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.
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.
