C15TA: first deployment in combat

[Hanno Spoelstra]

"During the Battle of the Scheldt several innovative weapons, tools and tactics were specifically developed and implemented.

One of the more general innovations, was the first deployment of the Canadian made C15 Armoured Truck as a Armoured Personnel Carrier. Basically designed to replace the US made White Scout Car, an alternative role as APC was also foreseen. The first trucks had arrived from Canada only a few weeks before. Fresh from the factory, totally 30 were available for the offensive to get onto Zuid-Beveland the end of October.

In the night October 23, 1944, C Coy Essex Scottish mounted several C15 trucks and formed an ad-hoc Jock Force, that included a troop of tanks of the Fort Garry Horse and Armoured Reconnaissance cars from the 14th Hussars. The action of the force failed miserably. One German anti-tank gun outside of Rilland, hit two tanks and two Daimler cars from appr. 3.000 meters on the elevated dyke road. The 'poor bloody infantry' of the Essex debussed and did it in the end on the slow, but effective old fashioned way. The C15TA armoured truck was not to blame and saw effective use later in the campaign."


Royal Hamilton Light Infantry in South-Beveland. The back of these trucks was roofless. Only a tarp protected the passengers:
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Traveling on top of the dykes towards the next canal. ...hurry up and wait... 6 Pdr A/T gun towed by a carrier follows suit..
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The Kreekramdam, were the C15TA Armoured truck was first deployed on October 24, 1944:
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Source: https://bftours.nl/ | https://www.facebook.com/share/p/gv1pnAQSmCJznL1w/ |