almark american armoured cars 1940-45

Upload: douglas-grigg

Post on 05-Apr-2018

262 views

Category:

Documents


6 download

TRANSCRIPT

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    1/27

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    2/27

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    3/27

    Armoured car at wa r ; a heavily laden United StalesArmy M S dri ves cautiously past burning buildings in thetown of Canisy, France, in Jul y 1944 (U .S. Officio[).

    AMERICAN ARMOURED CARS, 1940-45Copyright Chris Ellis and Peter Chamberlain , 1969Drawings copyright K enneth M . Jones, 1969Contents Page2I III18191923

    Part I : developmentPart 2 : production vehicles described

    T il seriesTI 8E2 , BoarhoundMS. GreyhoundM20T28 ( M38), WolfhoundLine DrawingsTI7EITI7EI , stowage diagramTI7E2M8M20M20, cross section

    Colour drawingsM20TI7EI , TI7E2M8

    SpecificationsAlmarks Publishing Co.

    Cover

    121513202122

    Cover ii , iiiCover iv

    24First published 1969. Al l rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced in any fo rm wi thou t priorpermission fran-z the publishers.

    THIS publication tells th e story of th e armoured ca rsproduced in America in the years 1940-45, the on lype riod of really concentrated development of this classof vehicle in the history of U.S. armoured forces .Divided broadly into tw o parts , Part I tells th e ov era lldevelopment story , putting each project and prototypeinto perspective and illustrating most of the prototypevehicles, while Part 2 provides a more detailed des-cription of each of th e U.S. armoured ca r design swhich was standardised or achieved production status .Scale drawings of the most important types ar e givento constant I : 48 and I : 76 scales and th e opportunityis taken to give extensive picture coverage of valueto modellers in particula.r but also , of course, ofinterest to a ll armour enthusiasts . The colour drawingsby Kenneth M. Jones show markin g schemes fo r specificve hicles.

    For assistance in the gathering of photographs , da taand other material , special thanks go to Col. R. J.leks , USAR ( retd ) , Richard M. Hunnicutt , John Milsom ,Axel Duckert, Pi er re Tauzin, C . Gurtner, R. Surlt!mont ,an d the Imperial War Museum . Source ofillustrations is credited with each caption. In th e caseof Imperial W ar Museum ( IWM) photographs , th enumber is given if known . Postcard size prints of theseparticular picture s can be ordered from th e PhotoLibrary , Imperial War Museum , Lambeth , London ,S.E. I , England , provided that th e number is quotedwith th e order. Price of each prin t is Is . 6d . (25 cents)(postage extra).

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    4/27

    First armoured car to attract official U.S. Army attention in 1940 was the commercia lly developed T J3, sometimesknown as a 'trackless tank' after the nam e of its builders; this is the second pilot model (IWM-MH996 1).

    PART 1: ARMOURED CAR DEVELOPMENT 1940-45ARMOURED ca r development pre-dated that of tanksby several years . The U.S. Army was no exception tothis general rule and developed several different typesof armoured ca r in th e years 1914-18 well before anyU.S.-designed tank was running . These early armouredcars were essentially trucks with armoured bodies andmachine-gun mountings, and were largely of anexperimental nature w ith none going into massproduction.

    After World War 1 with th e massive run-downof th e U.S. Army and stringent fiscal policies in force ,armoured car development was abandoned and no ttaken up again until 1928 w ith th e formation of an'experimental mechanised force ' similar to that whichhad been formed in Britain in 1926-27. It was t heU.S. Cavalry who sponsored armoured ca r developmentfrom 1928 onwards . By 1932, in a report to the U.S.Secretary of War, General MacArthur, t hen th e ArmyChief of Staff stated that ' next to th e tank , the mostimportant mechan ised vehicle with which th e OrdnanceDepartment is conce rned is the armored ca r. Presentday mechanisation takes the general fo rm that thelight , fast mechani sed vehicles are used by th e unitshaving th e tactical missions of reconnaissance andmanceuve r, th at is the cavalry, while slow, heavy tanksare employed fo r assault purposes, that is by th einfantry .'

    By 1936 twelve different armou red ca r models hadbeen developed , one fitted experimentally with a37mm gun . However, in 1937 all requ irement fo ra rmoured cars was dropped in the U.S. Army . Onereason fo r this was observat ion of the fighting int he Span ish Civil W ar where th e successful employment of tanks and half-tracks by the German-backedNat ional ist side appeared to vindicate sim ilar U.S.

    2

    Army development of these types of vehicle with noapparent advantage to be gained from using armouredc.ars as well . Instead of armoured cars the M2 ScoutCa r was adopted for th e reconnaissa nce and liaisonfunction by the Cavalry . Meanwhile work on halftrack development was accelerated .

    No further development of armoured cars was donein America fo r three years, by which time Europe wasplunged into War. It wa s the campaign in North Africain late 1940 and 1941 which re-awakened U.S. Armyinterest in armoured cars . It was seen that underdesert warfare conditions , wheel ed armoured vehicleshad much superior mobility to tracked vehicles . TheBritish, Italians , and later th e Germans , all usedarmoured cars in large numbers in the Western Deserttheatre where this class of vehicle proved better thanth e light tank for long distance patrol and reconnaiss ance . Influenced by the British use of armouredcars , the U.S. Cavalry in mid-1940 began to investigateonce more th e possibility of armoured ca r developme nt . In july 1940 th e Armored Force was createdto take over responsibility fo r all U.S. armoured forces( i.e . the old Cavalry and Infantry interests ) andinherited the Cavalry 's revived ideas fo r armoured cars .La ter the newly formed Tank Destroyer Commandalso began to specify wheeled tank destroyer vehicles.In the next 18 months these various agencies hadprojected no less than 14 different armoured cardesigns though not all reached prototype stage .Armored Car Tll

