Snowmobile, Armoured, Canadian Mk. I

Originally designed at the request of the British Ministry of Supply, the Canadian produced armoured snowmobile would prove to be one of the best performing all-terrain vehicles manufactured in WWII. A total of 410 armoured snowmobiles were manufactured in late 1944-early 1945 and of that number, 397 were delivered to Great Britain. It weighed just under 5 tons combat loaded, was powered by a Cadillac V8 engine and was armed with 2 machine guns. The vehicle had 14mm armour for protection against shell splinters and small arms fire. It was crewed by two. Although the original intent was strictly for a vehicle with over-snow capabilities, the armoured snowmobile would also prove to excell in conditions of severe mud, which expanded the potential employment of the machine. British and Canadian testing demonstrated that the snowmobile was superior in performance to the U.S. designed all-terrain Weasel vehicle. It was also tested as a 6pdr gun tower, and in that role, it again proved to be superior to any other towers employed at that time.

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Armoured Snowmobile Sketch

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Armoured Snowmobile

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© Chris Johnson, 1997