Does anyone know what happened to Austro-Daimler armored car? Was it really sold to France? Or did it come back to Austria-Hungary after tests in France and took part in some early battles on the Eastern Front? What was its final fate?
Does anyone have Gougaud's book "L'Aube de la gloire"? Even my father who knows French quite good couldn't understand what was the truth because looks like it says both above things, which is contradictory information.
Cheers,
Albert
-- Edited by Albert on Friday 9th of September 2016 07:39:41 AM
I do, indeed, have L'aube da la gloire, and have brought on holiday to begin translating it. I shall have a look.
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Wow James, great news! This book is great, because while there are many books on French WW1 tanks, it is the only one which also describes in detail operations of French WW1 armored cars. By the way, I just found that it is online, so everyone who knows French can help! While there are some Austrian books describing Austro-Daimler armored car in detail, I think that none of them tried to answer above questions. Fate of this vehicle is a mystery and probably only Gougaud wrote something about this, but I have a problem with understanding it completety.
After trials in France in 1907, "There is nothing to suggest that the purchase of this vehicle (by France) went ahead, still less that it was sent to Morocco. It is this same unique machine that turns up later in Germany and probably in Austria, where it took part without great success in the first campaign in Galicia." It received an unfavourable mention in a French report on May 4th, 1909, into various armoured cars, based on studies by a number of Generals; it featured among information on foreign armies. That seems to be it. Can you tell me where it's online? Saumur had a stack of copies, but apparently couldn't be bothered to reply to people who tried to buy it by post.
Ah. Have found it, on Gallica.
-- Edited by James H on Friday 9th of September 2016 02:48:56 PM
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
So it wasn't bought by France and did not come to Marocco to become the first armored car in history used in battle. The French had some unarmored mg-armed cars there, but probably no armored cars.
But the fate of Austro-Daimler is still a mistery. If it really came back to Austria-Hungary, then still - in none of Austrian books or articles I know can be found info about it being used in the First World War. Gougaud is the only one who suggests it was.
after a quick look into "Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer des österreichschen Bundesheeres" by Walter Spielberger (although my copy is a first ed. dating back to 1976) it only says that there was approval given to the manufacturer by the Austro-Hungarian war ministry to present the vehicle in Berlin and later to sell it to France already in 1901. Yet the vehicle was (according again to Spielberger) not finished before 1905 and for the first time used during maneuvers in 1906. But when the vehicle was presented to the emperor it frightened the horses when it was started and the emperor disapproved it strongly*, so the armored car was not contracted for the army.
Sorry, that's all I could dig up on the issue.
regards Herby
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(*) "so etwas ist für eine militärische Verwendung nicht zu gebrauchen" - "something like that is unusable for military usage"
