Tank Chats

David Fletcher is back with another Tank Chat discussing the Morris Light Reconnaissance Car.
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[@AusExplorer]

It looks like David is the kind of person you want nearby on a hot, sunny, day since he seems to have all kinds of shade to throw around. ;)

[@gastonbell108]

His mustache is a natural umbrella.

[@thetankmuseum]

So true! 😅

[@CallumF22]

Savage 😹

[@BluJean6692]

He just tells it like it is haha

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

Harsh...but fair!

[@Squad23jta]

David Fletcher's sarcasm and damning with faint praise is just what makes these videos so wonderful to watch.

[@gusgone4527]

He has a distinctive and amusing way of tiddling on the AFV designers chips, while remaining partly concealed under facial hair.

[@gusgone4527]

@Nick Popplewell Rumour is, there are plans to have him stuffed and mounted at the tank museum when it's time to hang up his quill and ink. I wonder what the AFV's are like in the afterlife? Let's be honest, it wouldn't be quite so heavenly without them, would it.

[@zaphodbeeblebrox9109]

He's a bit of a one off isnt he.

[@wrongtracksuit]

That’s because he’s Old School: from a time when me were men and women were women; we didn’t need various ‘pronouns’ to address ‘non-binary people’; people said what they thought; we didn’t give participation medals; and virtue signalling was mocked as banal and tawdry. You know…. The good old days.

[@ottovonbismarck2443]

"... and it was utterly useless." Mr. Fletcher, you're an absolute ace.

[@ygma1460]

This armored car's service life is a good example of nothing is as permanent solution as temporary solution is.

[@GARDENER42]

Yep. There's a "temporary" WW2 Bailey Bridge been in place here in Cumbria since 1968.

[@jean-yvesmead3972]

"It meets minimum requirements, we've already paid for it, and you're cheaper to replace than it is."

[@jackee-is-silent2938]

And every armoured vehicle designed for "training" has been used in actual conflicts.

[@PsychoDad89]

"It's an example you wanna keep quiet about" Someone should compose a David Fletcher quote book.

[@tibivaslo]

Still, better than being in the infantry. 14mm of armor is better than 0mm. And having a vehicle is better than marching. That's the highest praise this vehicle can hope for.

[@sergiojuanmembiela6223]

But in a vehicle you cannot hide in a trench or foxhole, you can be heard from afar, and you will attract a lot of attention and fire.

[@redspecial4102]

Bullet magnet with 14mm armour.

[@dwavenminer]

@@sergiojuanmembiela6223 So what your saying, is you want it to get to the frontline, breakdown, then use it as a decoy or cover

[@neilwilson5785]

You can jump into a ditch if you are on foot. In a thinly armoured vehicle, not so much.

[@ronti2492]

For sure! A bad ride is always better than a good walk! I prefer a ride over the GP express anyday :)

[@terryd7852]

I somehow get the impression that David is not impressed with this vehicle...

[@sixfootbear]

I am not too sure but you may well be correct..

[@yolanda231000]

"it's in good condition otherwise."

[@MCMLXXXIV1984]

Nope Sir, he just said it's completely useless which means... Well, Maybe you are right

[@hannesorisson1200]

@@yolanda231000 "it's in good condition otherwise." Best ranking mark of any tank/armored vehicle ever.

[@cmanlovespancakes]

He was trying to come up with some positives of the vehicle but couldn't.

[@robertdonnelly434]

Only ONE of the several reasons why David's "chats" are such a delight is his ability to cast scorn upon a vehicle in his own special way. And, then, with his immense knowledge and experience, detail completely why he said so. Cheers from the other side of "The Pond", hard by Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada.

[@averypayne9520]

I think Mr.Fletcher may have went a bit hard on this vehicle. With the AT rifle and Bren provided, along with its speed and armor enough to stop small arms, it seems like quite a reasonable scouting vehicle. It could reasonably engage pretty well any infantry or light vehicle (a hanomag or an opel blitz) it encountered (since there were only so many panzers, especially in 1944) and scoot away fast enough. If it had a radio equipped and a nicer arrangement for the driver, I imagine it would be quite good.