    Stemming from the new interest in armoured cars,th e T13 was developed commercially by th e TracklessTank Co . and a pilot model was ordered for t est s inlate 1940 by th e Ordnance Dept . on behalf of th e

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    5/27

    Armored Force . This vehicle was an eight wheeler ,th e rear six being driven with the front pair fo rsteering . Hull was of riveted construction and th evehicle had a welded turret with a 37mm gun . Thevehicle was 17ft . 1 n. long , 8f t . 4in . wide , and 7ft .high . It had a 250 h.p. rear-mounted diesel radialengine and drive was by chains to th e six rear wheels .The pilot model was tested at Aberdeen ProvingGround in january 1941 and the Ordnance Departmentreported adversely on its characteristics and commended that it should no t be adopted . However, th eArmored Force carried out their own tests th e following April and asked fo r 17 pre-production vehicle s fo rfurther trials . In particular they were interested intrying the chas sis as a wheeled motor carriage fo rthe 3 in . gun or 105mm howitzer . With minor modifications as a result of th e tests the vehicle wasdesignated T13El and the Armored Force asked fo ra provisiona l production order of 1,000 vehicles eventhough standardisation was ye t to be approved . Onlytw o of the 17 pilot models were completed bu t furthertests with these showed up several shortcoming s. Afurther problem was securing production facilities fo rthe provi sional bulk order. Eventually it was arrangedt hat the Reo Motor Company would undertake production. The T13 never did go into production , however. In March 1942 th e order was reduced to 500 , andin July development was held up while ot h er design swere examined. It was cancelled in january 1943following th e findings of th e special Armored VehicleBoard which was convened in October 1942, asdescribed later, to consider , among oth er things , futurearmored ca r production .Armored Cars of the T17 series

    Three further des igns, the T14 , TIS , an d Tl 6reached project stage only and were never built . Thenext design , the T17 , wa s th e first real attempt toproduce a vehicle as a result of war ex perience. TheT 13 it must be remem bered was merely an adaptationfrom commerical de sign . From mid 1940 on therewas a British Tan k Mission in t he Uni ted States chargedwith the task of procuring armoured vehicles fo rBritish use, initially by purchase . From March 1941th e Len d-Lease Ac t came in to force making U.S.

    The T17 which went into production but

    equipment available to Britai n and other Allied nationson a generous scale . The British Tank Mission wereable to pass on British combat experience to th e U .S .Ordnance Department designers and in this way severalU.S. tank desi gns, like the M3 and M4 Mediums ,incorporated ideas reflecting British suggestions. TheT17 series armoured cars were conceived to meetboth U.S. Armored Force and British requirements andwer e to be made available to Britain under Lend-Leaset e rms .

    Th e Ordnance Depanment drew up a specificationin july 1941 which called fo r a medium armoured carwith all-wheel drive and a 37mm gun in a fullytraversing turret. Tenders fo r designs with either sixor four wheels were invited from th e major automobi:ecompanies and a six-wheel design offered by Ford anda four-wheel design by Chevrolet were sel ecte d forproduction as pilot models. Th e Ford vehicle wasdesignated T17 and th e Chevrolet wa s desi gnatedT17El. Fcllowing successful trials with the pilot model ,a total of 2,260 T17 armoured ca rs wa.s or d ered injan uary 1942 and Ford laid down a product ion line attheir St Paul plant . In June 1942 a second order fo r1,500 vehicles was placed . However, when the Sp ecialArmored Vehicle Board convened in O ctober 1942 tocons ider armoured ca r requirements th ey eliminatedth e T17 from th e armoured car programme on th egroun ds that it was too large and to o heavy. Themajor armoured car or de red fo r prod uction throughth e Specia l Armored Vehicle Board, the M8 , was however another Ford design ( described later) and Fordwere allowed to complete the first 250 of thecancelled T17 order to keep their pla nt occupied whilethe M8 was placed in produ ction .These 250 vehicles were completed in 1943 andoffered to the British under Lend-Le ase. By this time ,however, the No rth African campaign was over andBritain had adequate supplies of superior armouredcars . They also co nsidered th e T17 t oo heavy fo rfuture requirements and declined the off er . Strippedof t he guns the 250 T17s were eventually allocated tot he U.S. military police as patrol vehicles fo r internaluse in t he Un it ed States . The T17 project was formallyterminated in February 1944.was not used in combat (U.S. O ff iciaf) .

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    6/27

    ABOVE: A standard production T17El , known as the Staghound I to the British (IWM-H30282). BELo w : Th eT l72 (Staghound AA) had the hu ll machine gun removed a11d a new turret i11stc. lled (U.S . O ff icial). B OTTOM:Pilot model of the 7 173 , a close support vehicle with 75 mm how itzer and turret from the M8 Gun M otorCarriage (U.S . Official).The T17EI had a happier development history . This ,... . , - . . . -

