Austin A-C model 1917

Ensimmäisen maailman sodan syttyessä venäjällä aloitettiin panssaroitujen autojen valmistus. Näiden ensimmäisten vaunujen aseistus oli kiinteässä tornissa kolme konekivääriä ja niiden panssarointi oli 9-12 mm. 
Nämä panssari autot osallistuivat ww-i sodan taisteluihin venäjän luoteis-rintamalla.

Venäjä osti liittolaisilta (Ranska-Italia-Englanti-USA tsaarin armeijalle panssari autoja
joita 1916 oli tsaarin armeijalla käytössä yhteensä n.100 kpl.

Venäläiset ei ollut tyytyväisiä, kun etenkin englantilaisissa oli paljon erilaisia vikoja.
Niinpä venäjä osti 1916 Englannista ja Italiasta autojen alustoja ja rakensivat niihin oman panssariauto versionsa.

Austin malli 1917 panssari autossa oli kaksi tornia rinnakkain. Auto painoi 4 tonnia.
Moottorin teho oli 50 hv (37 kw) ja nopeus maantiellä 56 km/h.
Aseistus 2 x 8 mm konekivääriä, yksi kummassakin tornissa. Miehistö; viisi miestä.

Suomen sisällis-sota aikana Lenin toimitti 1918 suomen punaisille joukoille näitä englannissa valmistettuja (Austin) autoja. Nämä autot jäivät suomen (valkoinen) armeijan sotasaaliiksi. Yksi oli suomen armeijan käytössä vielä 1920 luku aikana.
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Austin-Putilov - Had locally produced hull designed by the Putilovski Works, with diagonally placed MG turrets, right side door and thicker armour. Chassis, the same as in the 3rd series, were still ordered from Austin. Armour 4 to 7.5 mm thick. Weight 5.2 tons. Road speed about 55 km/h. Road range 200 km. Crew of 5. 33 built.

An "Austin-Kegresse" Armoured Car with Kegresse tracks of the Red Army which was damaged during the Polish–Soviet War. In the area of Zhytomyr, 21 March 1920

Austin-Kegresse (or Austin-Putilov-Kegresse) - Austin-Putilov hull mounted on a half-track chassis. Weight 5.8-5.9 tons. Road speed about 25 km/h. Road range 100 km. 12 built.

Type	Armoured car
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Specifications
Weight	5.3 t
Length	16 ft (4.9 m)
Width	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Height	9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)
Crew	4 or 5
Armour	3-6 mm
Main armament	2 x machine guns (Maxim or Hotchkiss)
Engine	Austin 4-cylinder inline, 4 stroke, water cooled gasoline engine 50 hp (37 kW)
Power/weight	9.5 hp/ton
Transmission	4 speed, 1 reverse gearbox
Suspension	4x2 wheel
Operational range	125 mi (201 km) radius of action
Speed	35 mph (56 km/h)

In 1916 a decision was made to produce a Russian armoured car on the well known Austin chassis. 60 chassis units - identical to those used in 3rd series - were ordered from Austin. The mission of building armoured hulls was entrusted to Putilovski Works, Saint Petersburg. It was planned to build the cars by July 1917, but work was virtually brought to halt by the February Revolution and the subsequent chaos. Not until March 1918 were the first cars produced. 

Later the production was transferred to Izhorski Works. A total of 33 vehicles were produced in 1918-1920. In contemporary Russian documents the model was referred to as Russian Austin (Russian: Русский Остин - Russkij Ostin), but eventually became better known as Austin-Putilov (Russian: Остин-Путиловец - Ostin-Putilovets).

Twelve hulls identical to those of Austin-Putilov were mounted on a Kégresse halftrack chassis, resulting in vehicles known as Austin-Kégresse. Production continued from July 1919 until March 1920 when it was stopped by shortage of materials and parts.

Russian Austins' most obvious features were diagonally placed MG turrets (in order to reduce width) and additional right side door. They also had MG mounts with better elevation and other minor improvements.

Arrival of the 1st series Austins allowed to start forming automobile machine gun platoons (Russian: пулемётный автомобильный взвод - pulemyotniy avtomobilniy vzvod or автопулемётный взвод - avtopulemyotniy vzvod). First platoons (5-12), formed according to the organization no. 19, had each three Austins, four staff cars, a truck, a workshop truck, a tanker truck and four motorcycles, with personnel of four officers and 45-46 soldiers. 

Further platoons (13-24, 26-28, 30-36), formed according to the organization no. 20, received only two Austins but had a gun section consisting from a gun-armed Garford-Putilov Armoured Car, a staff car, a truck and a motorcycle. Platoons 5 to 12 received an additional Garford. Crews of those auto-MG platoons were entirely drawn from volunteers. Most of platoons were used in the Western and South-Western Fronts, some platoons in the Northern Front and Caucasus. In combat they were attached to divisions or regiments.

By mid-1916 it was evident that larger units should be formed to make armoured cars more effective. In August, platoons were arranged into twelve "armoured automobile battalions" (Russian: броневой автомобильный дивизион - bronyevoy avtomobilniy divizion or автобронедивизион - avtobronedivizion), each attached to a specific army. Each battalion was formed from two to five former platoons, which were renamed to sections while retaining old number. In some cases, for example in the Caucasus theatre, the platoon organization was retained.

In the Russian Civil War Austins were used by many participants, including both Red and White armies, Ukrainians etc.. The Red Army had the largest number of vehicles, including all the Austin-Putilov and Austin-Kergesse vehicles and most of the 3rd series. 

In Soviet service the cars were organized into "armoured automobile units" (Russian: броневой автомоильный отряд - bronevoy avtomobilniy otryad or автоброневой отряд - avtobronevoy otryad), similar in strength to a World War I-era platoon: three machine gun-armed cars and one either gun-armed or machine gun-armed, four staff cars, five trucks, a tanker truck, a workshop truck and four motorcycles. 

The RKKA Austins also saw combat in the Polish-Soviet War. By 1921 the RKKA possessed about 16 Austins of the 1st series, 15 2nd series, 78 3rd series and Putilovs. British-built Austins were removed from service by 1931, and by 1933, the Russian-built ones were also retired.

The Austin-Putilov armoured car named Vrag Kapitala (Enemy of the Capital), on display at the Artillery Museum, Saint Petersburg, is often referred to as the vehicle which Lenin stood on to address the crowd in April 1917. However, it cannot be true as this armoured car was only manufactured in 1919.