[@derekmills1080]

Thoroughly enjoyable 'chat', David. I listened with amusement and early on heard the words "most of them were completely useless". Your bluntness is what makes these 'chats' so interesting.

[@mpersad]

Another excellent, amusing and insightful video from the incomparable David Fletcher! Thank you.

[@Subcomandante73]

I look forward to David's tank chat on the Ajax :)

[@michaelj132]

Hilarious 😂. We may not have to wait long!

[@timgosling6189]

Seventy BHP, mid-engined, double wishbones at the front and a legs-straight-out driving position? Well if Jerry catches us at Brands Hatch we'll show him a clean pair of heels!

[@Catcrumbs]

Not only that, but the driving position is in the middle, just like a McLaren F1!

[@marmite8959]

And the rear wheels are shrouded! That's some forward thinking aerodynamics there 😂

[@gunner678]

Used by the RAF Regt for base defence. Quite good for that.

[@tando6266]

What were they doing with it? A 5th rate ride beats a first class march.

[@badlaamaurukehu]

2020 hindsight is really an afterthought.

[@gleggett3817]

driving forward ahead of the rest of the British Army to find the enemy?

[@domhardiman6437]

The shade David's closing remarks is a thing of beauty.

[@PassportToPimlico]

If the Germans had attempted Operation Sealion in 1940, they would have come ashore with no armour and no antitank artillery. Even poor armoured cars could have had some play then.

[@Simon_Nonymous]

quite right; the Bren gun alone makes it useful, let alone the antitank rifle. Not every target was armoured, not every armoured target could withstand the antitank rifle, even if it took a flank shot.

[@tomgoff7887]

@@Simon_Nonymous Yes, anti-tank rifles were certainly a significant threat to German tanks on the Eastern Front and were why many panzers were fitted with side skirts

[@user-propositionjoe]

Are you really triggered by him calling this thing useless?

[@PassportToPimlico]

@@user-propositionjoe It was not a good vehicle if German armour was around, but Operation Sealion would have only got infantry ashore, who could not have been resupplied without the capture of a British port. Forward ahead to 1944 and the Allies were able to land tanks in Normandy and brought over two of their own harbours.

[@PassportToPimlico]

@@tomgoff7887 The discussion here is 1940 and Operation Sealion, for which these armoured cars were rushed into service.

[@jonbridge8064]

"it's an example you'd keep quiet about, if you can"

[@polygondwanaland8390]

Was the Boys rifle truly useless? The Soviets seemed to like their PTRD, and a Sdkfz 222 isn't going to appreciate being shot by one. It's not a tank killer, but Germany had plenty of lighter armored vehicles.

[@roybennett6330]

Quite good again trucks,and personal

[@alessiodecarolis]

Yes, but a M2HB is waay more useful/pratical/flexible, this is the reason that US Army (wisely) never adopted any AT rifle

[@Simon_Nonymous]

@@alessiodecarolis very true - getting hold of them in 1940 was a bit tricky though, and the AT rifles of the UK, USSR, (and Finland, and Switzerland) and Nazi Germany endured until hollow charge weapons took over.

[@Simon_Nonymous]

And to this day we have - antimateriel rifles to deal with vulnerable elements of vehicles and infrastructure, and the Boys was not at all truly useless... you have to go a long way into 1941/1942 until the Axis could field a tank in numbers that the Boys could not take from the front OR the flank. It's David's way... black and white, and as outdated as some of the vehicles he reviews.