    4 x 4 vehicle weighed 14 tons and had tw o GMC 97h.p. engines each with Hydramatic transmission . Armourmaximum was 2 inches . After successful trials withthe pilot model an order for 2,000 production vehicleswas placed in January 1942. The British Tank Missionasked fo r 300 initially fo r delivery to Britain , th eorder for these being placed in March I 942. This orderwa s increased to I ,500 fo r Lend-Lease purposes th efollowing month, April. First TI7Eis came off th eproduction line in October I 942 and I57 had beencompleted by the year 's end . However, the SpecialArmored Vehicle Board examining existing designs atthis period recommended that all orders be cancelledsince the Armored Force no longer required armouredcars of this weight and size . The TI7EI was , however,liked by the British Army in whose service it wasknown as th e Staghound . It was therefore decided todivert all production TI7Eis to Britain and a totalof 2 ,687 were produced and delivered in I 943 . Production ceased in December 1943 by which time, Britishrequirements had been fulfilled . However a furthervariant was produced fo r the British specially fo r th eAA role . This had th e 37mm gun and turret replacedby a Frazer-Nash power-operated open-topped turretfitted with twin .50 cal. Browning machine guns . At otal of 1,000 we re reque st ed by th e British but only789 of these were built and delivered when productionceased in April 1944. In its AA form th e vehicle wasdesignated T17E2 and was known as th e Staghound AAto the British.A third variant of this design was also producedas a pilot model only and completed in December I943 .Designated T 17E3 it was also produced to meetBritish requirements , this time fo r a close supportarmoured ca r. It had th e same hull and mechanicalfeatures as th e T17El bu t the 37mm gun and turretwas replaced by a complete turret and 75mm howitzerfrom th e M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage . Trials of th eprototype proved satisfactory and an initial order fo r100 vehicles was placed . However, due to the relativelylimited production requirement which coincided withth e end of th e TI7EI production run, all further workon th e TI7E3 was terminated . The British meanwhileproduced their ow n clos e support version of th e

    4

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    7/27

    Staghound by converting existing vehicles. Basis ofthis, designated Staghound II , was simply th e standardvehicle with its 37mm gun replaced by a. 3 inchhowitzer (then a standard British weapon us ed inearlier close support tank variants) . Another model ,known as th e Staghound Ill was a more elaborateconversion with th e original turret replaced by aturret from a Crusader tank and armed with th eBritish version of th e 75mm gun . A further Britishvariant was a Staghound Command car which had th eturret removed completely. Most command cars soproduced were conversions from th e Staghound AAwhich found only limited employment in its intendedrole . A more detailed desc ription of th e Tl 7 and itsvariants appears in Part 2.Armored Cars of th e T18 series A rare view of the original TIS armoured car prototypeRequirements fo r a heavy armoured car design , th e which was armed with the 37mm gun (U .S. 0//icial viaTIS , were drawn up by th e Ordnance Department in Col. R . J. l eks) .July 1941 concurrent with th e issue of requireme nts of heavier armament , th e 6 pd r (57mm) which wasfor the medium armoured ca r Tl7 . Alternatives then being introduced fo r British tanks . This involvedrequested were for either six or eight wheels and th e a new, larger turret, and th e 57mm gun was to bearmament was to be a 37mm gun once again in a fully th e American-produced version of th e British 6 pdrtraversing turret. An eight-wheel design by th e Yellow gun (also incidentally fitted to th e T4S (half-track)Truck and Coach Division of General Motors was gun motor carriage and th e T7 light tank) . As modifiedaccepted and tw o pilot models were ordered as th e th e 1, IS was redesignated TISE2. Meantime anTIS . An alternative six-wheel version , also ordered additional 300 had been ordered in March 1942. Andas tw o pilot models, was designated TISEI. This at this time it was anticipated that 630 vehicleshad independent springing fo r each wheel. The second would be built by th e year 's end . However , big delayspilot model of each was subsequentely cancelled. On followed, mainly because th e 57mm gun was stillcompletion of th e first pilot TIS , which had a 37mm being designed in early 1942 and was not ready fo rgun, a provisional production order fo r 2,500 vehicles production until later that year. Also, due to th ewas placed in February 1942. Meanwhile th e TISEI TISE2's large size- i t weighed IS tons empty and wasprototype had also been produced but work on this 20Mt long-tooling up took longer than expected .was suspended following design of a slightly modified By November 1942 when th e Special Armored Vehiclemodel, th e Tl 9 (see page 6) in January 1942. Board convened, th e Armored Force had dropped their

    After discussions with th e British Tank Mission in requirement for a heavy armoured ca r of this sizeMay 1942, th e TIS itself was much modified to meet and th e Board, in any case, considered it to o bigBritish requirements fo r th e Western Desert fighting. fo r U.S. use . However , due to th e progress which hadMajor change requested by th e British was provision been made with tooling up and setting up a productionB ELOW : The incomplete pilot model of the T18El six-wheeler which was dropped in favour of the Tl 9 (U .S.Official via Col. R . J. l eks).

    5

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    8/27

    ABOVE: First pilot model of the T18E2 was !he original TI S 111odijied with a 57milL gull and larger turret(U .S. Ofjicia[) .line and th e commitment to British requirements, itwas decided to allow completion of th e first 30vehicles plus spares fo r delivery to Britain . These30 vehicles were delivered to Britain in th e Springof 1943 bu t by this time th e North African campaignhad come to an end and no employment for armouredcars of this large size could be foreseen elsewhere .The British , therefore , never used th e T 18E2 whichwas called th e Boarhound in th e British Army . Amore detailed description of th e T18E2 Boarhoundappears in Part 2.The T19 series

    The T19 series was developed , starting in january1942, based very closely on th e layout and design ofthe T 18E 1 six-wheel heavy armoured car mentionedabove . The T 19 was , in essence , a shortened six-wheelversion of th e T18 eight-wheeler and th e first of tw opilot models ordered bore a close family resemblance .The second pilot model was however, modified whileunder construction at th e request of th e ArmoredForce , mainly to reduce its weight and overall height .The superstructure was cu t down and a lighter, lowerturret was adopted fo r th e 37mm gun . In this newform th e second pilot was designated T19EJ. A furtherdevelopment took place at th e request of th e TankDestroyer Command who asked if th e T19EJ could alsobe produced with a 75mm gun in an open-topped

    Prototype T19Elarmoured car neverwent into produc-tion but featuresfrom it, mainly thelayout and suspen-sion appeared laterin the T28 (M38)deJsign (U .S. Officia[).

    turret as a wheeled tank destroyer. Thu s modified th edesign was designated 75mm Gun Motor Carriage T66 .Chevrolet , who built the T17 six-wheeler were respon -sible fo r all these pilot models. In October 1942, th eSpecial Armored Vehicle Board examined all threede signs , the T19, T19El, and T66 and decided thatthough the basic chassis was acceptable , the overalldesigns were considered to be outside the scope offuture requirements . All work on these vehicles wastherefore cancelled in December 1942.Armored Car T20

