The Otter Light Reconnaissance Car, known officially by the British as “Car, Light Reconnaissance, Canadian GM (R.A.C.)”, was a light armored car produced in Canada during the Second World War for British and Commonwealth forces. General Motors Canada developed the Otter Light Reconnaissance Car (LRC) to meet the demand for this type of armored car. The design followed the layout of the British Humber Mark III Light Reconnaissance Car.
The Otter was based on the Chevrolet C15 Canadian Military Pattern truck chassis and used many standard GM components. The primary armament consisted of a hull-mounted Boys anti-tank rifle and a Bren light machine gun in a small open-topped turret. A smoke discharger is mounted alongside the mounting for the Boy’s anti-tank rifle. Although it used a more powerful engine than the Humber, it was larger and heavier (by a ton); overall performance was less than that of the Humber but still acceptable.
The Otter served with Canadian units in the Italian Campaign and Northwest European operations. It was also employed by the South African Army and the British RAF Regiment. Some RAF regiment vehicles used aircraft armament such as 20mm cannon and .303 Browning machine guns. Between 1942 and 1945, nearly 1,760 units were produced in Oshawa, Ontario, though fewer than 1,000 were delivered overseas.
