Light armored car M8 "Greyhound"
Light armored car M8 "Greyhound"Light Armored Car M8, “Greyhound” (English Greyhound).
To protect against attack from the air, a 12,7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun was installed on the tower. In the control compartment, which is a cabin raised above the hull, the driver and one of the crew members are accommodated. The armored cabin is equipped with periscopes and viewing slots with dampers. On the basis of the M8, a headquarters armored car The M20, which differs from the M8 in that it does not have a turret, and the fighting compartment is equipped with workplaces for 3-4 officers. The command vehicle was armed with a 12,7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun. For external communication, radio stations were installed on both machines.
Having studied the experience of military operations in Europe in 1940-1941, the command of the American army formulated requirements for a new armored car, which had to have good performance, have a 6 x 6 wheel arrangement, low silhouette, light weight and armed with a 37-mm cannon. According to the practice prevailing in the United States, several firms were invited to develop such a machine, four companies took part in the tender.
From the proposals, the Ford T22 prototype was chosen, which was put into production under the designation M8 light armored car. Gradually, the M8 became the most common American armored car, by the time production ended in April 1945, 11667 of these vehicles had been built. According to American experts, it was an excellent combat vehicle with excellent cross-country ability. A large number of these machines were in the combat formation of the armies of a number of countries until the mid-1970s.
It was a low three-axle (one axle in front and two behind) all-wheel drive car, the wheels of which were covered with removable screens. The crew of four was placed inside a spacious compartment, and a 37-mm cannon and a 7,62-mm Browning machine gun coaxial with it were installed in an open-top turret. In addition, a turret for a 12,7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun was installed in the rear of the turret.
The closest relative of the M8 was the M20 general-purpose armored car with the turret removed and the troop compartment instead of the combat one. The machine gun could be mounted on a turret above the open part of the hull. The M20 played no less a role than the M8, as it was a versatile machine used to solve various tasks - from surveillance to the transport of goods. The M8 and M20 began to enter the troops in March 1943, and by November of that year, more than 1000 vehicles had been produced. Soon they began to be delivered to the UK and the countries of the British Commonwealth.
The British assigned the M8 the Greyhound designation, but were skeptical about its combat performance. So, they believed that this car had too weak armor, especially mine protection. To eliminate this lack of troops, sandbags were placed on the bottom of the car. At the same time, the M8 also had advantages - the 37-mm cannon could hit any enemy armored car, and there were two machine guns to fight infantry. The main advantage of the M8 was that these armored vehicles were supplied in large quantities. Performance characteristics
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The M8 armored car, created by Ford in 1942, was the main type of armored vehicle used by the US Army in World War II. The armored car was created on the basis of a standard three-axle truck with a 6 × 6 wheel arrangement, however, it has a “tank” layout: the power compartment with a liquid-cooled carburetor engine is located in the rear of the hull, the fighting compartment is in the middle, and the control compartment is in the front. A rotating turret with a 37-mm cannon and a 7,62-mm machine gun is mounted in the fighting compartment.