[@88porpoise]

@@alessiodecarolis Sure an M2 would have been more capable, but considering the situation it may not have been practical. The Boys (and it's ammunition) was available, in service, and on production in Britain. M2s (and the .50 BMG) were not in British Army service at the time this went into production, they were using the .50 Vickers which was being replaced by the 15mm Besa for heavy machineguns, and those were allocated to better vehicles like the Humber Armoured Car. M2s would only arrive in numbers for the Army in 1942 with lend-lease Shermans. They were also only in production by Colt in the US (with FN in Nazi hands) and presumably in short supply due to the demands of the expanding US Armed Forces. The M2 is also physically a lot bigger and heavier than a Boys and would consume a lot more ammunition, so it wasn't all better. And even if the wasn't ideal it doesn't mean the Boys was useless. This whole vehicle was made on the idea of "something is better than nothing" while new, better things were being put into service.

[@660einzylinder]

I don't think Mr Fletcher is an enthusiast for the Boys rifle.

[@benwilson6145]

A realist.

[@alamore5084]

I love these videos and never tire of them. This vehicle does remind me of the Dads Army upside down bathtub and shotgun though! In fairness off road is good, the armour is OK and it does have a turret. It was probably quite a handy vehicle to have around!

[@jimmehjiimmeehh9748]

8:05 Making cars that don't run was one of Morris Motor's specialities :D.

[@davidjones332]

You don't know what you are talking about. After Dunkirk the Wehrmacht used thousands of captured Morris trucks, printed up parts manuals for them, and even rebodied large numbers as gun tractors and for other specialist roles; a large number were recaptured in France after D-Day, still going strong.

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

Morris built good vehicles but their military ones were nearly all under powered. Don't confuse Morris with the Donald Stokes era BL

[@knightowl3577]

Morris Mini and Morris 1000? With plenty of them still running on UK roads to this day!

[@jimmehjiimmeehh9748]

@@davidjones332 The germans used large numbers of everything they could get their hands on because they were resource starved.

[@jimmehjiimmeehh9748]

@@andrewwmacfadyen6958 Of course I am thinking of BL Morris :P It's what we grew up with after all. That being said, british motor industry has always been garbage, from my understanding.

[@Dr_V]

Noticed the AT rifle missing from the vehicles in the historical photos. I guess the engineers used them just because they were readily available, you don't need an effective fighting vehicle to carry stuff around behind the front and having some armor plating doesn't hurt, even if it's unlikely that you'll actually need it.

[@kenbrown2808]

my first thought on hearing the engineers were using them was "beats walking"

[@stefanavic6630]

If this was Thomas the Tank character I think it'd be called Morris. Looks like a Morris.

[@gilanbarona9814]

Thank you for making the morning funny, Sir David. We are under COVID lockdown here in Adelaide, Australia, but your tank chats always make the day better, lockdown notwithstanding. The Morris armoured car reminds me of another one of their products: the Mini Moke. Useless as a proper car, but a favourite of some people.

[@mattbowden4996]

I recall reading that the British Army considered them "adequate" so kept them around to make up the numbers in secondary roles saving the proper armoured cars for front line duty.

[@genericpersonx333]

That is sort of the irony of the British throughout most of WW2: despite having superior productivity to the Germans, most of the designs being produced were not very capable by comparison. You look at how many tanks the British produced compared to the Germans, the numbers are staggeringly in the British favor, but then you look at what tanks they were actually making...well let us say most of their designs weren't particularly impressive.

[@EmergencyChannel]

They made up for bad designs in WWII with the Centurion post-war. The Matilda was good for a pre-war tank and the Churchill was adequate for it's design as a infantry tank.