    Due to uncertainties with the suitability of th e T1 3design , a new eight-wheel armoured car, th e T20, wasstarted in March 1942 at the request of the ArmoredForce. Four pilot models were ordered , tw o to becompleted as armoured cars proper and tw o as 105mmhowizer motor carriages . Thi s design was of noveltype with each wheel independently sprung anddriven by its own electric motor. Power fo r th e moto rscame from a petrol ( gasoline) generator. Armamen tfo r th e armoured car version was to be a 37mm gunin a fully traversing turret . Th e T20 was an ambitiousde sign, however, and considerable time was taken overbuilding th e pilot models . When it was realised thatpilot models would no t be ready before th e end of1942, or even by early 1943, th e Armored Force lostinterest in th e project which was duly cancelled .

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    9/27

    Armored Cars of th e T21, T22 and T23 seriesRemaining US armoured car development came inthe ' light' category though initially these vehicles wereconceived as gun motor carriages for Tank DestroyerCommand . Requirements were formulated in july 1941for a vehicle with a 37mm gun, high speed, goodmobility , good cross-country performance , light weight,six-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, light armour andlow silhoutte . It was also stipulated that th e designshould be capable of conversion to th e AA role (withmachine gun armament), for the mortar carrier role( with 81 mm mortar) , and th e munitions carrier role.In October 1941 tenders for designs to meet theserequirements were con sidered and con tract s for twopilot models were awarded . On e went to Ford whowe re to build a 6 x 6 vehicle with integral hull /c hassisunder th e designation 37mm Gun Moto.r Car riage T22,and the other went to the Fargo Division of ChryslerCorp who were to build a 6 x 6 vehicle with a separatetruck type chassis , under the designation 37mm GunMotor Carriage T23 . At the same time, anothercontender for th e contract , Studebaker, offered tobuild their design as a pilot model for test as a 'privateventure ' even though they had no t been awarded acontract . This vehicle , with similar characteri stics tot he T22 and T23 , was designated 37mm Gun Motor

    A BOVE: 75mm Gu n Motor Carriage T66 was a devopment of the Tl9El. with larger open-topped turret(U .S. Official) .Carriage T43. Subsequently further contracts wereawarded to Ford and Fargo/Chrysler to build 4 x 4versions of th e T22 and T23 fo r comparative testingagainst th e six-wheelers. These four-wheel versionswere desig nated T22El and T23El respectively.By early 1942 it had become clear from combatex perience passed on by th e British that th e 37mmgun was no longer adequate as an anti-tank weapon.The T22 and T23 series vehicles were therefore outmoded on paper even before pilot models had beencompleted . However, both th e Tank DestroyerCommand and th e Cavalry also had a requirement for' light armored cars'. The Tll and T23 were thereforereclassified from Gun Motor Carriage t o LightArmored Car. Sim ilarly th e Studebaker T43 wasredesignated Light Armored Car T21.

    Pilot models of th e Tll, T22El, T23, and T23Elwere completed by April / May 1942 and submitted fortest by th e A rmored Force Board.

    7

    Two competing prototypes to meet light armoured carrequirements. ToP: The Studebaker-built T21 (formerlyT43). ABovE: Th e Chrysler-bullt T23 (U.S. Official).The M8 standardisedOf th e four pilot models the T22 proved th e best.Various modifications were asked for, however ,including changes in th e driving compartment hatchesto give im proved vision facilities ( protectoscopesinstead of vision slits), elimination of the hull .30 ca lmac hine gun , th e addition of removable sand shieldsover th e wheels , and provision of armoured stowagesboxes each side of th e hull for stores and radio equipment. Thus altered , th e T22 was redesignated T22E2.On May 19 , 1942 it was standardised as th e LightArmored Car M8 , having been approved in all respectsby th e Armored Force, Tank Destroyer Command, andth e Cavalry.

    The M8 became th e major armoured car in production in th e United States in World War 2 and, indeed,was destined to become one of th e most widely usedand best known armoured vehicles ever produced. Inth e late 1960 's very many remained in service insmaller armies within th e American sphere of influence,a remarkably long 'working ' life for a. wheeled vehicleAt th e time it was standardised a total production of5,000 MBs was envisaged. This was almost immediatelyraised to 6,000 and in July 1942 a second order for afurther 5,070 was placed . Later, however, this wasB ELOW : The T23El was a four wheel version of theT23 built by Fargo Division of Chrysler. The separatechassis can be clearly seen (U.S . Off icial).

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    10/27

    revised to 2,460 bu t it still left a gr and total requirement of 8 ,460 vehicles before a singl e MS was produced .

    Ford und e rtook MS protluction at their St . Paulplant , fo llowing on th e limited order they had fo r th eT17 . However , production was held up due tocontractual differences , mainly connected with compensation te rms fo r any unforseen t e rmination of th eorder. This in turn led to a delay in tocling up andth e first MS production ve hicl es were not completeduntil March 1943 . In Novemb e r 1943 no less than 1,000MS's were built , this being th e peak month fo r produc tion . Total 1943 output reached 4 ,229. In 1944 totalMS production reached 6,672. For 1945 2,401 MS'swere scheduled , later reduced to 1,759 then ( in March1945) increased to 2,201. However, on April 30 1945 ,with victory in Europe seen to be imminent, all outstanding MS orders were cancelled and 1945 productionfrom January-April reached only 766 vehicles . Totaloutput thus amounted to 11,667. Many M8s weredelivered to Britain an d other Allied nations underLend-Lease an d in British service this type was knownas the Greyhound . In post-war years th e MS was usedby many NATO armies and by th e armies of other

    T OP OF P AGE : The T22 wasthe prototype for what becamethe M 8 armoured car series.T urret is traversed in this viewand the driver's visor is fo ldedf lat (U .S . Ojjici'al) .

