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HISTORY , one of the most common tracked APCs, on duty during the Vietnam War .]] tactics before the widespread adoption of APCs]]
During World War II, Half-track s such as the American M3 and the German SdKfz 251 played a role similar to the armoured personnel carriers that were developed later on. Another forerunner to the APC during this time was the British Universal Carrier also known as the Bren Carrier for the weapon it was designed to carry. Often, APCs were simply Armoured Car s with the capacity for carrying troops, but they evolved into purpose-built vehicles to suit the demands of motorised warfare from World War II . In 1944 , the commander of 2nd Canadian Corps , General Guy Simonds , ordered the conversion of 72 US -produced M7 Priest self-propelled Howitzer s to personnel carriers. They were, at the time, being replaced by the British Ordnance QF 25 Pounder , and no future plans had been drawn up for them. The howitzer was removed, and the resulting hole was plugged with whatever steel was available. The vehicle was called Kangaroo , after the workshop which did the conversion, which was codenamed Kangaroo. Later in the war Canadian-built Ram tanks were used as a basis for the majority of conversions, as they were replaced by US Sherman tanks, and the original Kangaroos were converted back to self-propelled howitzers and returned to American forces. After the war different specialised APCs were developed. The United States developed a series of tracked vehicles, culminating in the M113 "box on tracks", of which 80,000 were made. The Soviet Union developed the wartime BTR-40 into a series of 8-wheeled APC. At the end of the 1980s , Israel converted captured T-55 tanks to APCs, reminiscent of WWII conversions. The result is one of the best protected APCs in the world, called IDF Achzarit . The Infantry Fighting Vehicle is a development of the armoured personnel carrier concept. TECHNOLOGY Dzik-3s of the Iraqi Army]] of the German Army ]] , one of the most common wheeled APCs]] Most armoured personnel carriers use a Diesel Engine comparable to that used in a large Truck or in a typical city Bus (APCs are often known to troops as 'Battle Taxis' or 'Battle Buses'). The M113 for instance used the same engine as the standard General Motors urban bus. Most APCs are amphibious. Usually tracked APCs are powered by their tracks in the water, and wheeled APCs have propellors or Water Jet s. Preparations for amphibious operations usually comprises checking the integrity of the hull and folding down a trim vane in front. Swimming required fairly still waters, and good entry and exit points. Speed in water is typically 3-6 km/h. Armour on APCs are usually composed of simple steel or Aluminium , sufficient for protection against small arms fire and most shell fragments. Just about any type of anti-tank weapon can defeat the armour of an APC. The usual armament for an APC is a 12.7 (.50") or 14.5 mm heavy Machine Gun . This is mounted on top of the vehicle, either on a simple Pintle Mount , sometimes with a gun shield, or a small turret. Sometimes an automatic Grenade Launcher is used instead. SEE ALSO |
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