I, II, III, AA, and carrying out extensive modifications such as RP-3 rockets and command cars.
Crew of a Staghound III from the 12th Manitoba Dragoons sitting atop their vehicle.
Background:
Background:
Contrary to popular belief, the British were not the primary users of this vehicle. In December 1943 the refitted Staghound III was demonstrated to British forces. However, it suffered from only having a two-man turret - forcing the commander to load the gun and depriving them of the ability to spot the fall of their shot. The British Armoured Corps instead passed the 50 Staghound IIIs produced onto two Canadian Regiments - the 12th Manitoba Dragoons, and the Royal Canadian Dragoons.
Here, the Staghound III acquitted itself well - with a Canadian Technical Evaluation Officer citing it as “probably the best all-round 75-mm armoured car available.” The 12th Manitoba Dragoons received their first Staghound IIIs on 20 April, 1945 and immediately put them to work as the unit’s organic fire support. The on and off-road mobility of the Staghound was highly regarded, and was effective when the static nature of the Italian front was punctuated.
Side shot of a parked Staghound III with crew posing.
In one notorious case, Sergeant R.J. Bell had become separated from his unit in a Staghound. Unable to turn to get out of contact, he gunned his vehicle out of a village and down a sunken road. There, he was surprised to find a column of German infantry on the road. At 90-100 km/h, his vehicle ripped through the ~60 German infantry and 3 anti-tank guns. Further down the Rouen-Neufchatel road, he found a horse artillery unit, and opened fire - cutting men down in the open. Ultimately, Bell claimed 70-80 horses killed, and 200-300 casualties before reuniting with his unit the next day.
Danish Army Staghound III post-war.
Post-war, the Staghound III was sold to other nations, such as Lebanon and Denmark. 6 Staghound IIIs were sent back to Canada. As mechanical reliability issues and wear began to show the Staghound was declared obsolete in January 1957, after 12 long years of service. The last Staghound I was retired from Canadian service in 1964.
A Staghound III restored by Stew Robertson
Another shot of Stew Robertson’s Staghound III. Note that the gun is not the original 75mm OQF gun. Photo courtesy of the RCA museum.
The Chassis:
The Chassis
The Staghound III differs from the Staghound I in 2 key ways. First, the assistant driver’s machine gun has been deleted. Second, the Crusader III two-person turret with OQF 75mm has been installed - modifying the chassis to accommodate the new turret ring. The Staghound is powered by two GM 270 97 horsepower gasoline engines, driving a 4 Forward/1 Reverse transmission. It has 50 rounds of ammunition stowage in the hull.
Side profile of the Staghound III.
The vehicle weighs ~14 tons fully loaded, and can reach a maximum speed of 90km/hr on flat road. It had excellent off-road performance in spite of its weight.
The Turret:
The Turret:
The turret featured is taken directly from the Crusader III, and is modified to carry the OQF 75mm gun. This gun fits into the same housing without significant modification - but like the Cromwell V does not retain the shoulder-stabilization of the 6pdr. Like the Crusader III however, it is a two-man turret with 50 smoke rounds. Its powered traverse offers it the same 36 degrees per second slew-rate of the Crusader III.
Ordnance OQF 75mm gun with internals exposed.
The OQF 75mm gun has the same ammunition as the American 75mm M3 presently in game. In Europe, the Canadian Army used both filled, and un-filled 75mm M61 rounds. Hypothetically, this could be represented in game as two stages of the modifications tree.
Specifications:
Specifications:
General:
Operator Country: Canada
Crew: 4 - Commander, Gunner, Driver, Assistant Driver
Dimensions:
Length: 5.38m
Width: 2.69m
Height: 2.54m
Weight: 14 tons
Performance:
Engine: 2 x 97hp at 3000rpm GM 270 V8 Engines
Transmission: 4-forward, 1-reverse hears
Speed: Max 90km/h
Protection:
- 30mm frontal effective, identical to Staghound AA and Crusader III combination presently in game.
- Smoke grenades x 50
Armament:
1 x 75mm OQF Mk.V gun
- Unstabilized
- Ammunition Capacity: 50 rds
- Reload: 6.5 seconds
- Vertical Guidance: +20/-12 degrees
- Vertical Traverse: 30 degrees per second
- Horizontal Guidance: 360 degrees unimpeded
- Horizontal Traverse: 10.0 degrees per second
Ammunition Types:
Usage In Game:
The Staghound III is quite similar to the T18E2 Boarhound, or Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma. A fast, hard-hitting vehicle capable of excellent flanking gameplay. Despite its status as an armoured car, it is surprisingly well protected, with 30mm of effective frontal armour - making it resilient to MGs and .50cal machine guns. With its powered turret, it would be very responsive in a close quarters engagement. The 75mm elevates the vehicle over other light tanks, packing exceptional post-penetration damage.
Staghound III from the front.
Tell me what you think! My ultimate goal is for this to help form a light tank/armoured car line of a future Canadian ground tree. Following a rough progression of:
1.0 - Staghound II (3" howitzer)
2.3 - Staghound I (37mm M5)
3.7 Staghound III (75mm OQF)
5.3 AVGP Cougar (76mm L23A1)
And so on - my own belief is to add Canadian export assault-gun LAVs like the LAV-AG (1981), Saudi AGV-90, and Saudi LAV-700AG etc to such a line. Add other light armour to flesh that list out as you see fit.
Thanks!
Hydroxideblue
References:
Reference List:
Lucy, Roger V. (2007). The Staghound in Canadian service. Service Publications.
https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.943862/publication.html
Redirecting...
Ordnance QF 75 mm - Wikipedia
https://warwheels.net/images/StaghoundIIIdatasheet.pdf
http://www.veteranarmy.cz/data/pdf/American%20Armoured%20Cars%201940-1945.pdf