Why This 'Pointless' British Armoured Train Patrolled Britain's Coast For Invasion That Never Came

Описание: In June 1940, Britain was almost naked. The army had abandoned its heavy equipment at Dunkirk. General Iron-side had only about 170 anti-tank guns to defend the entire island against Hitler's planned invasion. So British engineers did something desperate: they welded steel plate onto coal wagons, fitted First World War tank guns onto pedestals, and armoured Victorian-era locomotives built in the 1880s.

Within weeks, twelve armoured trains were patrolling the British coastline from Cornwall to Scotland. Each one carried more firepower than any British tank in existence. They were crewed first by Royal Engineers, then by Polish soldiers who had actually fought armoured train battles against the Germans in 1939, then by Home Guard railwaymen who knew every signal box and siding.

And then there was the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway — a 15-inch gauge toy railway for holiday-makers. The War Department requisitioned it, armoured a miniature locomotive, and sent seven men of the Somerset Light Infantry to patrol the Romney Marshes with Lewis guns and Boys anti-tank rifles. This improbable war machine is credited with shooting down Luftwaffe aircraft.

These forgotten weapons waited four years for an invasion that never came.

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📚 SOURCES & FURTHER READING

Polish armoured train units in Britain:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_...

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway in World War Two:
https://romneymarshhistory.co.uk/RH&D...

East Lothian Armoured Train (Train K unit history):
https://eastlothianatwar.co.uk/East%2...

LNER F4/F5 class locomotives:
https://www.lner.info/locos/F/f4f5.php

British anti-invasion preparations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British...