M8 Greyhound
The M8 light armored car is a 6×6 armored car produced by the Ford Motor Company during World War II. It was used from 1943 by United States and British forces in Europe and the Pacific until the end of the war. The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2006 still remained in service with some countries.
| M8 light armored car | |
|---|---|
M8 Greyhound at the U.S. Army Armor & Cavalry Collection, Fort Benning (now Fort Moore), Georgia, 2023 | |
| Type | Armored car |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943–present |
| Used by | See List of operators |
| Wars | World War II Chinese Civil War Korean War April Revolution Greek Civil War First Indochina War Cuban Revolution Algerian War Congo Crisis Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Guatemalan Civil War Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Iran-Iraq 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 | |
| Mass | 16,400 lb (7.4 t) |
| Length | 15 ft 5 in (4.70 m) |
| Width | 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Crew | 4 (commander/loader, gunner, driver, assistant driver) |
| Armor | Up to 1 in (25 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 | 14.79 hp/metric ton |
| Transmission | Synchromesh 4 speeds forward, 1 reverse |
| Suspension | Leaf spring |
| Ground clearance | 11.4 in (0.29 m) under axles |
| Fuel capacity | 54 US gal (200 L) |
Operational range | 100–250 mi (160–400 km) cross country 200–400 mi (320–640 km) on road |
| Maximum speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) on road |
Steering system | Steering wheel |
In British service, the M8 was known as the "Greyhound", a service name 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 road mobility made it a great supportive element in the advancing American and British armored columns. It was marginal cross country, especially in mud.