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Morris Light Reconnaissance Car (LRC)

1940 COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2

History of the Morris Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRC)

During World War II (1939-1945), light reconnaissance vehicles were essential to success on the battlefield. To meet this requirement, all major combatants in a conflict use some type of vehicle for their role.

For the British, the Morris Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRC) was just one use - but this type of LRC was hastily developed in 1940 as a home defence tool when Britain desperately left France in May of that year , to make up for the loss of armor (in the famous "Miracle of Dunkirk").

As British industry struggles to develop long-term solutions for the military, small local companies are being pushed by the government to develop cheaper, viable products to protect the British mainland from enemy invasion - a very real threat, Falls in France, Norway, Belgium and other parts of the Netherlands. Morris Motors Limited quickly developed plans for what would become the Morris LRC, using existing off-the-shelf components as a cost-effective means of realizing the original compact car.

A simple four-wheel chassis is at the heart of the car's layout, although the engine (internal Morris 4-cylinder petrol rated at 72 hp) has been moved to the rear and a crew compartment has been fitted up front. center. Interestingly, all three crew members sit side-by-side on the car's girder - which adds to the already cramped operating conditions of the lightly armored hull superstructure - with the driver in the middle.

Hinged doors on either side of the hull provided easy access and hatches provided access to weapons mounted above the hull.

The primary armament mounted is a 0.55" Boy Anti-Tank Rifle (ATR) mounted on the turret on the top left side of the fuselage, and a .303 caliber BREN Light Machine Gun (LMG) mounted in the turret above the fuselage Right side of top cover. This allows the vehicle to have a relatively effective placement against lightly armored enemy vehicles and infantry. The ATR is mounted above the radio station and is operated by the crew on the left.

Double hatches provide access to heavy rifles, which can be fired forward or backward depending on the situation.

The original production Mark I was rear-wheel drive only, which limited its tactical usefulness somewhat, while the offshoot of the Mark I OP was an evolved "observation post" model without a turret but with two rangefinder. The Mark II corrects the drive limitations of the Mk I by introducing four-wheel drive capability.

In addition, the line exists in several well-known but unrealized prototypes, including the Morris Experimental Tank (with two full turrets), the "Firefly" (with a 6 pdr field gun in the front), the "Salamander" (with a Roof-mounted turret) and "Granville Fighter" (single-seat model with two fixed machine guns). None of the prototypes were developed into working form.

The British Army used the Morris LRC wherever it was needed - the North African campaign in Tunisia, the Western Front in Europe and the Middle East. The Polish Armed Forces also received this type. The total production of the series exceeds 2,200 units.