The AEC Militant

The AEC Militant was a post-war development of the famous AEC Matador

AEC Matador

The AEC Matador was an artillery tractor built by the Associated Equipment Company for British and Commonwealth forces during the Second World War.AEC had already built a 4 x 2 lorry, also known as the Matador ....

 which had been such a successful artillery tractor

Artillery tractor

Artillery tractor is a kind of tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, a vehicle used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights.-Traction:...

 during World War Two. Externally the most noticeable development was that the Mark 1 Militants had six wheels compared to the Matador's 4. Other changes included the fitting of a larger, 11.3 litre 6 cylinder diesel engine and the use of a steel frame for the cab, rather than the ash (fraxinus) wood frame of the Matador. The Militant Mark 1 was produced in both 6x4 (6 wheels, 4 driven) and 6x6 form (6 wheels, 6 driven).

Variants

Although primarily intended as a replacement for the Matador artillery tractor, other variants included an articulated lorry tractor unit, a General Service or cargo lorry with a longer wheelbase and as a chassis for mounting various cranes, usually supplied by Coles.

Service and Civilian Life

The Militant served with the British Army and some other armies in most parts of the world. It was intended as an improved artillery tractor but following the Second World War the development of large artillery pieces was gradually dropped in favour of more effective rockets and missiles, making this role largely redundant during the Militant's service life. Crews had mixed views of the Militant. Because it had no power steering

Power steering

Power steering helps drivers steer vehicles by augmenting steering effort of the steering wheel.Hydraulic or electric actuators add controlled energy to the steering mechanism, so the driver needs to provide only modest effort regardless of conditions. Power steering helps considerably when a...

 it took considerable effort to turn the wheel at slow speeds and in difficult conditions. However it was credited with a good cross-country performance and was often used to recover the six-wheel drive Alvis Stalwart amphibious lorries that bogged in difficult conditions.

Most variants were fitted with a chassis mounted winch that was driven through the gearbox. This winch, which was intended for manoeuvring of the towed field gun and for self-recovery of the vehicle proved extremely strong and reliable. The Militant gained the nickname 'Knocker' from its military crews which may have been due to the rhythmic sound of the slow-revving engines.

Many Militants were sold off by the Army in the 1970s and were purchased as heavy recovery vehicles or for forestry use by civilian operators. They were not as popular for forestry operations as their predecessor the Matador because the extra length and extra axle made them less manoeuvrable in confined spaces. However some users simply shortened the chassis and removed one axle, effectively creating a more powerful version of the Matador.