While the most enduring image of the Western Front is trench warfare, the Eastern Front was more open. Armored cars delivered valuable service. One of the more eye-catching ones is the Russian Putilov-Garford, built by the Russian Putilov factory on an American Garford truck body.
The standard truck had already been used to haul artillery, and was known for being big, tough, and durable. Filatov developed the armor for the truck, and multiple trials were held before a derivative of the 3" Mountain Gun was settled on as the primary armament, carrying 12 shells in a rear-facing turret and 32 in the body of the truck. This turret was capable of 260 degrees rotation, and also carried a Maxim machine gun that projected from the same face, but was not truly coaxial (it was mounted above and to the gunner's right of the cannon). Two more Maxims were carried in sponsons that could fire in 110 degree arcs from directly forward to the rear flank. A total of 5,000 rounds of ammunition were carried for the Maxims. Top speed was slow, at only 18 kilometers per hour on roads, but armor was adequate for protection from small arms, being 6.5mm all-round for the earlier (Army) model and 6.5 to 13mm for the later (Navy) model.
48 of these were built. None survive today. It appears they were dismantled in 1931 so their armor plate could be recycled for new vehicles.
Putilov-Garford Armored Truck
Fire Control: 0
Stabilization: None
Armament: 1 76.2mm L/16.5 rear turret, 1 Maxim PM-1910 rear turret, 1 Maxim PM-1910 left sponson, 1 Maxim PM-1910 right sponson.
Ammo: 44x76.2mm, 5000x7.62mm Nagant
Fuel Type: G, A
Veh Wt: 8.6 tonnes
Crew: 5 (driver, commander, gunner, 2 machine-gunners)
Maint: 4
Night Vision: Headlights
Tr Mov: 18/4
Com Mov: 8/2
Fuel Cap: 132
Fuel Cons: 33
Config: Veh
Susp: W(4)
HF 1 (Army), 2 (Navy)
HS 1
HR 1
TF 1 (Army), 2 (Navy)
TS 1 (Army), 2 (Navy)
TR 1 (Army), 2 (Navy)
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