    R IGHT : With detail changesincluding added sand shieldsand improved vision fac ilities,the T22 became the T22E2,standardised as the M 8 (IW M -K !Dl l 50).

    8

    nations traditionally depending on th e USA fo r mili t a ry equipment . A more detailed description of th eMS appears in part 2 of this book .

    Suffice to say that with standardisation of th eT22E2 as th e MS , development of th e T22, T22E 1, T23,and T21E1 was cancelled . The Studebaker-built T21 wastested in th e fall of 1942 and evaluated by th eSpecial Armored Vehicle Board at that time . Theyfound it a design with many good features, includingexcellent suspension. While it was considered suitablefo r service use, however, it duplicated th e characteristics of th e MS which had already been standardised.There was thus no production requirement fo r th eT21 and it was cancelled in December 1942.Armored Utility Car M20

    The original specification fo r th e T22/ T23 serieshad called fo r conversion capability fo r th e AA ,command, mortar carrier, and munitions or cargocarrier roles . When th e MS was standardised in May1942, Tank Destroyer Command reminded th e OrdnanceDepartment of this original requirement. This led todevelopment of an AA motor gun carriage (the T69,

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    11/27

    described in part 2) and an armoured utility vehicle ,designated T26 which was simply an MB with th e gunturret removed and replaced by a gun ring fo r askate-mounted machine gun . Internal stowage wasconsiderable revised, however , to eliminate ammunition racks and other fittings associated with theturret. Initially it had been proposed to develop aversion fo r th e command role and another for th ecarrier role, bu t it was found feasible to combine thetw o roles in on e vehicle. The resulting design wasstandardised as Armored Utility Ca r M10 in April1943 though this was changed to M20 a month later toavoid confusion with th e M10 Gun Motor Carriage.The M20 was another very widely used vehicle, mainlyemployed as a liaison and command ca r by virtually allarms, and particularly as an observation and commandvehicle by tank destroyer units. Like the MB, th e M20

    examining all existing designs , prototypes , and projects ,to decide which was th e most suitable fo r standardisation and service as a type acceptable to all arms . Knownas th e Special Armored Vehicle Board , th e committeeincluded representatives of the Armored Force ,Infantry, Coast Artillery , Cavalry, and OrdnanceDepartment. This committee was known more collo-quially as the 'Pa lmer Board' after the name of itschairman, Brig-Gen W. B. Palm er . As well as solvingthe armoured ca r question they were also asked toexamine some light tank, scout car, and gun motorcarriage designs fo r future production .As already outlined, th e armoured car design foundbest by th e Special Armored Vehicle Board was th eT22 and its improved version the T22E2 which wasstandardised and produced as the Light Armored Ca rMB. Based on their tests th e Board formulated future

    A rmored Utility Car M 20 was virtually a turretless version of the Armored Car MS . Note the M49 ringmount for the Browning M 2 HB machine gun, also fitted to the turret of later production M8s (U.S . Official).

    remained in wide post-war service with many NATOand other nations friendly to the USA. It is describedin greater detail in part 2.The Special Armored Vehicle BoardAs is apparent from th e foregoing , th e proliferationof armoured car designs during 1942 on behalf ofseveral different agencies within the Armored Force ,had led to a great deal of duplication of effort withconflicting requirements of size and performance. Fivemajor designs were produced and several variants andprojects had also appeared . To channel future effortand production in th e best direction, a committee of'user arm' representatives charged with th e task of

    9

    armoured car requirements and considered that amaximum weight of no t over 7 tons was desirable andthat any future designs should be cheap to produce ,expendable if necessary, easy to maintain, simple todrive and operate , have a top speed of 50 mph, and beof simple construction. A 37mm gun was to bemandatory.Armored Cars T27 and T28 (M38)

    The Special Armored Vehicle Board published itsoutline of future armoured car requirements in january1943 and tw o firms produced designs to mee t th e newspecifications.Studebaker submitted a 7 ton vehicle with eight

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    12/27

    The two contenders for the new 'light armored carrequirements seen on test by the Cavalry Board in 1944.ToP: Studebaker's T27. AB ovE: Chevrolet's T28(U.S. Official).

    wheels sprung by torsion bars , the rear six wheelsbeing driven . Designated Light Armored Car T27 ithad a 37mm gun in a traversing turret an d a hull shapeno t unlike th at of the MS . Second design was byChevrolet and was a 6 x 6 vehicle of about 7i tonswith coil spring suspens ion . This was a compact , low ,ve hicle with a large turret and 37mm gun . Under th edesignation Light Armored Car T28 it was tested byth e Cavalry in April and May I 944 in comparison withth e T27 and a standard M8 armoured car .Resulting from these trials, th e testing board fo un dth e T28 a more satisfactory design than th e verycomplicated T27. They commended that th e T28 bepu t into production to supplement, then replace, th eM8 an d th e T27 was consequently cancelled. Detailmodificat ions were asked fo r in th e T28 design and inDece rr,-.>er I944 th e vehicle was standardised as th eLight Armored Car M38. Arran gements were made fo rquantity production by Ford following th e phasingout of M8 production . Ho wever, by this time th eurgent need fo r armoured cars had lapsed and sufficient M8s were available to fulfi II all requirements.No production order was given with th e end of th ewar in sight in 1945 an d only a few pre-productionvehicles were built fo r trials .

    This ended Am e r ican armoured ca r developmentin World War 2 which was, in fact, th e only periodof really concentrated effort with this class of vehiclein th e history of American armour. After World W ar2 th e US Army dropped armoured cars completelyand there has been only limited official U.S. interestin them since. mainly in recent years .

