AEC DORCHESTER

The AEC Dorchester was a British armored command vehicle of the Second World War. The first prototypes were built in 1939, and serial production continued in the period 1941-1943. In total, about 410 examples of this vehicle were built. The AEC Dorchester was powered by an engine AEC A187 with 95 HP. The basic version of the vehicle was armed with a single 7.7mm Bren machine gun. At the end of the 1930s, the command of the British Army saw the need to provide officers of the middle and higher rank of mechanized and armored troops with the ability to command subordinate units in the field and to provide them with appropriate mobility command posts. The demanded answer was just that The AEC Dorchester, which was initially built on the Moris C9 / LAC truck chassis, and was finally mounted on the AEC Matador 4x4 truck chassis. This type of vehicle, due to its low failure rate, spacious interior and good working conditions, gained considerable recognition and popularity among British officers. One AEC Dorchester was captured by German troops in North Africa and was used by Erwin Rómml as a command vehicle. Two versions of the AEC Dorchester were created. The first (Mk. I) did not have a separate workplace for officers and was equipped with a 550 W power generator. The second version (Mk. II) had separate compartments for radio telegraphists and officers, and it was equipped with a power generator with a capacity of 1260 W. AEC Dorchester cars they served mainly during the fighting in North Africa (1940-1943), in Italy, France and West Germany in the period 1943-1945. They were also used by the Polish Armed Forces in the West (PES).