[@mathewkelly9968]

@@genericpersonx333 The British had plenty of good armoured cars , I'd rather get around in a damiler armour car than any German one, maybe the Puma competes but that's a way larger armoured car and then I'd rather the AEC if we're insisting on being in a large vehicle while trying to carry out reconnaissance. I'd also argue the army came 3rd for priority for England in ww2 after the RAF and RN

[@genericpersonx333]

@@mathewkelly9968 Oh for sure, the proper British armored cars were perfectly capable vehicles, but the point I was making is that the British made a lot of bad vehicles in greater numbers than the Germans tended to make of any of their vehicles, good or bad. If you add up all the bad cruiser tanks Britain fielded before they deployed Cromwell, it is more than total production of Panzer III, with some 9,400+ vehicles, all deemed "unsuccessful" to use the official British term. Even the lousiest Panzer III variant was generally a better tank than any of the Cruisers up to Cromwell, but lord, did they make a lot of them in a hurry. The same goes for the Morris here: they made 2,200 of them! Here was a car that might have been impressive in 1935 being fielded in 1943, in very large numbers, when it was rather obvious that it could do little that could not be done cheaper by a jeep, which the British had plenty of. That is my point: the irony that the British were so good at mass-production that they could outbuild the Germans in most areas, and yet they put so much of that production in rather dubious products.

[@klleong7051]

Not to mention their decision to stick with the 2 pounder gun until pretty late in the war in the europe

[@sueneilson896]

Hope I live to see the day David gets enthusiastic about one of these old vehicles.

[@MrHws5mp]

Strangely enough, I've always rather liked the look of this thing, although don't mistake that for a second for any desire to go to war in one...

[@utility44]

Used to have one of the Mk 2 4 wheel drive versions and it was great fun to drive.It would easily do 50mph but there was no servo on the brakes so stopping was a bit interesting at times but other traffic would just get out of your way.It was registed as an agricultural vehicle in the old log book as ADX614. I think it was at The Tank Museum,don't know if it still is,was it the one that was taken to Holland? Still have the driver handbook,workshop manual some other paperwork and a blue print drawing from Morris.Loved it.

[@sergiykud]

The bad: its utterly useless, they should have scrapped it, they were daft to use it. The good: its in good condition

[@HereticalKitsune]

I love these quirky little "armored" vehicles.

[@paulsnell534]

I love how Dave Fletcher says there is not a lot more to say about a vehicle and then says a lot more :D

[@roycarter6235]

I always enjoy a presentation by David. He brings a smile to my face and educates me at the same time.

[@ThinkingFingers]

I love David's concise summary at the beginning there, lol

[@michaelcunningham3933]

Fun video on a Morris Motors built vehicle. The only improvement I could have suggested would have been to drop a piano on it at the end.

[@KakuiKujira]

"The front wheels are purely for steering..." ... and for stopping the front from making a scrapping noise as it rolls along.

[@445cat]

David truly is the treasure of this collection.

[@LaserSeQ]

i see David Fletcher, i like xD, the man is great

[@coling3957]

whenver i see David Fletcher i imagine he should be talking about vintage lawn-mowers... am i alone in thinking this??

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Mr Fletcher .

[@bobsmith2815]

Royal Engineers got the Morris hand me down no different then any other Engineers in any Army with equipment once the grunts wear them out

[@alanmoffat4454]

EVEN IF IT HELPS TRAINING ITS WORTH SOMETHING 👌 .

[@ptonpc]

Exactly.

[@tonyjedioftheforest1364]

Interesting video as usual thank you for sharing.

[@alm5992]

"You think they would have done away with them, but OH NO!" LOL!

[@De_Wit]

Wonderfull to see two of those 'non-sexy' vehicles that never made it into the movies, books, or miniature sets.

[@MrHws5mp]

You'd be amazed what you can get a model of these days... www.hannants.co.uk/product/HLP72031?result-token=3ozot

[@De_Wit]

@@MrHws5mp wonderfull site, and on miniatures you got me there 😋 shows that I'm about 20 years behind on modeling.

[@loukosa7738]

Outstanding as always

[@aaronsbarker]

Don't hold back David, tell us how you really feel!.

[@EXO9X8]

Fletcher your brethren have miss you, your knowledge and your glorious moustache. Enlighten us on these triumphant steel beasts once more.

[@DikkeBetha]

It's almost a standard opening with British vehicles in this series: it was utterly useless but we'll take a look at it anyway. Love it.

