Headless Coachman

Between 1958 and 1960, Ireland’s government acquired eight Comet cruiser tanks from the British War Office for use by the Irish Cavalry Corps. Though said to be popular with troops, the vehicles saw limited use, and in 1962 one Comet’s turret was irreparably damaged in a fire. Instead of scrapping the remaining functional parts of the vehicle, Cavalry Corps engineers developed a plan to mount a Bofors 90mm recoilless rifle to the tank’s turret ring. Initial trials of the prototype were promising, but budget limitations led to the project’s termination.