The best of the WW2 American Armored Cars. By Staff Writer
The M8 is arguably the most recognizable and important vehicle in the Second World War for United States ground forces. It's design style and excellent cross-country performance earned it the nickname of 'Greyhound'. Four manufacturer designs were submitted (which included rival Chrysler - Fargo Division) to the US Army for consideration with Ford Motor Company winning out.
The six-wheeled, 6x6 drive configuration was arranged with one axle forward and two axles rearwards. A turret mounted a 37mm cannon along with a 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine gun. The system was well liked for the ability to conitnue operating under the most dire of situations and always seemed to be available when the operation called for it.
British Army forces also utilized the M8 Greyhound but found it too lightly armed, particularly the hull floor where anti-tank mines could easily penetrate (this was somewhat addressed by lining the floor of the crew compartment with sandbags). None-the-less, it was produced in such a large volume and, coupled with it's off-roading capabilities, that this shortcoming was largely overlooked. The M8 Greyhound could virtually go anywhere which made it a great supportive element to the advancing American and British armored columns.
As a testament to it's appealing durability and production design, the M8 Greyhound was still in service with several nations up to the 1970s. A total of 11,667 M8 Greyhound Armored Cars were produced by war's end (production officially terminated in April of 1945).
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Armored Vehicle Quick Profile
Image Courtesy of the United States Army.
1941
Designation:M8 Greyhound Classification Type:6x6 Armored Car Contractor:Ford Motor Company, USA Country of Origin: United States Number Built: 11,667
Operators: the United Kingdom (and Commonwealth Nations) and the United States of America.
Variants
T22 - Prototype
T22E2 - Additional compartment storage and removeable side wheel sheilds.
M8 - Base Production Model
M20 - Utility car with gun ring featuring skate-mounted machine gun.
M10 - Armoreed Utility Car (not to be confused with the M10 Wolverine gun motor carriage).
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