The
whole of the vehicle is encased in armour-plating impervious to
rifle and machine-gun fire. The driver is provided with a small
orifice through which he is able to obtain a clear uninterrupted
view of the road ahead, while the armouring over the tonneau is
carried to a sufficient height to allow head-room to the gun crew
when standing at the gun. All four wheels are of the disk type
and fashioned from heavy sheet steel. The motor develops 40-50
horse-power and, in one type, in order to mitigate the risk of
breakdown or disablement, all four wheels are driven. The gun, a
small quick-firer, is mounted on a pedestalin a projecting
conning-tower. The mounting is placed behind the driver's seat,
and is trained and operated from the tonneau. The maximum
elevation is 75 degrees, and like the gun carriage bearing the
tube guide it can be moved through a complete circle, being free
to rotate in the fixed pivot jack to enable this end to be
attained.
The foregoing may be said to represent the most powerful types of
mobile anti-aircraft weapons used by the Austro-German forces
to-day. Arms of similar design, roughly speaking, have also been
introduced into the French and Russian services.
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