- AEC Matador
-
AEC O853 Matador
AEC matador tows 3.7 inch gun, Caen, 7 August 1944.Type Medium artillery tractor Place of origin United Kingdom
Specifications Weight 7.75 tons Length 20 ft 10 in Width 7 ft 10 in Height 9 ft 7 in Crew 1 Armour none Engine AEC 7.6 litre diesel
95 hpPayload capacity 10-ton Suspension Wheel, 4 x 4 Speed 30 mph The AEC Matador was an artillery tractor built by the Associated Equipment Company for British and Commonwealth forces during the Second World War.
AEC had already built a 4 x 2 lorry, also known as the Matador (all AEC lorries received 'M' names).
The Matador was distinctive with its flat fronted cab with gently curved roof, wheels at the corners and a flat load carrying area covered by a canvas or tarpaulin tilt. The cab was made from Ash and clad in steel. It was equipped with a winch (7-ton load in its case) like all artillery tractors. The O853 provided the basis for the 'Dorchester' Armoured Command Vehicle.
AEC also produced a larger 'Marshall' 6x6 vehicle (model O854) based on the 4x4 Matador which were generally, if not officially, also called Matador. The O854 also provided the basis for an Armoured Command Vehicle, the O857.
Service
About 9,000 Matadors were built, some going to the RAF.
For the British Army, it fulfilled a role between the Morris C8 Quad pulling smaller guns such as the 25 pdr Gun-Howitzer and the Scammell Pioneer used for the 7.2 inch howitzer, and was commonly used for the 5.5 inch Medium Gun and the QF 3.75 inch AA gun. It was also found to be a generally useful vehicle and adapted for other roles including carrying a 25 pdr gun on the back.
The RAF used theirs in the flat bed form for load carrying. The 6-wheeler Matador was used as a refuelling tanker, capable of carrying 2,500 Imperial gallons of fuel and also for towing ashore Short Sunderland flying boats at their stations.
In 1942/43 for the North African campaign some Matadors mounted the 6 pounder anti-tank gun to give the AEC Mk1 Gun Carrier "Deacon".
Post war the Matador was found in civilian use as a recovery truck, a showmans vehicle, and general contractor use. Also useful for forestry work because of its good offroad performance.
See also
- Bedford QLD - 3 ton general service truck four wheel drive, 4WD, introduced 1941.
- Austin K2
- Canadian Military Pattern Field Artillery Tractor
Light tanks Cruiser tanks Mk I · Mk II · Mk III · Mk IV · Mk V Covenanter · Mk VI Crusader · Mk VII Cavalier · Mk VIII Centaur · Mk VIII Cromwell · Challenger · Comet · Sherman Firefly · Ram (Canada) · Grizzly I (Canada) · Sentinel (Australia)Infantry tanks Scout Cars and Armoured carsScout Cars Daimler Dingo • Dingo Scout Car (Australia) • Humber Scout Car • Lynx Scout Car (Canada) • S1 Scout Car (Australia)Light Reconnaissance Cars Armoured Cars AEC Armoured Car • Coventry Armoured Car • Daimler Armoured Car • Fox Armoured Car (Canada) • Guy Armoured Car • Humber Armoured Car • Lanchester Armoured Car • Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car (South Africa) • Morris CS9 • Rhino Heavy Armoured Car (Australia) • Rolls-Royce Armoured Car • Rover Light Armoured Car (Australia) • Standard Beaverette • Armoured Carrier Wheeled Indian Pattern (India)Armoured Trucks Armoured Command Vehicles Experimental vehiclesAvenger • Black Prince • Centurion • Excelsior • TOG 1 • TOG 2 • Tortoise • Valiant • Harry Hopkins • Alecto • Glanville Fighter Car • Morris Motors Salamander • Hillman Gnat • Schofield tank (New Zealand)Unarmoured vehiclesArtillery tractors Trucks and lorries Bedford QLD • Austin K2 • Morris 15 cwt • Austin K5 • Bedford OYD • Bedford OXD • Morris C9 • Guy Ant • Leyland Retriever (3-ton) • Leyland Lynx (30-cwt) • Leyland Hippo (10-ton) • Thornycroft Nubian • Thornycroft TartarTank transporters Utility and cars British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II External links
Buses 400-series · 500-series · B-type · Bridgemaster · K-type · LS-type · Merlin/Swift · Monocoach · NS-type · Q-type · Ranger (between wars) · Ranger (post war) · Regal · Regal I · Regal II · Regal III · Regal IV · Regal V · Regal VI · Regent · Regent II · Regent III · Regent III RT-type · Regent IV · Regent V · Reliance (660) · Reliance · Reliant · Renown (1920s two-axle) · Renown (3-axle) · Renown (1960s) · Routemaster/Routemaster FRM · S-type · Sabre · T-type · X-typeTrolleybuses 601 · 602 · 603/603T · 604 · 605 · 607 · 661T · 662T · 663T · 664TTrucks 4G6 · 10 · 18 · 201 · 428 · 501 · 506 · 691 · 692 · 701 · 1100 · Majestic · Mammoth · Mammoth Major · Mandator · Marshall · Matador · Mercury · Militant · Mammoth Minor 6 · Mammoth Minor 8 · Mogul · Monarch · Mustang · TG6 · Y TypeEngines AEC 9.6L · AEC 11.3LRelated companies ACLO · Barreiros AEC · British Leyland Motor Corporation · Charles H. Roe · Crossley Motors · Maudslay Motor Company · Park Royal Vehicles · Thornycroft · UTIC-AECCategories:- Military trucks
- Artillery tractors
- Off-road vehicles
- World War II British vehicles
- AEC vehicles
- Soft-skinned vehicles
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.