Morris CS9

The Morris CS9/Light Armoured Car was a British armoured car used by the British Army in the Second World War.

Morris CS9/LAC
Morris CS9 of 12th Royal Lancers at Villiers St Simon, 29 September 1939.
Production history
Manufacturer	Morris
Specifications
Mass	4.5 t
Length	15 ft 6 in (4.77 m)
Width	6 ft 9 in (2.05 m)
Height	7 ft (2.13 m)
Crew	4 (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator)
Armour	7 mm
Main armament	0.55 inch Boys anti-tank rifle
Secondary armament	0.303 (7.7 mm) Bren light machine gun
Engine	Morris 6-cylinder petrol 96 hp (72 kW)
Power/weight	21.3 hp/tonne
Suspension	Wheeled: 4 x 2
Operational range	240 miles (385 km)
Maximum speed	45 mph (73 km/h)

History

The vehicle was based on a Morris Commercial C9 4x2 15-cwt truck chassis. On this chassis, a riveted hull was mounted with an open-topped two-man turret. The armament consisted of either Boys anti-tank rifle and Bren light machine gun or Vickers machine gun. The vehicle carried a No. 19 radio set.

The prototype was tested in 1936. A further 99 cars were ordered and were delivered in 1938. Thirty-eight of these cars were used by the 12th Royal Lancers in the Battle of France, where all of them were destroyed or abandoned. Another 30 served with the 11th Hussars in the North African Campaign. It was found that, when fitted with desert tyres, the vehicle had good performance on soft sand. However, its armour and armament were insufficient. The vehicle was retired halfway through the North African Campaign.

Officers of the 11th Hussars in a Morris CS9 armoured car use a parasol to give shade while out patrolling on the Libyan frontier, 26 July 1940.

References

• Forty, George - World War Two Armoured Fighting Vehicles and Self-Propelled Artillery, Osprey Publishing 1996 ISBN 1-85532-582-9
• wwiivehicles.com: Morris CS9 scout car