Although the armoured word calls upon with people in the majority of the cases, an entirely tracked vehicle, armed with a gun and an armoured hull, the history of the armoured vehicles starts with the armoured cars at the beginning of the twentieth century. Indeed, the cars being already rather widespread, it was very natural that they acquire a military use and that they were used at the combat. Here some glorious ancestors of the history of the armoured war.

Daimler with integral traction

This model was studied in the years 1903-1905 to provide to the German army, a cross-country vehicle of reconnaissance. This vehicle was to have 4 driving wheels, a revolving turret equipped with a machine-gun or a gun of small caliber, a retractable seat for the pilot and a shielding made up of 4 mm thickness plates, bullet proof to 300 m and glares of shell. The Daimler armoured car was propelled by a four-cylinder motor, Austro-Daimler, developing 40 hp. The transmission patented in 1905, solved the problem of traction (carried out directly on the driving wheel) and also that of the transmission to the direct wheel without intermediate joints. The turret was directed by the commander by means of a crank. The hull accomodated a crew of 5 men. This machine was not very heavy, in the 2 tons. Although being a very promising realization, in particular into cross-country, it hardly caused enthusiasm near the German and Austro-Hungarian high commands and one did not take action on the project.

Daimler armourd car with integral traction.

src: Connaissance de l'Histoire (Hachette), HS n°3 - Blindés des Origines à 1940

Ehrardt Gun-Car

Always at the same time, before the First World War, the problem of aviation worried already the German high command. One thus developed a series of anti-aircraft gun-cars (BAK - Balloon-Abwehr-Kanone). The first model was the Ehrardt gun-car in 1906-1907. This vehicle was built starting from a truck with an elaborate shielding and an anti-aircraft gun Rheinmetall of 50 mm assembled in a fixed turret in the center of the vehicle. It was intended to fight as well against the planes and airships and as counters of the terrestrial objectives. However the models which started production were without shielding.

Ehrardt Gun-Car. First German anti-aircraft vehicle.

src: Connaissance de l'Histoire (Hachette), HS n°3 - Blindés des Origines à 1940

Opel Kriegs Wagen

Opel Kriegs Wagen is a mid armoured vehicle of war for high commander (Kriegswagen für höhere Truppenführer). This model was studied and produced in 1906 by engineer August Schmidt (technical director at Opel in Berlin). It was about a car with six seats equipped with an engine of 40 hp and armed with two Mauser machine-guns.

Opel Kriegs Wagen armoured car (1906) .

src: Connaissance de l'Histoire (Hachette), HS n°3 - Blindés des Origines à 1940

Büssing & Daimler Kampfwagen

In 1914, at the time of the entry in war of Germany, the high command had not still adopted any armoured vehicle but impressed by the ennemy's models that was going quickly to change. Three firms, Daimler, Ehrardt and Büssing were charged to construct prototypes having to be ready for 1916. The models of Daimler and Ehrardt were extremely similar, with an advantage for that of Daimler. The model of Daimler was a driving and steering four-wheeled vehicle propelled by a four-cylinder motor developing 80 hp. The gear box comprised four forward speeds and four reverse speeds. The nose gear wheels had a drum in order to avoid the depression in soft ground. The imposing armoured body was overcome by a fixed turret with four ports from where four machine-guns could make fire. The hull it even was equipped with two ports on each side for the same use.

Daimler armoured car.

src: Connaissance de l'Histoire (Hachette), HS n°3 - Blindés des Origines à 1940

The Prototype of Büssing was propelled by an engine (gasoline) of 6 cylinders developing 90 hp. It comprised a gear box to five speeds in the two directions. The aft wheels were steering wheels and traction was done on the two axles. The turret assembled on the roof was fixed and was equipped with four ports of shooting to the machine-gun. The body was equipped with six other ports for the same function. At the beginning of 1916, machines of this type made it possible to create the 1st German unit of armoured cars of the history which fought against the Roumanians until 1917.

Büssing armoured car.

src: Uniformes et les armes des soldats de la guerre 1914-1918 (Casterman), L.&F. Funcken.

Mannesmann-Mulag armoured car

It acts can be of a mobile HQ or an armoured transport, although equipped with ports on the sides.

Mannesmann-Mulag armoured car.

src: Uniformes et les armes des soldats de la guerre 1914-1918 (Casterman), L.&F. Funcken.