M20 (G-176)

Six-Wheeled Light Armored Reconnaissance Utility Car [ 1943 ]

The M20 Armored Utility Car saw production reach 3,791 units from July 1943 to June 1945.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/13/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the United States Army image archives.

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The M20 (U.S. Army identifier of G-176) was a reconnaissance/general purpose utility car adopted by the United States Army during World War 2 (1939-1945). Development produced a vehicle with a 6x6 wheel arrangement capable of cross-country travel through use of large road wheels, a capable powerpack and running gear, and suitable suspension system. Similar in form to the famous M8 "Greyhound" line of 6x6 armored cars also used by the Army, the M20 differed in its indirect combat role - usually outfitted with just a single machine gun for self-defense, personal defense weapons carried by the crew, and communications equipment including support for several radio sets. Manufacture was handled by Ford Motor Company from its St. Paul, Minnesota plant where 3,791 vehicles were eventually produced- this from July of 1943 to June of 1945.

The M20 was primarily to serve as a commander's vehicle for in-the-field work and lacked the cannon-armed turret of its M8 sister. Instead, an open-topped hull was used to provide unfettered access for the commander and crew to the goings on outside of the vehicle - whether observing maneuvers or artillery fire or other battlefield-related work. The M20 was simply armed through a single 0.50 M2 Browning heavy machine gun for defense against low-flying aircraft, light-armored vehicles, or infantry. This could be replaced with a single 0.30 caliber Browning M1919 machine gun which fired the smaller cartridge and therefore was allowed more ammunition boxes. The gun was fitted to trolley-and-cradle arrangement to make it trainable and this setup sat within a M49 series ring mount. Beginning in August of 1944, the mount was upgraded to the M66 standard.

A typical operating crew number six personnel. In addition to the provided main armament, it was strongly recommended that the crew personally arm themselves on any journey as insurance should they come under fire from the enemy or be separated from the main fighting force. As such, operators stocked their vehicles with manner of small arms including carbines, service rifles, submachine guns, pistols, hand grenades, and anti-tank mines.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1943

Origin

United States

Crew

6
CREWMEN

Production

3,791
UNITS

Ford Motor Company St. Paul - USA

(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)

United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Armored Car
Design, of typically lightweight nature, providing onroad/offroad capabilities for the scouting or general security roles.

✓ Reconaissance
Can conduct reconnaissance / scout missions to assess threat levels, enemy strength, et al - typically through lightweight design.

✓ Utility
General utility-minded design to accomplish a variety of battlefield tasks, typically in a non-direct-combat fashion.

✓ Special Purpose
Special purpose design developed to accomplish an equally-special battlefield role or roles.

Length

16.4 ft
5 m

Width

8.2 ft
2.5 m

Height

7.5 ft
2.3 m

Weight

12,249 lb
5,556 kg

Tonnage

6.1 tons
LIGHT

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base M20 (G-176) production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)

Powerplant: 1 x Hercules JXD gasoline engine developing 86 horsepower at 2,800rpm.

Speed

55.9 mph
(90.0 kph)

Range

248.5 mi
(400.0 km)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base M20 (G-176) production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)

1 x 0.50 M2 Browning heavy machine gun OR 1 x 0.30 caliber M1919 Browning machine gun in upper gun ring.

Supported Types

Graphical image of a tank medium machine gun

Graphical image of a tank heavy machine gun

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

1,050 x 0.50 caliber ammunition OR 2,000 x 0.30 caliber ammunition

M20 - Base Series designation

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