armouredcar

Austin Armoured car "Sixteen of the Austins built for Russian but not sent following the revolution were used to equip the 17th (Armoured Car) Battalion of the Tank Corps. The Vickers machine guns were exchanged for the Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun which was the standard machine gun of the British tank unit. The 17th Battalion arrived in France in April 1918. Its first operations were in support of the French Army in June. It returned to the British Army in August and was very successful at the Battle of Amiens. The Austins were towed in pairs by tanks across the battlefield. Once they reached better ground on the other side of the lines, they ranged freely. A German Corps headquarters 10 miles back was captured and German reserves, artillery and supply lines were shot up. The 17th was the first British unit to cross the Rhine in 1918. After the war, the bodies were reused on Peerless lorry chassis. Some of these were still in service at the start of the Second World War. Some cars were sent to the Caspian Sea region. Austins were also used by the British in the Anglo-Irish War."

related: www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/44854636795/ www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/30828143537/

Great shots. Thanks for posting these up SDASM and also helping tagging them Kai Heinrich The one up the top shows a Sd.Kfz.250/9 Ausf.B of 4./SS-Pz.A.A.10 (a German SS reconnaissance unit). The unit was quite distinctive by the way it marked the tactical number on the bow plate. Also just visible is a 10.SS Frundsberg 'F' insignia on the upper bow. There's a couple of other shots which are also connected: www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/31896692018/in/faves-... Elements of SS-Pz.A.A.10 were in the vicinity of Achiet airbase (4km west of Bapaume) on the night of 1-2 September 1944, whilst attempting to retreat N-W from Albert. The remains of 10.SS had retreated from Normandy and at this time its surviving combat forces were split into two task forces, Kampfverband Schulze and Kampfverband Paetsch. There's an account in Dieter Stenger's book Panzers East & West on page 152-153 which variously describes a column of 15 SPW of Kampfverband Schulze (elements of the reconnaissance, Panzergrenadier and artillery units of 10.SS) being hit by allied forces north of Albert and eventually cornered and blown up by their crews in Pys. This small village was close to the S-W perimeter of the Achiet airbase, while Grévillers was on the N-E perimeter: www.google.com.au/maps/@50.0946949,2.7796378,4047m/data=!... At the moment I can't seem to find a matching location for these photos in Pys, but if not there these scenes must surely be somewhere nearby. This Sd.Kfz.251/9 below also carries a 10.SS Frundsberg 'F' insignia: www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/44854686995/in/faves-...

Research montages: www.flickr.com/photos/82596826@N03/48042815191/in/photost... www.flickr.com/photos/82596826@N03/48066168096/in/photost... www.flickr.com/photos/82596826@N03/48066218483/in/photost...

I am impressed. Especially that you found the wreck of that damaged SdKfz in Falaise.

Kai Heinrich glad you appreciate it. As mentioned in the montage, its thanks to the Leloups who rescued and matched that piece of Falaise Sd.Kfz.251/9 wreckage (they also had a complete 7,5cm Stummel gun for it). Here is where it was first mentioned online 7 years ago: www.panzerwrecks.com/real-life-panzerwrecks-sd-kfz-2519-f...

Qui est le photographe de toutes ces photos, ce "Lafond" mystérieux?

Non, nous ne connaissons pas l'identité du photographe. Probablement pas un seul d'ailleurs. Pierre Lafond est le donateur de l'ensemble de ces photographies. Vous trouverez plus d'informations ici : bit.ly/1o8fxYz Nous actualiserons régulièrement cette page.