M8 Greyhound

Infobox Weapon
name=M8 Armored Car


caption=M8 in the Park of Military History, Pivka, Slovenia.
origin=United States
type=Armored car
is_vehicle=yes
length=5 m
width=2.54 m
height=2.25 m
weight=7.8 t
suspension=6x6 wheel, leaf spring
speed=90 km/h
vehicle_range=563 km
primary_armament=37 mm Gun M6
secondary_armament=.30 and .50 MG
armour=up to 19 mm
engine=Hercules JXD 6-cyl gasoline
engine_power=110 hp (82 kW)
pw_ratio=14.1 hp/tonne
crew=4

The M8 Light Armored Car was a 6x6 armored car produced by the Ford Motor Company during the Second World War. It was used by the U.S. and British troops in Europe and the Far East until the end of the war.cite book |last=Zaloga|first=Steve |title=M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car|year=2002 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=1 841 76 468 X|pages=pp.3 ] The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2006 still remains in service in some third world countries. cite book |last=Zaloga|first=Steve |title=M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car|year=2002 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=1 841 76 468 X|pages=pp.3 ] , In British service the M8 was known as Greyhound.

Development history

In July 1941, the Ordnance department initiated a development of a new fast tank destroyer to replace the M6 37 mm Gun Motor Carriage, which was essentially a 3/4 ton truck with a 37 mm gun installed in the rear bed. cite book |last=Zaloga|first=Steve |title=M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car|year=2002 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=1 841 76 468 X|pages=pp.4 ] The requirement was for a 6x4 wheeled vehicle armed with a 37 mm gun and a coaxial machine gun mounted in a turret. cite book |last=Zaloga|first=Steve |title=M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car|year=2002 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=1 841 76 468 X|pages=pp.5 ] Its glacis armor was supposed to withstand a .50 cal. machine gun fire and side armor a .30 cal. machine gun fire. Prototypes were submitted by Studebaker (T21), Ford (T22) and Chrysler (T23), all of them similar in design and appearance. In April 1942 a modified version of the T22 was selected. By then it was clear that the 37 mm gun would not be effective against the front armour of German tanks so the new armored car, designated M8 Light Armored Car and named Greyhound by the British due to its high speed but thin armor, took on reconnaissance role instead. cite book |last=Zaloga|first=Steve |title=M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car|year=2002 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=1 841 76 468 X|pages=pp.6 ] Contract issues and minor design improvements delayed serial production until March 1943. Production ended in June 1945. cite book |last=Zaloga|first=Steve |title=M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car|year=2002 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=1 841 76 468 X|pages=pp.8-9 ] A total of 8,523 units were builtcite book |last=Livesey |first=Jack |title=Armoured Fighting Vehicles of Would Wars I and II |year=2007 |publisher=Southwater |isbn= 9781844763702|pages=pp.71 ] , not including the M20 Armored Utility Car (see Variants).

Description

The M8 was fitted with a 37 mm M6 gun (aimed by M70D telescopic sight) and a coaxially mounted .30 Browning machine gun in an open-topped, welded turret. An M2 Browning machine gun was sometimes carried on a ring or pintle mount for anti-aircraft use; this was not standard on early vehicles but was a frequent unit modification. The crew of four comprised the commander (who doubled as loader), gunner, driver, and radio operator (who could also act as a driver). The driver and radio operator were seated in the forward section of the hull, while the commander and gunner rode in the turret, commander in the right side.

The vehicle carried 80 37 mm rounds when fitted with a single radio. Vehicles with a second radio installed carried as few as 16 main gun rounds, although unit-level modifications could raise this as high as 40 or more. Machinegun ammunition consisted of 1500 .30 cal rounds and 400 .50 cal rounds. In addition, it carried 16 hand grenades, 4 smoke pots (M1 or M2), 6 landmines (Anti-tank and HE types) and M1 Carbines for the crew.

The armor ranged from 3 mm on the hull floor, to 19 mm on the front hull and turret. The Greyhound was powered by a Hercules Model JXD in-line 6-cylinder 320 cu.in. gasoline engine giving it a top speed of 56 mph on-road, 30 mph off-roadFact|date=August 2007. With a 59 gallon tank, and an average fuel consumption of 7.5 mpg it could manage an average range of 400 miles.