    The MS arm oured car was widely used by U.S. forces in the NW Europe campaign of 1944-45. Here a column ofM8s and half-tracks engage a German panzer-grenadier unit which had tried to outflank them during the advanceon Epernay in 1944 (U.S . 0//i'cia[) .

    10

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    13/27

    PART 2:PRODUCTIONMERICAN

    ARMOURED CARS, 1940-45ARMORED CAR Tl7 (DEERHOUND)

    An excellent view of the T 17 pilot 111ode/. Another picture appears on page 3 (U .S . 0 !/icia[).US Designation: Armored Car T17British Designation : Armoured Car, DeerhoundDescription : The T17 was a 6 x 6 vehicle with tw oHercules JXD engines each of which had its ownclutch and four-speed gear box with a transfer casegiving eight forward and t wo reverse speeds . A singlegear lever operated both gearboxes . Top speed was60 mph . The engines were rear-mounted . Steeringwas hydraulically assisted with worm and roller gearingfrom a steering wheel. Main armament was one 37mmM6 gun with a co-axial .30 cal machine gun in acombination mount M24, all in a cast turret. A gyrostabiliser was provided fo r th e 37mm gun. There wasa second .30 cal machine gun in the bow operated byth e assistant driver, and a further .30 cal weaponcould be pintle-mounted on th e turret roof fo r AAprotection . Armour maximum was 1i inch with aminimum ! inch . There was a five man crew : com-

    ma nde r, gun ne r, load er , d river, ass istant d river .Access/ escape doors fo r t he c rew were provided

    in each side of t he hu II just to t he rear of t he fron twheels.Service : The 250 veh icle s bui lt were offered to Britai nwho allocated the name Deerhound to this type .Howeve r, on reject ion fo r British service, t hesevehicles were issued to th e US Military Pol ice . Withth e 37mm gun removed t hey we re used as patrolvehicl es at military bases in th e United States on lyand saw no combat se rvice .

    T17 specification on page 24.

    TI7El and T17E2 scale drawings on next two pages.Text continues wl'th T !7El description on page 14.

    11

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    14/27

    Car Tl7E1(Staghound I}

    0 I 2 3 4 $Feet

    j'

    12

    Enlargement ofvehicle identityplate fitted indriving compart-ment forward of.bottom of righthand door.

    CopyrightKenneth tv1 . Jones

    (Right) T17Elplan view

    Armored Car T17E2(Staghound AA}

    (Left} TI7E2plan view

    0 I 2 3 4 $

    FeetTurret offset

    to left ofvehicle

    13

    No hull machine gun on TI7E21 : 48 scale

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    15/27

    View of a Staghound I (TI7El) in British service shows it with external fuel tank rernoved (JWM).ARMORED CAR Tl7El {STAGHOUND)

    US Designation : Armored Ca r T17E 1 M6)British Designation: Armoured Car , Staghound Mk I

    Mk II , or Mk Ill.Description : This vehicle had a box-shaped hull withno separate chassis , th e suspension and drive units ,etc , being fix ed directly to th e hull. Power was provided by tw o GMC (Chevrolet) 6 cylinder in-linegasoline engines of 97 h.p . each, mounted side-by-sideat th e rear of th e hull and accessible through tw ofull -width cover plates in th e rear hull decking. Thetwo motors were . in fact, arranged 'back to front 'with the transmission and flywheel at the forward end.Hydramatic transmission was fitted , a fully automatictype derived from a commercial (Chrysler) tran smiss ion dev e loped fo r automobiles before th e war .Each Hydramatic gearbox had four speeds forward andone reverse. At its name implies the transmissionsystem was hydraulically coupled and controlled.Driving was very much simplified , therefore , in th eT17E 1, one of this vehicle's most popular features.The driver had only to se t his gear lever to neutral ,reverse, or forward ( two positions) , as appropriateafter which th e gears changed automatically accordingto throttle setting and running conditions . In emergencies th e gears could be shifted by hand via aseparate lever and cable linkage to each gearbox .Power was transmitted to th e front and rear axles bya two-speed transfer box.

    Access to th e welded hull was extremely good ; aswell as a large escape hatch in each side there was aseparate hatch fo r th e driver and assistant driver wh oeach had large opening vision flaps in th e hull fronts .These flaps featured protected vision ports for drivingunder 'action' conditions. For road running, portablewindscreens, each complete with a wiper, could befitted inside th e open vision flaps. The cast turret hadaccess hatches fo r the commander and gunner, plus a

    pistc l port in each sid e. There was a total of sixper iscope s, th ree in th e turret and three in th eforward hull.A rma ment consisted of a 37mm gun and co-axial.30 cal mac hine gun in th e turret , plus a 2 inch bombthrow e r in th e roof . There was a further .30 calmac hine gun in the right hull front , op er ated by th eassistan t driver. Fin ally there was usually a pintle fo ra furth er .30 cal weapon on th e turret roof though thi swas no t a lwa ys fitted. There was a total crew of five :d rive r, assistant driver , gunner, loader , and commander/radio op era to r .

