Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/556

 Warfare on Wheels

What the United States is doing with armored automobiles

���The first armored car built by the government. The chassis has a steering post at each end so that it may be run in either direction with equal facility. There are two turrets for machine guns

��ARMORED motor car development in J-\ the United States has hardly passed beyond the experimental stage, as available funds have usually been needed for other purposes and the value of this weapon in the United States seemed some- what doubtful on account of the many poor roads.

Only types actually tested or used by the War Department are shown with this article. Others have been built by patriotic citizens for National Guards organizations and by military schools and motor car companies. Some of these privately built cars are of real mili- tary value and others are for show pur^ poses only, having ordi- nary steel walls instead of the treated armor plate necessary to resist bul- lets and lacking the equipment required for real service.

���The type of light truck used by the National Guards on the Mexican border in lieu of the usual pack-mules

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��These are valuable as "lesson cars." The illustration above shows the first armored car built by the government. The chassis is a powerful machine, driving and steering on all four wheels and with a steering post at each end so that it will run in either direction with almost equal facility.

There are two turrets for machine guns, so arranged that the guns may fire through the roof upon attacking aircraft if necessary. The armor covers all vital parts and will resist a service rifle bullet at one hundred

yards. The radiator door may be opened and closed and the car cranked from the interior.

The weight with ammuni- tion and sup- plies is about twelve thou- sand pounds and this weight is the principal

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