Pioneers of Armour in the Great War
Pioneers of Armour in the Great War tells the story of the only Australian mechanized units of the Great War. The 1st Australian Armoured Car Section, later the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol, and the Special Tank Section were among the trailblazers of mechanization and represented the cutting edge of technology on the Great War battlefield.The1st Armoured Car Section was raised in Melbourne in 1916, the brainchild of a group of enthusiasts who financed, designed and then built two armored cars. Having persuaded the Australian Army of the vehicles' utility in the desert campaign, the armored car section, later re-equipped with Model T Fords and retitled the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol, provided valuable service until well after the Armistice.The First World War also saw the emergence of the tank which, despite unpromising beginnings, was to realize its potential in the crucial 1918 battles of Hamel and Amiens. A British Mark IV tank which toured Australia in 1918 demonstrated the power of this new weapon to an awestruck Australian public.Much of the story of the armored cars is told in the voices of the original members of the section and in newspaper articles of the time which highlight the novelty of these vehicles. Painstaking research has produced a remarkable collection of images to accompany the narrative, many never previously published. Biographies of the members of these extraordinary units are also a feature of this book, their stories told from the cradle to the grave. Appendixes provide a wealth of supporting biographical and technical information that enriches the text and adds factual detail.
"1127061929"
Pioneers of Armour in the Great War
Pioneers of Armour in the Great War tells the story of the only Australian mechanized units of the Great War. The 1st Australian Armoured Car Section, later the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol, and the Special Tank Section were among the trailblazers of mechanization and represented the cutting edge of technology on the Great War battlefield.The1st Armoured Car Section was raised in Melbourne in 1916, the brainchild of a group of enthusiasts who financed, designed and then built two armored cars. Having persuaded the Australian Army of the vehicles' utility in the desert campaign, the armored car section, later re-equipped with Model T Fords and retitled the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol, provided valuable service until well after the Armistice.The First World War also saw the emergence of the tank which, despite unpromising beginnings, was to realize its potential in the crucial 1918 battles of Hamel and Amiens. A British Mark IV tank which toured Australia in 1918 demonstrated the power of this new weapon to an awestruck Australian public.Much of the story of the armored cars is told in the voices of the original members of the section and in newspaper articles of the time which highlight the novelty of these vehicles. Painstaking research has produced a remarkable collection of images to accompany the narrative, many never previously published. Biographies of the members of these extraordinary units are also a feature of this book, their stories told from the cradle to the grave. Appendixes provide a wealth of supporting biographical and technical information that enriches the text and adds factual detail.
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Pioneers of Armour in the Great War

Pioneers of Armour in the Great War

Pioneers of Armour in the Great War

Pioneers of Armour in the Great War

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Overview

Pioneers of Armour in the Great War tells the story of the only Australian mechanized units of the Great War. The 1st Australian Armoured Car Section, later the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol, and the Special Tank Section were among the trailblazers of mechanization and represented the cutting edge of technology on the Great War battlefield.The1st Armoured Car Section was raised in Melbourne in 1916, the brainchild of a group of enthusiasts who financed, designed and then built two armored cars. Having persuaded the Australian Army of the vehicles' utility in the desert campaign, the armored car section, later re-equipped with Model T Fords and retitled the 1st Australian Light Car Patrol, provided valuable service until well after the Armistice.The First World War also saw the emergence of the tank which, despite unpromising beginnings, was to realize its potential in the crucial 1918 battles of Hamel and Amiens. A British Mark IV tank which toured Australia in 1918 demonstrated the power of this new weapon to an awestruck Australian public.Much of the story of the armored cars is told in the voices of the original members of the section and in newspaper articles of the time which highlight the novelty of these vehicles. Painstaking research has produced a remarkable collection of images to accompany the narrative, many never previously published. Biographies of the members of these extraordinary units are also a feature of this book, their stories told from the cradle to the grave. Appendixes provide a wealth of supporting biographical and technical information that enriches the text and adds factual detail.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781526715074
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date: 01/31/2020
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 392
File size: 31 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David Finlayson (MEd, BA, Dip Ed, & Grad Dip Ed) was born in Melbourne in 1964. He served in the Army Reserve with the 4th/19th Prince of Waless Light Horse Regiment in the early 1980s. In 1983 joined the Department of Defence later resigning to join the Victorian Education Department in 1990. He teaches history at a northern metropolitan secondary college and is the Honorary Historian for the RAAC Officers Mess at the School of Armour.

Table of Contents

Authors' preface 1

Acknowledgements 3

Foreword 5

Part 1 6

Timeline 7

Introduction 11

The First Australian Armoured Car Section 12

The Libyan Desert 31

Sinai 51

The Battle of Beersheba 60

Palestine 71

The Dead Sea 86

The Battle of Megiddo 94

The Motor Dash on Aleppo 106

After the Armistice 113

The Battle with the Kurdish Bandits 126

Dramatis Personae of the Motor Patrol 131

The men of the original Armoured Car Section 132

The reinforcements 180

Old soldiers fading away 215

Part 2 229

Timeline 230

Introduction 234

Reality - the first experiences of tank support 235

Perception - the Australian public's view 238

A real tank for Australia 245

Dramatis Personae 284

Home Services and Permanent Military Forces 285

Old Soldiers 308

Appendix A Honours and Decorations 309

Appendix B Australian Imperial Force Nominal Roll 311

Appendix C Nominal Roll: 1st Australian Armoured Car Section, Battery and 1st Australian Light Car Patrol 1916-1919 312

Appendix D Other Military Service: 1st Australian Atmoured Car Section/Battery and 1st Australian Light Car Patrol 1916-1919 314

Appendix E Nominal Roll: United Kingdom Personnel, attached 1st Australian Armoured Car Battery and 1st Australian Light Car Patrol 1916-1919. (Incomplete) 315

Appendix F Vehicles and Vehicle Records of 1st Australian Armoured Car Section/Battery and 1st Australian Light Car Patrol 1916-1919 316

Appendix G Notes on the establishment of a Light Car Patrol, 1941 321

Appendix H 5th Cavalry Division Narrative of Operations (19th September to 31st October 1018) 322

Appendix I Nominal Roll: Tank Personnel 1918 338

Appendix J Mk. IV (Female) Tank Technical Details 340

Appendix K Notes on Tank Driving 343

Appendix L Crewing a Mk. IV Tank: Martin Pegler's Account 345

Abbreviations 348

Endnotes 352

Bibliography 364

Index 367

List of illustrations and maps

Part 1

A The December 1915 receipt for the purchase of armour plate by Captain James. The construction of the armoured cars was a considerable challenge in 1915 Melbourne

1 The 1st Armoured Car Battery in Egypt

2 Lieutenant Ernest Homewood James, 5th Australian Infantry Regiment, 1908

3 Military Order 213 of 1916

4 The vehicles of the 1st Australian Armoured Car Section at Royal Park, Melbourne, in mid-1916

5 The crews of the 1st Australian Armoured Car Section at Royal Park, Melbourne

6 The Daimler-based armoured car the crew named 'Siled Sue'

7 Armoured motorcar machine-gun and crew

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