    The turre t was hydraulically traversed with th eassociated electric motor and pump located on thefloor of th e turret cage beneath th e gunner's seatwhich was to th e left of th e gun . An aiming telescope

    Usual British modification was the addition of oldammunition boxes to the fron t wings as stowage containers. Th e particular Staghound is fitted wit h extraradio and has the front machine gun rernoved, for useas a rear link vehicle by a unit commander(IWM-TK / 6).14

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    16/27

    29

    fo r t he gunner was fitted in th e gun mount . Elevationwas by handwheel , and a gyrostabiliser was connectedto th e elevating gear to facilitate accurate aimingwhile th e vehicle was moving. Self-sealing jettisontanks (which could be released from within th evehicle) were an important feature of th e T17E1which gave it a range of up to 500 miles at 40 mph .Maximum perm itted speed was 55 mph.Service : Apart from a few vehicles believed to havebeen used . a.t th e U.S. Army's Desert Warfare School ,all T17E1s were supplied to Britain under the Britishdesignation Staghound Mk I. The designation ArmoredCar M6 had been provisionally earmarked fo r theTl7E 1 on standardisation but , in fact, it was neveraccorded this status being classed only as a 'limitedprocurement ' type. The M6 designation is frequentlyencountered however, probably because some Staghounds were so marked on their builders' plates inanticipation of standardisation. First Staghounds werein service with the British in Italy in 1943 where theyproved to have a good performance in th e muddyconditions encountered . They were also issued toCanadian and New Zealand armoured units in Italy andto Indian and New Zealand units in th e Middle East .Staghounds were also used widely in th e NW Europecampaign , 1944-45, mainly equipping heavy and HQtroops of armoured ca r squadrons . Th e 1st BelgianIndependent Armoured Brigade used Staghounds in1944-45 and th e Belgian Army used them fo r someyears post-war . They also remained in British servicepost-war and other major peacetime users includedDenmark , India, and South Africa .

    The Staghound was a popular vehicle , easy to driveand maintain, very reliable , well armed, and fa st . Ithad an excellent power-to-weight ratio and a very

    19 - 20 -

    T17El stowage diagramKEY: (13) Towing cable. (14) Headlight socket plugs.(15) .30 cal machine gun (shown with muzz le cover) .(16) Front vision flaps. (17) M6 periscopes. (18) 37mmgun M6 (shown with muzzle cover). (19 and 20) Radioantennae. (21) Rammer. (22) Pick. (23) Tripod and pintlefor .30 cal (AA) gu n. (24) Shovel. (25) Jettison.able fueltank. (26) Stowage box containing canvas bucket, rations,spare light bulbs, blankets, and lyre pump. (27) Axe.(28) Crowbar. (29) Camouflage net rolled up insidetarpaulin . (30) Co-axial .30 machine gun . (31) Stowagebox for radio antennae. (32) Jettisonable fuel tank. (33)Stowage box containing lyre chains, fuel hose, miscellaneous tools, wrench and handle, and jack and han dle(U .S. 0 /ficia[).good range. By British standards its only major drawback was lack of a reverse driving position as favouredin British designs .Variants : The British requested development of aversion of th e Staghound fo r th e close support role .Such a vehicle was designed in America, th e T17E3,with a 75mm howitzer. In th e event it was no tproduced (see part 1) and as an interim measure th eBritish converted some Staghound Is by removing th e37mm gun and fitting a 3 inch tank howitzer to firesmoke and HE . The hull machine gun and assistantdriver 's seat were removed on these converted vehicl esto give added ammunition stowage spa.ce . The 2 inchbomb thrower was also removed from th e turret roofand 4 inch smoke dischargers were added to th eturret sides instead . Under th e designation StaghoundMk II, these vehicles served in particular with HQtroops of armoured ca r squadrons . Though th e speciallydesigned support va.riant of th e Staghound failed tomaterialise from America., th e British produced afurther new model , by conversion , under th e designation Staghound Mk Ill. Thi s type had the original turretreplaced by the turret from a Crusader tank (then

    R arest of all versions of the Staghound was this British experimental modificatimt which was f itted with Luluelectric mine detecting equipment (usually used with a Sherman tank) . Tested only, the device was known as theBantu . Meters inside the vehicle told the commander if the rollers p a ~ 1 s e d over a mz'ne (IWM).

    15

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    17/27

    Mos t potent development of the Staghound was the MkI l l , a purely British development which saw limitedservice. Turret came from a Crusader tank. Gun was theBritish developed version of the U.S. 75mm M3 andcould fire HE and HP rowuls (IWM) .available from Crusader special purpose conversions)with a 75mm tank gun fitted . Bow machine gun wasagain removed in this model, as wa s th e gyrostabiliser.A British 7.92 Besa machine gun was fitted co-axiallywith the 75mm weapon , and th e jettison tanks wereremoved and replaced by stowage boxes . Only a smallnumber of these were converted and saw limitedservice 1944-45. Some were supplied to Denmarkpost-war. The Staghound Ill wa s intended to stiffenup fire-power in armoured car regiments, equippingth e heavy troops therein .Fo r th e AA role, th e T17E2 , Staghound AA wa sproduced . Mechanically and physically identical to th eTl7E 1, it had a ne w Fraser-Nash power-operatedturret with twin .50 cal machine guns replacing th e37mm gu n an d turret. The original turret ring wa ssuitably blanked off with armour plate. Th e otherbig change was th e elimination of th e bo w (hull)machine gu n . Radio equipment was fitted in place ofth e assistant driver's seat an d th e crew was reduced tothree: driver an d ammunition handler/radio operatorin th e hull with th e gunner/commander in th e turret .Hydraulic traverse and elevation was fitted an d th eguns were also fired hydraulically in early vehicles,though electrically in later production models. Th eturret could traverse up to 50 a second with a rateof fire of 600 hundred rounds per minute an d therewas magazine feed to each gu n ( 435 rounds each) .Though issued, th e Staghound AA was not widelyused in British service since by 1944-45 the anticipated threat from air attack had largely disappeareddu e to Allied ai r superiority in Europe.

    Final variant of the much used T17E1 wa s th eStaghound Command, a local modification by removalof the turret from a standard vehicle. In some casesa windscreen or metal shield was added across th efront of th e turret ring.

    Th e Tl7E3 prototype with 75mm howitzer isdescribed an d illustrated in part l.

    T17El and Tl?E2 specifications on page 24

    TOP: Line up of Staghounds of the 27th Lancers inAugust 1945 showing Mk lis with 3 inch howitzer andsmoke dischargers /lrst and third in the line (IWM-N A26003). ABOVE: Staghound Command was a turret-less vehicle fitted with a canvas folding tilt and usuallya windscreen (as here) though individual details variedon this local modification (Canadian Officia[) .

