Arsenal Crossley The Arsenal Crossley ( also designated as M 27 / 28 ) was an Estonian armored car that was operated between 1926 and 1940 . At the time it was introduced the Arsenal Crossley was one of the most modern armored vehicles in the Estonian Army . The vehicle ' s name is the combination of the two factories that contributed to its production . The car was manufactured in Estonia ' s Arsenal factory , while the engine was provided by the British company Crossley Motors Ltd and the armored plates were ordered from Sweden . Development and production . The plans for the Arsenal Crossley light armored car were developed in the Estonian War Ministry between 1924 and 1925 . As Estonia lacked a car manufacturing industry , the chassis and engine were ordered from a British company , Crossley Motors Ltd , and the armored plates were ordered from Sweden . The cars were to be assembled in the Arsenal arms factory in Tallinn . The cars were built in two batches : the first five cars were ordered on 25 November 1925 , while another eight cars were ordered on 17 February 1927 . A total of 13 cars were produced between 1926 and 1928 . Seven cars were armed with 7 . 7 mm Madsen machine gun s and six cars had the 37 mm Hotchkiss gun fitted . The armor , which was fitted on the front , sides and back , was 7 mm thick . A further 5 mm of armor was fitted on the top of the car , while 3 mm was attached on the bottom . To protect the crew from splinters caused by non - penetrating hits , the interior was covered with felt and sailcloth and the floor armor was covered with pine boards . The car had semi - pneumatic tires , so that it would not be immobilized if its tires were punctured . With a crew of four , the car weighed about and was able to achieve a maximum speed of . Operational history . Of the cars that were built , the vast majority ( 11 ) of them were issued to the Estonian Defence Forces and formed an armored car company with four platoon s which was assigned to an Auto - tanki regiment . Each platoon had one car armed with a 37 mm gun and two cars with machine guns . As eight cars with machine guns were needed , one platoon used the War of Independence - era " Pisuhänd " armored car . The remaining two cars were ordered by the Estonian Defence League and these were delivered in 1927 . Both of these cars were armed with 37 mm cannons and were named " " Kõu " " and " " Pikker " " ( Arsenal Crossley cars in the Estonian Defence Forces had no names ) . They were assigned to an armored car unit that was a part of the Malev of Tallinn . In 1930 the unit was named " Maleva üksik soomusautorühm " ( independent armored car platoon of Malev ) and it remained a part of the Defence League until 1940 . By the middle of 1930 , the Estonian armored forces had good infrastructure and decent training but most of the vehicles were outdated . During a Defense Council meeting in 1935 , Estonian Defence Forces chief of staff Major - General Nikolai Reek stated that the newly bought TKS tankette s and Arsenal Crossley cars were the only combat capable armored vehicles Estonia possessed ( Estonia also had the French Renault FT - 17 and British Mark V tank s and some War of Independence - era armored cars ) . A modernisation program was launched in 1939 – 1940 . All Arsenal Crossley cars were to be upgraded so that they would be armed with 37 mm semi - automatic machine guns along with a 7 . 7 mm Madsen machine gun which would be mounted next to the driver on the front panel . The crew would also be issued with a Suomi submachine gun and a personal revolver , but this idea was later dropped due to a lack of funds and it was subsequently planned to only re - arm the cars . Nevertheless , this plan never came to fruition as a lack of funds and the occupation of the country by the Soviets in 1940 resulted in it being cancelled . After the Soviets occupied the country , the Estonian Defence Force was dissolved and most of the Arsenal Crossleys were given to the newly formed 22nd Territorial Rifle Corps . One vehicle ( the ex - Defence League " Kõu " ) was sent to the 942nd Storage Depot in Dvinsk . The ultimate fate of the Arsenal Crossley cars is unknown , but one car can be seen burning alongside a road in a movie scene in a German war chronicle about the capture of Paldiski .