The Armadillo Mk III Self-Propelled Gun is an improvised armored vehicle based on several standard lorry chassis
With the Fall of France in July 1940, Hitler’s Germany threatened to invade Britain in the planned Operation Sea Lion, and so the British Government needed a solution to bolster the defense of airfields against airborne troops. Any solution would need to be one that did not compete for resources with conventional armaments. This lead to the development of the Armadillo.
They Armadillo featured a wooden fort protected by a layer of gravel filling its walls. The driver’s cab was protected by mild steel plates. Armadillos were used by the Royal Air Force to protect aerodromes and by the Home Guard. Most Armadillos were armed with Lewis Guns and rifles, although more than fifty were also fitted with obsolete naval guns such as this Mk. III Armadillo mounting a Hotchkiss 3-pdr.
