Marmon Herrington MkIV Armoured Cars

[Nick Balmer]

Hello Hanno,

I believe that a number of the statements made in Karl Furrutter in the article in Armored Car are incorrect.

The same excellent site that hosts the Armored Car article, www.warwheels.net, recently publised an article from South African Karl Furrutter titled "A Brief History of the Marmon Herrington Range of Armoured Cars", from which I quote:
I believe with "The Mark 4 and 5 Models" Karl refers to the Mk.IV and IVF models.

This is the first time I have read the Mk.IV armoured cars were used by the UDF in Italy. Does anyone have any further information on this?

The Mark IV and IVF came into service in 1943 arrived in the Middle East to late to operate in North Africa against the German's. They were issued to the Arab Legion in large number during WWII. It must be remembered that the Allies had a huge rear depot in the Middle East stretching from Iran to the Turkish Border to Palestine and Egypt which posed an enormous security and public order problem.

It was quickly found that armoured cars were of limited utility in Italy, and that the best ones were the smallest ones. The Marmon Herrington's Mark VI's did not go to Italy.

I have never seen a picture of a Mark III there either. Because the 1st SA Armoured Division was returned to South Africa and disbanded, the older Marmon Herrington's seem to have stayed in dumps in the Middle East.

The 6th Armoured Division only arrived in Italy by April 1944, by which time it was realised that there was little call for armoured cars. I cannot find an armoured car in its order of service.

The combined Imperial Light Horse/Kimberley Regiment which had been an armoured car unit in North Africa and which came back to Italy did so not as an armoured car unit but as a Motorised Battalion. The armoured divisions as structured in 1944 were found in Italy to be too heavy, with too few infantry. I expect that there was a decision to retask the troops who would have driven armoured cars into "Infantry."

Furrutter says Marmon Herrington's that some had 4 pdr guns. I think that this is entirely wrong. There was as far as I can ascertain no 4 Pdr gun made, unless it was an expression given to a German or Italian gun refitted, but I doubt that ever happened.

The Jordanian Army in about 1950 rearmed a proportion of there Marmon Herrington Mark VI's with Six Pounder guns taken from field carriages. This was done by building a new armoured box in front of the front face of the existing turret, and by mounting the new gun on the outside face of the old turret, with a large aperture cut through it for the breech.

Marmon Herrington Mark VI's were issued in Palestine to the Poles to train on during the winter of 1944 - 45, and to the Greeks in 1945. The armoured protection and the mobility of the Marmon Herrington were lower than the Staghound and Daimlers which were the armoured cars of choice in the British units by 1945.

I believe that it was decided that the Marmon Herrington's in store in the Middle East were more appropriate for the newly emerging armies in post war Eastern Meditterean.

With the Communist Coup in Greece large numbers were issued to the anti Communist forces deployed to Greece. Many were sent to Cyprus, and the Jordanian's had most of the rest.

The Jordanian operated MH's were highly capable against the Israelis sandwich cars on the occasions that they encountered each other in 1948.

The Israelis did capture (acquire?) at least one Marmon Herrington which appears to have had an unservicable gun, or to have lost it, because they rearmed it with a French tank gun taken from a French tank, probably one of the ones operated by the Syrian's.

Mark V Marmon Herrington's only ever existed as pilot models. They never entered service, as by the time they were developed the Desert War was won and the purpose they were designed for had gone.

Regards

Nick Balmer