[@hunterkiller1984]

Bristish sarcasm is the best sarcasm...

[@Rickg6uzt]

Best Friday, ever!

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

The Boys Anti-Tank rifle wasn't quite useless. The Finns found it useful fighting against the T-26, and it was capable of beat a Panzer I and II. But that was it's limit, and ATR quickly dated out of usefulness....

[@roybennett6330]

I've heard stories of it bet used against German planei at the beachy of Dunkirk...it would be a bad day out to have armour petrcing round through your engine.

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

@@roybennett6330 I'm not aware of that specifically, but there was a combat doctrine for shooting rifles at planes. During the Spanish Civil War it was discovered that on slower planes (most notably the Ju87) a well-timed volley of rifle fire had a decent chance of hitting something important.

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Abut 4 years too late. Interesting camouflage. The Boys would be a good anti-vehicular weapon but, yeah an M2HB would be a better option.

[@aaronleverton4221]

Possibly more limited than you think. The Bren could be dismounted and carried by one man, the Browning cannot. The Bren and the Boys together give more options than Browning alone.

[@Arachnoid_of_the_underverse]

Well at least thats one Morris that didnt rust away like the rest did by design.

[@louis_low]

I believe I've seen one of these in pictures from the Malayan Emergency in use with the Special Constabulary while they were goofing off with some British civilians

[@Cancun771]

Flat underside is also cited as the reason why the VW Kübelwagen had good cross country performance. It would would propel itself much like a motorised sled when its wheels were sinking into sand, snow, or mud.

[@scottroberts7875]

What knowledge, what honesty.!! David , Perfect presentation .. Brilliant... Scott Somerset

[@benwilson6145]

I imagine after D Day any vehicle was useful if you needed transport, better than walking.

[@jasonhare8540]

That's basically my Chevy pickup ... Minus the machine guns and armor . I mean I knew it was old-fashioned but wow 😂

[@martynjones3978]

It does not surprise me them still being in service after the war!! I was driving Bedford 4ton trucks that were brand new when my dad joined the Army 25yrs earlier!! 😂😂😂

[@chumbucket1313]

OMG you did NOT put Davis Fletcher on the thumb nail! I let this video sit for 21 hours not knowing he was presenting!

[@hadrienbruet-mochet8382]

The architecture looks so much like a Panhard 178, any influence between the two vehicles?

[@BA-gn3qb]

Try taking a drink every time he says useless! 🍺🍺

[@mikepette4422]

hehe "Parthian Shot" that will be puzzling for some as a lot of people today would say "parting shot" not even know who a Parthian was or what they were shooting :) in any case fun video I'm glad David thinks this was the best car ever made its clear in his tone of admiration that he's so happy this war winning vehicle is here in the museum ! right ? errrr

[@kirk130013]

Sir David on top form! One of his very best tank chats!

[@Colinpark]

There is a picture of one in RAF colours in Tunisia, also they were used in the Malay Emergency

[@bryankennedy7123]

The paint job is sweet.

[@comentedonakeyboard]

As a matter of fact, this vehicles detered the german Invasion. Albeit because Jerry was afraid of having to use them as "Beutepanzer"

[@Kyle-gw6qp]

You win today's "best comment" prize! I bestow upon thee: 🏆

[@comentedonakeyboard]

@@Kyle-gw6qp Thank You, That's such an Honor. I realy don't know what to say. So you will have to imagine my entire acceptence speach...🥱

[@comentedonakeyboard]

@Real Aiglon i think they were made after the Islands got ocupied. But on the bright side: no Anglo French disputes back then. So big suckcess for the german erm "peacekeeping effort"

[@Cancun771]

Frankly I expected a grand piano to drop on it any second.

[@blobbem]

It was fortunate to be inside. Had it been outside, a piano surely would've crushed it.

