South Waziristan Scouts Chevrolet Lorry

ADAM GEIBEL has written this fine article about the North west Frontier and the CHEVROLET LORRY

On the eve of World War II, the Indian Army was in the process of mechanization, with true armoured vehicles nearly non-existent. The most commonly available transport was various brands of trucks (lorries); Fords, Chevrolets, etc. In the years immediately prior to the war, the Indian Army also faced a low intensity warfare problem with tribesmen along the North West Frontier Province.

One example was the ambush laid by Mahsud on 9 April 1937. A 45-truck convoy carrying supplies and some passengers from Manzai to Wana, escorted by four armoured cars and guarded by nearly 80 Indian troops, was attacked by 60-80 rebels. This figure was later raised to 200-300, with the first heavy fusilade catching the front of the convoy on a narrow road. The lead armoured car and first three trucks made off for the next friendly post, but several trucks in front of the second armoured car were immobilized when their drivers were killed. While the armoured cars were able to return fire, the guard detachment had to hold their ground until relief columns fought their way through.

Constant encounters like that described and nagging casualties necessitated action and by early 1938, the officers of the South Waziristan Scouts1 developed a pattern for armouring their Chevourolet trucks. The object was to give a 'good' degree of protection to the driver, fuel tank and engine with a 'fair' amount of protection to the passengers.

Pre-drilled 5mm armour plate (the minimum necessary to stop .303 ball rounds at point-blank range2) was ordered from Britain in December, but didn't arrive until seven months later. Even then, final fitting required additional drilling and the amount of plate wouldn't cover the entire vehicle (special hinges also had to be locally fabricated). A sandwich of ordinary steel plates on a layer of unnamed hardwood made up for the deficiency, and in two spots on the armoured truck, a single mild steel plate was used where the 'sandwich' would have been inconveniently thick.

The main armour belt ran along the sides, but didn't cover above the shoulder, nor come all the way down to the floor. For the most part, the armour plate also wasn't visible; only the driver's doors side-shutter, the windscreen-shutter and a plate over the hood. While the makers didn't consider it essential to hide the armour plate, there was an added benefit in that the regular wood body acted as insulation against the hot sun. The engine plate was deliberately mounted outside, so that it could be quickly removed for maintenance, but the venetian-blind style radiator shutters were of mild steel and only proof at angles or long distance shots. The folding shutters over the front door and the front windscreen allowed ventilation when tactically acceptable, but had vision slits when 'buttoned up'. A 'U' shaped armour plate was fitted at the dashboard, in front of the driver.

This armour arrangement protected the driver from front and sides, but somewhat vulnerable from behind. Major Williams candidly pointed out that a full load of troops would protect the driver, the same as a load of supplies would, from anything but a lucky shot.

The roofs remained unarmoured, with troop's kit or supplies normally carried up there. This should have been proof against plunging fire. The entire package amounted to 14 'maund'3, with some 60-70 'maund' carried without overtaxing the truck (which was frequently driven at 7,500 ft elev.).

Due to a lack of vehicles, any trucks so armoured had to be available for general service, either as troop transport or cargo haulers. In essence, these were combat buses and the general design allowed the troop seats to be removed and carried on the roof. As a side note, the troop seats faced inwards - not allowing for easy observation or return fire.

There was an exit door on either side of the driver (these opened 'suicide style', to the front) and double doors at the rear of the bus. A general load was 20 troops, though 24 could be packed in without becoming 'overloaded'. On a level road with 20 troops, the truck could make 35 mph and even top out at 50 mph (if loaded to only 40 'maund').

The prototype was based on a 1937 Chevrolet body, with most of the service vehicles on 1939 bodies. The armoured buses were fielded around September, 1939 and in the first quarter of 1940, three of them carrying forty men were ambushed at close range on the Jandola-Sararogha road. A gang of 80 mixed Mahsud saw them headed out and waited for the trucks to return from Sararogha, taking up positions on the depths either side of the road. No rocks were laid out, as this would have forced local traffic to stop and thus tip off the troops, though local spectators took up positions on a natural grandstand 500 yards distant.

A heavy fusillade of fire hit the trucks at close range and while little was seen of the ambushers, three scouts were wounded, while 18 bullets and a bomb struck home at ranges of less than 50 yards (indicating the Mahsud were less than spectacular marksmen). Most of the fire was directed at the drivers and engines in the front half of the buses, with no hits in the last eight feet.

Only one bullet caused minor damage, shot from below the road level it passed by any armour and holed the timing gear pinion casing (immediately in front of the cylinder block). However, it had no immediate effect on the engine's running. The windscreen-shutter 'sandwich' also withstood this attack with no holing.

By comparison, in early 1940, a platoon riding in two unarmoured lorries on the Kohat-Bannu road was ambushed; six troops were killed and 14 wounded in a few minutes.

Williams estimated that by using 4 to 4.5mm armour plate (depending on the amount of wood panelling) would provide the same level of protection and gain enough weight savings so that an additional five to ten square feet of armour could have been added.

Contemporary photos of the buses appear to show them painted dark green, with a stylized ram's head roughly 15 cm high under the window post (between the first and second windows). Also stenciled in white paint was 'S.W.S' (for South Waziristan Scouts) underneath, curved and 5 cm high. Roll up canvas blinds were fitted above the side windows.

Like other armies on the verge of mechanization, the Indian Army's ad hoc experiments were a valuable learning experience. Students of armoured vehicles will notice how similar the aforementioned vehicle sounds like the 'sandwich' armoured trucks of the Hagenah used in Palestine in 1947. One can only speculate where the connection was made between the two groups - perhaps soldiers of the Indian Army passing through Palestine during the war old of these 'sandwich' armoured trucks.

1) South Waziristan is one of the areas close to the Afghan border, sandwiched between the mountains and the settled North West Frontier Province and part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Prior to WWII, the South Waziristan Scouts had Corps HQ at Jandola with one Wing HQ. One Wing HQ was at Sarwekai and one at Sarorghu. In 1933, it had 48 infantry platoons and 2 mounted infantry troops with 2,774 all ranks. As of 3 September 1939, the South Waziristan Scouts were nominally attached to the Wana Brigade (2/2nd and 3/8th Punjab, 1/18th Royal Garhwal Rifles, 2/3rd and 2/8th Gurkha Rifles). The SWS remained on duty on the North West Frontier Province and did not leave India during the war. The South Waziristan Scouts still exist today as one of Pakistan's 27 local military units in the 65,000-strong Frontier Corps - responsible for the North-West Frontier Province and Balochistan.

2) Tribesmen using .303 weapons with reloaded lead projectiles, or .577-450 Martini-Henry's or muskets, would have far less penetrative capabilites.

3) One maund = 100 lbs