Does anyone know much about the WW2 British AEC Armored car?
The Archer was issued to anti-tank platoons of the Royal Artillery in lieu of the towed 17-pdr anti-tank gun when available. And at 3,000 kg for the towed gun they were very happy to have it. While offering scant protection for the crew the gun had the accidental but critical advantage of being mounted backwards on the vehicle. The layout was a matter of expediency but proved very useful as the vehicle could back into a hide, fire off a few rounds then drive straight out and off to the next firing position. As always with heavy AT guns the self-propelled model proved far more effective than the cumbersome towed piece and Archer remained in service post-war. As for armored cars, remember what they do for a living. These are recon vehicles, designed to scout and report. Put to big a gun on them and you encourage them to fight. While fighting for information does have value you don’t want to encourage too much of it. You also don’t want to give them so much the scouts think they can take
