M-8 Light Armored Car
| M8 Light Armored Car | |
|---|---|
A preserved M8 on display (2008)
|
|
| Type | Armored car |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943–present |
| Used by | See List of operators |
| Wars |
World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ford Motor Company |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Produced | March 1943 – June 1945 |
| No. built | 8,523 M8 3,791 M20 |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 17,400 lb (7.89 metric tons) |
| Length | 16 ft 5 in (5.0 m) |
| Width | 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m) |
| Height | 7 ft 4 1⁄2 in (2.25 m) |
| Crew | 4 (commander/loader, gunner, driver, assistant driver) |
|
|
|
| Armor | 0.375–1 in (9.5–25.4 mm) |
|
Main
armament |
1× 37 mm gun M6 80 rounds |
|
Secondary
armament |
1× .30 caliber (7.62 mm) Browning M1919 machine gun 1,500 rounds 1× .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2HB machine gun 400 rounds |
| Engine | Hercules JXD 6 cylinder 4-cycle inline gasoline engine 110 hp (82 kW) at 3,200 rpm |
| Power/weight | 13.94 hp/metric ton |
| Transmission | Synchromesh 4 speeds forward, 1 reverse |
| Suspension | Leaf spring |
| Ground clearance | 11 1⁄2 in (0.29 m) |
| Fuel capacity | 56 US gallons (210 litres) |
|
Operational
range |
~350 miles (560 km) on road |
| Speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) on road |
|
Steering
system |
Steering wheel |
The M8 Light Armored Car is a 6×6 armored car produced by the Ford Motor Company during World War II. It was used by the United States and British troops in Europe and the Far East until the end of the war. The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2006[update] still remains in service with some Third World countries.
In British service, the M8 was known as the "Greyhound", a nickname seldom if ever used by the US. The British Army found it too lightly armored, particularly the hull floor, which anti-tank mines could easily penetrate (the crews' solution was lining the floor of the crew compartment with sandbags). Nevertheless, it was produced in large numbers. The M8 Greyhound's excellent on-road mobility made it a great supportive element in the advancing American and British armored columns. It was marginal off-road, especially in mud.
In July 1941, the U.S. Army Ordnance Department initiated the development of a new fast tank destroyer to replace the M6 37 mm gun motor carriage, which was essentially a ¾-ton truck with a 37 mm gun installed in the rear bed. The requirement was for a 6×4 wheeled vehicle armed with a 37 mm gun, a coaxial machine gun mounted in a turret, and a machine gun in the front hull. Its glacis armor was supposed to withstand fire from a .50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun and side armor from a .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun. Prototypes were submitted by Studebaker (designated T21), Ford (T22) and Chrysler (T23), all of them quite similar in design and appearance.
In April 1942, the T22 was selected, despite complaints about deficiencies, due to the need for vehicles. By then, it was clear that the 37 mm gun would not be effective against the front armor of German tanks; so, the new armored car, now designated the M8, took on a reconnaissance role instead. Contract issues and minor design improvements delayed serial production until March 1943. Production ended in June 1945. A total of 8,523 M8 and 3,791 M20 armored cars were built, The M8 and M20 were manufactured at Ford Motor Company plants in Chicago, Illinois and Saint Paul, Minnesota; the St. Paul plant built 6,397 M8s to Chicago's 2,126; the 3,791 M20s were produced at the Chicago plant only.
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