[@buggs9950]

"Bois Rifle to the left of me, Bren gun to the right, Here I am stuck in the middle with you." Taken from Ode To A Steering Wheel by Cat Stevens

[@lordDenis16]

The Polish 1st Armoured Division used those in 1944-45 ;D

[@billd.iniowa2263]

It wasnt totally useless. Made a good subject for this video didnt it? :P

[@kaiserwilhelmshatner3156]

3:57 It looks cooler backwards than forwards.

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

Am I the only one who reads Morris light reconnaissance car and thinks of a armoured version of mini Morris? 😂

[@wrxs1781]

Good revue and it is probably better than nothing at all, if it stops a bullet better to be in it than walking beside it.

[@christianwilson5956]

This is like the armored car equivalent of the sten gun. Reliable and easy to produce, but outclassed by its more purpose built contemporaries.

[@ian_p_66]

Like most of us, I daresay, I view david fletcher as something of a legend. But this was a strangely damning critique of a vehicle that clearly did have a use - not in combat but in policing duties.

[@steveholmes11]

Welded and 14mm plate are both pretty good. Mk II is 4 wheel drive meaning it can arrive and start being useless sooner.

[@beyondfubar]

Compared to the other two vehicles shown this one is a lot more attractive. The others look old and thinly veiled as armored cars. This one looks purposefully built.

[@kippamip]

A bit of a quirky car. I imagine they made good battlefield taxis for the rear echelon.

[@stevestandley5571]

The Russian PTRD (14.5x114mm) ATR was penetrating the vertical 40mm side armor above the road wheels of panthers in 1944. The Wehrmacht had to upgrade Panthers with "schurzen" (5-6mm spaced armor on the sides) to defend against them. PTRDs are still used in conflicts in Donbass and Syria today. So no, the Boys (about 14mm) wouldn't have been useless. It was not as good as the PTRD, but a simple search will tell you that it penetrated 23mm of armor at 100 meters. That would be enough to penetrate all the SDKFZ 250s, 251s, 222s, 223s, and so on.

[@f12mnb]

Has the Tank Museum ever did a piece on the vehicles used by the Special Air Service in North Africa?

[@ArturdeSousaRocha]

What's that circle on the front? The ones in the old photos had them too.

[@watcherzero5256]

Quite roomy and with space to attach gear on the rear, they would have been ideal for engineers. But they would also probably have worked well as staff cars where there was the danger of snipers.

[@darwinsmonkeybutler2113]

Boyes was a perfectly good weapon for the time and served well in many places.

[@hiwatt4007]

Rumors tell this is the predecessor of King Arthurs chariot .

[@antiquitatenexpert8951]

Nice

[@richardm3023]

Somewhere in Florida, Bubba just got an idea for his pick up truck.

[@dirkjoachim7586]

Love this guy! How many times did he say that this car is completely useless? 😂

[@MrHws5mp]

If anyone's wondering, yes, that cammo scheme absoutely DID get called the 'Mickey Mouse' scheme by the troops.

[@jansenart0]

Why would you have a David video without a David thumbnail?

[@markellis7819]

So how difficult would it be to actually get it running again?

[@uncletimo6059]

"... and most of them were perfectly useless" I like this Man.

[@lorenzopollocaffe6277]

Are you guys planning on acquaring any ww2/cold war italian tanks?

[@winfieldjohnson125]

So, what is that round thingy on the front that has yellow paint around the edge?

[@frostedbutts4340]

Seems to just be an identification disk to paint markings on

[@jreg2007]

let's all be honest. Mr fletcher is the only person who we want presenting these vids.

[@151mattwilson]

Do like the way it's painted though

[@exploatores]

I tought it was the chicago version of a Moris Minor :)

[@marvwatkins7029]

Still better than nothing. This 'car' would be better deployed in policing service or for security patrolling around air and other bases and whatnot.

[@derekmcmanus8615]

Amazing that such an ad hoc vehicle was still in service post war

[@ptonpc]

If it did the job. Vehicles like these were not intended to duke it out with armoured vehicles. There are plenty of other roles a vehicle like this could do until a better one was built.