In the early days of WW1 armoured cars were used to great effect by both the Belgian army and the Royal Navy, their hit and run tactics causing many problems for the Germans. In response to this in 1915 three German companies (Büssing, Daimler and Ehrhardt) were each contracted to produce a prototype for evaluation (we’ve previously released the A5P, Büssing’s contribution). In comparison to the Belgian and British vehicles (which were mainly based on touring cars) each of the German prototypes were much larger featuring multiple machine guns and a crew of 8 or more men.
Thirteen of the E-V/4 were made by Ehrhardt in 1915-16 and these were used extensively on the Eastern front. An additional twenty were ordered in 1917. These were modified from the earlier models with increased armour, a radio and a fully rotating turret!
In the German revolutionary battles of 1918-19 the Ehrhardts were used to good effect by both the police and Freikorps. As result a further twenty were produced. They were also used by both Poles and Germans in the Silesian Uprisings in 1921. Some were still in use by the German police as late as 1939.
GW28-303 – Ehrhardt E-V/4 Armoured Car – £15.00
GW28-303d – Destroyed Ehrhardt E-V/4 – £15.00
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