The History of Armored Cars

The history and progression of the armored vehicles in general, and armored cars in particular, goes back about a century or so, and it somewhat parallels the development of the battle tank.

An American was one of the first to really invent the armored car in 1898, but the idea temporarily died when the U.S. Army had little interest in the boxy vehicle. The British took over the lead in Armored car development at that point. However, it was the nation of Italy that first used the armored car in combat. This occured during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-12 in which the Italians launched a war of aggression against the Ottoman Empire and, utilizing their superior technology, defeated the Ottoman forces and annexed Libya and the Dodeconese islands, which they later lost when Mussolini's Italy was defeated along with his ally Hitler during the second world war.

During the Italo Turkish War the Italians were also the first to use airships to bomb targets on the ground as well as the first to use the relatively new aeroplane for both reconnaissance missions as well as dropping bombs on Turkish soldiers. During the first world war Belgium was the first nation to use the armored car in that conflict, but the British then led the field in terms of their improvement and overall development. Also during that time, the British were the first to use the tank in combat in France against the Germans.

Also during the first world war, in order to overcome the trench warfare and general stalemate on the French/German battle line front, as well as break through the barriers of barbed wire and machine gun nests, the allied powers produced some completely tracked, armored car units as well in their fight against the central powers.

The armored car was also extensively used in the Russian revolution of 1917 into the 1920's. Meanwhile, in the inter-war period it was realized by military experts that while tank could provide some degree of shock value and help punch through enemy lines, it ultimately was lacking in the overall speed required for reconnaissance mission. At that point Armored Cars became a mainstay in the reconnaissance battalions of all armored and motorized divisions, especially in the German panzer and panzergrenadier divisions.