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Bison Concrete Armored Truck

Thornycroft 6x4 Bison (Replica)

Specifications

Country of Origin/Used by:	Great Britain
First Produced/Service Dates:	1940
Manufactured by:	Chassis: Various Truck Manufacturers*; Armor: Concrete Company, Ltd.
Crew:	Based upon design and "donor" truck. For instance, 4-Wheeled Vehicles crewed by approximately 6-10 men.
Armament:	None
Engine:	Variable (Based upon "Donor" Truck).
Miscellaneous Info:	This index only covers the standardized Bison concrete armored vehicles designed and built by the Concrete Company. Other "Bison type" vehicles were built by other companies/units/individuals, but most of those were improvised and only built in one/few numbers.  In fact, the name "Bison" was given to these vehicles because the company owned an existing trademark of that designation. After the British Expeditionary Force evacuated France in 1940, the British Army was woefully under-equipped with military vehicles.  Like the Armadillo Armored Lorries, Bison were built to help equip the army in the interim until the production of modern vehicles replaced those lost. Also referred to as "Mobile Concrete Pillboxes" these vehicles were originally built for use by the British Home Guard to defend against German invasion forces.  However, after that threat disappeared, the Bison were repurposed for use defending Royal Air Force Airfields. Bison vehicles were built upon both 4-wheeled and 6-wheeled truck chassis, although it appears that a majority where based upon obsolescent 6x2 or 6x4 designs.  *The chassis of manufacturers of AEC, Dennis, Leyland and Thornycroft are known to have been used.  There were two (2) prevalent designs of Bison armor. The first design consisted of two (2) separately armored cab and rear cargo pillboxes.  The second design consisted of one (1) pillbox built around the cab and rear cargo area.
Data Sheet Available:	None Available

Photos

Reference	Source/Provider
Bison Concrete Armored Truck Photos	British War Office
Bison Concrete Armored Truck Photos	Imperial War Museum
Bison Concrete Armored Truck (Short Wheelbase) Photo	British War Office
Thornycroft 6x4 Bison Concrete Armored Truck (Replica) Photos (Taken at The Tank Museum - Bovington)	Patrick Keenan - Editor
Thornycroft 6x4 Bison Concrete Armored Truck (Replica) Photos (Taken at The Tank Museum - Bovington)	Dennis Trowbridge - Bristol, UK

References Available

Online

Printed

Reference	Author
"The Bison, the Armadillo and Other Armoured Beasts" (March 2021 Issue of Classic Military Vehicle Magazine)	David Fletcher
British Armoured Cars: 1914-1945	B.T. White
"Concrete Armoured Vehicles: The Story of Britain's Bison Mobile Pill Boxes" (Wheels & Tracks - Issue #41)
Encyclopedia of Armoured Cars	Duncan Crow and Robert J. Icks
Through the Lens: Vehicles of the Home Guard (Historic Military Press)	Martin F. Mace

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