Moore’s Manoeuvres
When researching reports in Kew National Archives.
Searching through the 1944 Military Vehicle and Engineering Establishment (MVEE) vehicle trials reports for information on interwar light tanks at the National Archives at Kew, I stumbled across a report on the little-known Coventry Mk.I 4x4 armoured car. It had been submitted to the MVEE for testing, before being certified fit for use in British Army service. At first glance, it looked similar to other armoured cars used during World War Two, but why were orders for this vehicle cancelled after a short production run, compared with the Daimler armoured cars’ production run of 2,694 vehicles? The Coventry Mk.I armoured car design was developed in 1943 as a joint project by the Rootes Group and Daimler Company. It was intended to be a replacement for the lighter Humber and Daimler armoured cars.
The Coventry Mk.I was armed with a QF 2-pounder main gun and a 7.92mm coaxial Besa machine gun. It had a crew of four, with three men squeezing into a very cramped turret. It only had 14mm of armour, 2mm less than the Daimler. To enable the vehicle to get out of trouble quickly, if the crew suddenly encountered an overwhelming enemy force, i…