ervice history

The M8 first saw action in Italy in 1943 and was used by the US Army both in Europe and in the Far East. In the later theater it was occasionally employed in its original tank destroyer role as most of the Japanese armor was vulnerable to its 37 mm gun. Over 1000 were supplied via lend-lease channels to Britain, France and Brazil. The vehicle was considered fast, sufficiently reliable (after some technical problems were solved) and armed and armored well enough for reconnaissance missions. However, cavalry units criticized its off-road performance, which was even worse than the M3A1 Scout Car it replaced. In the mountainous terrain of Italy and in the deep mud and snow of North European winter the Greyhound was more or less restricted to roads, which greatly reduced its value as a reconnaissance vehicle. It was also very vulnerable to landmines. An add-on armor kit was designed to provide an extra quarter-inch of belly armor to reduce landmine vulnerability. Some crews placed sandbags on the floor to make up for the thin belly armour. Another problem was that commanders often used their reconnaissance squadrons for fire support missions, for which the thinly-armored M8 was ill-suited.

The US Army started to look for a replacement for the Greyhound as early as 1943. Two prototypes, the Studebaker T27 and Chevrolet T28 were finished in summer 1944. Both were found superior to the M8, but it was decided that at this stage of the war there is no more need for a new armored car.

After the war, the M8 was used for occupation duty, saw combat in the Korean War and was retired by the US Army shortly thereafter. France continued to use the M8 until the First Indochina War. Many vehicles formerly used by the US, Britain and France were exported to NATO allies and third world countries. As of 2002, some still remain in service in Africa and South America.

Past and present operators of the vehicle include Algiers, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Britain, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Cyprus, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Germany (captured in 2.WW and Border Guard after the war), Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,Malagasy, Mexico, Morocco, Niger, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Korea, South Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, USA, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zaire.

Variants

M8E1 Light Armored Car

A variant with modified suspension. Two vehicles were produced in 1943.

M20 Armored Utility Car

The M20 Armored Utility Car, also known as the M20 Scout Car, was a Greyhound with the turret removed. This was replaced with a low, armored open-topped superstructure and an AA ring mount for a .50 caliber M2 heavy machinegun AA. A bazooka was provided for the crew to compensate for its lack of anti-armor weaponry. The M20 was primarily used as a command vehicle and for forward reconnaissance, but many vehicles also served as APCs and cargo carriers. It offered high speed and excellent mobility, along with a degree of protection against small arms fire and shrapnel. When employed in the command and control role, the M20 was fitted with additional radio equipment.

Originally designated the M10 Armored Utility Car, it was redesignated M20 to avoid confusion with the M10 Wolverine tank destroyer. 3,680 M20s were built by Ford during its two years in production (1943-1944).

T69 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage

In late 1943 an anti-aircraft variant of the M8 was tested. The vehicle was armed with four .50 cal. machine guns in a turret developed by Maxson Corp.. The Antiaircraft Board felt that the vehicle was inferior to the M16 MGMC and the project was closed.

M8 TOW Tank Destroyer

M8 upgraded by US company NAPCO. The main gun was replaced by an .50 cal machine gun and a BGM-71 TOW launcher was installed above the turret. Some upgraded vehicles were used by Colombia.

M8/M20 with H-90 turret

A French upgrade, using the turret of the Panhard AML 90 armored car.

CRR Brasileiro

A version developed in 1968 by the Brazilian Army Engineering Institute (IME). The middle axle was removed and a new engine (120 hp Mercedes-Benz OM-321) installed to create the VBB-1 of which one prototype was completed, the vehicle being found to be inferior. The Vbb-1 was in turn the basis for the CRR which reverted to a 6x6 configuration and 8 vehicles were produced for evaluation; and from the CRR the EE-9 Cascavel was developed.

M8 in the Media

An unarmed M8 is seen in use by the LAPD SWAT team in a failed assault on the fictional Nakotomi Plaza in the 1988 film Die Hard.

An M8 is featured as a drivable unit in the video game The Outfit.

An M8 appears several times in the 1998 remake of the movie Godzilla.

The M8 is a unit available to the Allies in computer game Company of Heroes.

The M8 is also a unit available for the British Commandos on the map 'Raid On Agheila' in the computer game

References

*Steven J Zaloga, Tony Bryan - "M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car 1941-91", 2002 Osprey Publishing (New Vanguard 53), ISBN 1-84176-468-X.

External links

* [http://www.wwiivehicles.com/usa/armored-cars/m-8.asp from wwiivehicles.com]
* [http://www.robertsarmory.com/m8.htm RobertsArmory]
* [http://tanxheaven.com/ljs/greyhound/m8greyhoundljs.htm Photo gallery at Tanxheaven]
* [http://gva.freeweb.hu/weapons/usa_guns2.html Armor penetration table of US 37 mm guns]
* [http://www.warwheels.net/BrasileiroM8index.html CRR Brasileiro at Warwheels.net]