This is a surprisingly interesting topic.
To start with, how many people would have ever realized keys would be needed in WW2 to open doors on AFV’s?
Assuming the AFV in question HAS doors, it would seem highly logical you would not want ANY kind of handle assembly readily available on the exterior of the door, enemy infantry could take advantage of using.
But then why would you even bother securing the exterior of a door on a small, open topped vehicle like a Lynx in the first place? A well thrown hand grenade or weapon held above ones head would be devastating to the vehicle crew without even worrying about opening a door.
So maybe the vehicle flips over and traps the crew inside. Rescuers arrive on scene to lend assistance. How many of them would be carrying keys for that particular vehicle? Probably none. The only keys on the scene would be with the crew, trapped inside.
I don’t think the Lynx was alone in this concept. Didn’t the Staghound, C15TA and Otter all come with some form of securing the exterior or the doors? If these were different from the Lynx style of latch, then you have now introduced ‘complexity’ into the key situation. Not a good plan.
Last thought on the matter. With the Lynx style lock, can it be operated by insertion of a standard issue slotted screw driver?
The reason this topic peaks my interest so much is my wife’s Uncles all served with the 12th Manitoba Dragoon’s during the war. One of them, late in the war, received a Commendation for his efforts rescuing the crew of a Lynx. He was a Driver of a Staghound that was following one of the Regimental Lynxes in heavy rains on a mud road. The Lynx slipped off the crown of the road on a curve and flipped over in the ditch. The fuel slipped and ignited. The Lynx Driver got out vis an escape hatch but the Gunner was thrown from the vehicle and pinned under the rear deck. Debbies Uncle stopped their Staghound and ran to try and pull the Gunner clear of the Lynx but could not. The Gunners clothing caught fire and Debbies Uncle got the rest of his Staghound Crew to rock the Lynx back and forth enough they were able to pull the injured Gunner clear.
So the escape hatches can work as intended, but if the Driver had been injured inside the overturned Lynx and unable to open the door, I doubt any of the Staghound crew would have been carrying spare keys, even though they probably knew they needed one to open the hatch from the outside.
David
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