| field_i_picture | title (item) | field_cer_web | field_cer_navbox | g_geofield | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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FV432 - FV 432 | Modern páncélozott harcjárművek az Egyesült Királyságban - British armoured fighting vehicles of the post-war era - Бронетехника Великобритании после 1945 года |
The FV432 armoured personnel carrier entered service with the British Army in the early 1960s. Similar in design and concept to the US M113, it was a classic ‘battle taxi’ intended to carry infantry into battle where they would dismount to fight. Only offering protection from small arms and shell splinters, the FV432s would usually retire to a safe location. The vehicle served as the basis for a wide range of conversions including 81mm mortar carrier, 120mm WOMBAT carrier, ambulance, fitters’ vehicle and for a number of command and communications variants. Attempts to up-arm the FV432 resulted in some examples being fitted with a Peak Engineering turret for a GPMG, and an unsuccessful attempt to produce an IFV by mating the turret from a CVR(W) Fox on the rear hull; the resulting vehicles lacked the capacity to also carry infantry and 12 of the 13 examples were sent to the Berlin Infantry Brigade where they served as fire support vehicles. Camouflage usually consisted of broad black bands covering approximately a third of the vehicle but there were no fixed rules on how this was applied and great variations, including this example, were observed. (Artwork by David Bocquelet)