ACV-IP

The Armoured Carrier, Wheeled, Indian Pattern (ACV-IP), also known as Indian Pattern Carrier, was created in India during World War II. It was an armoured vehicle that used a Ford / GMC CMP truck chassis brought in from Canada. The vehicles were mostly assembled from 1940 until 1944 by the Indian Railways Company. A total of 4,655 units were built.

Its size was 4.72 m in length, 2.26 m in width and 1.98 m in height. The armoured vehicle was capable of carrying 3 to 4 people inside. Its Ford V-8 petrol engine provided 95 hp (71 kW). The armour was 14 mm thick and the primary armament was a Boys anti-tank rifle and / or a 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Bren light machine gun. Its operational range was 360 km and it had a speed of 80 km/h. All units carried the No. 19 radio set.

The ACV-IP was mostly used in divisional regiments as reconnaissance vehicles, personnel carriers, AA weapons carriers or Forward Observation Officer’s vehicles. The units were operated by the Indian troops in the Far East, Middles East, North African and Italian campaigns.

There were seven variants produced from this type. The initial version was called the Mk I which was built on a Ford model 1940 truck chassis with motor in front, fixed with a Marmon-Herrington all wheel drive kit. The Mk II was built on a Ford CO11QRF chassis which was an all wheel drive, had the motor in the rear and a right hand drive. Several sub-types were made from the Mk II. The Mk IIA was modified with an armoured hull, Mk IIB had thicker armour and Mk IIC was built on a Ford C191QRF chassis and had an armoured roof and small turret for the Bren machine gun.