    16

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    18/27

    AB:>VE: A Staghound I l l seen serving with a Danisharmoured car regiment in immediate post-war years (AxelDucker!). BELOW: Sraghound AA serving wirh the IstBelgian Armoured Brigade Croup in 1944. Th;s particular vehicle also forms the subject for a multi-viewco/our illustration on the inside covers (R. Surlemont).

    ABOVE: Typical modifications to the Staghound Iincluded the removal of the jettisonable fuel tank andits replace1n ent by a stowage bin, well illustra ted onthis Canadian vehicle in Italy in August I 944. Note alsothe cable reel on the front wing (Canadian Official).B ELOW : Excellent view of the T17E3, developed forBritish use but never put into production. Anotherpicture appears on page 4 (U.S. Official).

    17

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    19/27

    ARMORED CAR Tl8E2 ( BOARHOUND)ABO VE: Top view of the T18E2 shows the layout and hefty cast nose and turret of this powerful big ve hicle.No te jettisonab/e rear fuel tanks (U.S. Official).

    US Designation : Armored Car T 18E2British Designation : Heavy Armoured Car , BoarhoundDescription : The Boarhound had a welded hull withcast nose and was powered by two Chevrolet 125 h.p .6 cylinder gasoline engines mounted side-by-side atthe rear . The vehicle had eight wheel drive with th efront two axles stee ring, using hydraulic assistance .As in the T17El there were two self-sealing jettisontanks, bu t mounted at the rear instead of at th e sides.The re was a cast turret mounting th e S7mm ( 6pdr)gun with a co-axial .30 cal machine gun. A further.30 cal machine gun was flexibly mounted in th e hullfront . A 2 inch bomb thrower was fitted in th e turretroof. Hydraulic power traverse and a gyrostabiliserwere fitted as in th e T17E 1. Internal characteristicswere similar to those of the T17El and th e crew (andcrew position s) were th e same . A round escape doorwas fitted in each side of t he hull. There were fourperiscopes in th e turret roof, plus an electric fan fo rcooling the interior under desert conditions.Services: Though th e 30 production vehicles weredelivered to Britain they were no t used in combat ,only fo r trials . They were not issued fo r service.Though powerfully armed and armoured , th e Boarhound would probably have suffered from tacticallimi tations in the desert war conditions fo r whichit wa s designed , due mainly to its very high silhouetteand large size .

    ABOVE: R ear and front view of the Boarhound whichis now preserved at the Royal Armoured Corps TankMuseum , Bovington, Dorset (Chris Ellis). LEFT; Sideview of tlze first Boarhound delivered to Britain whereit is shown at the School of Tank Technology, Chertsey,in 1944, undergoing tests (IWM).

    18

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    20/27

    LIGHT ARMORED CAR M8 (GREYHOUND)ABOV E: A typical M8 in British service (as a Greyhound) shows the open-lopped turret. Also visible is the originalU .S. 11L1111ber just above the British WD number (IWM-STT6 127).US Designation : Light Armored Ca r MBBritish Designation : Light Armoured Ca r MB ,

    GreyhoundUS Designation: Armored Utility Ca r M20Description : Both th e MB and M20 were mechanicallyand physically similar as far as th e hull was concerned .This was of all-welded construction with a singleHercules JXD engine mounted at th e rear . Armou rmaximum on th e nose was t inch . Drive layout wasof conventional 6 x 6 t ype with a transfer bo x givingeight forward and tw o reverse speeds . Driver andassistant driver sa t in th e front hull in a raised roofcompartment. Vision flaps we re provided fo r roadrunning and these could be closed in action in whichcase protectoscopes in th e flaps allowed for forwardvision. A hook fo r towing a trailer was provided atth e rear and detachable sand shields covered th ewheels . Vehicles were often seen running withoutthese shields.

    In the MB an op en-topped turret was providedwhich had a 37mm gun and co-axia.l .30 cal machinegun in a combination mount M23AI. Gunner andcommander were accommodated in the turret on padded leather seats . There was no power-traverse , just ahandwheel operat ing on th e turret ring. In th e earlyvehicles t his was single speed bu t in later vehiclestwo-s peed hand traverse was provided . Elevation wa salso by hand and there was a turret locking device .A pintle was provided on th e turret rear for a .50cal M2 machine gun fo r AA defence. Though this wasth e 'standard ' arrangement, later vehicles were modified to have a M49 ring mount added on th e turret to pthus giving a superior arc of fire and flexibility to th eAA machine gun.

    In th e M20 th e to p of t he su perstructure above th efig hting compartment was cu t away and be nch seatswere prov ided each side fo r person nel transport .

    19

    Single seats were prov ided for the gunner and commander and a folding map table was also provided fo rthe commander. Surmountin g the compartmenttowards the rear was a M49 or M66 ring mountcarrying the .50 cal M2 machine gun provided fo rAA defence . There wa s no other offensive armament .However there wa s provision fo r internal stowage ofa 2.36 inch rocket launcher (' bazooka ') if demandedby the vehicle 's role . Up to four passengers could becarried, though six were of ten sq.ueezed in .Service: Apart from wide use by all arms of the U.S.Army, th e MB was supplied to Britain at th e end of1943 , though o nly in relatively small numbers . InBritish service it was named th e Greyhound . It wasused in both Italy and Eu rope in 1944-45 by Britishand Commonwealth armoured car units. In Africa th e2nd Armoured Ca r Squadron , Eas t Africa n Armoured

    Contin ued on page 22

    Detail view of the fighting compartment superstructure,M49 ring mount , .50 cal M2 , M6 gun and crew positionsill the M20 (U.S. Official).

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    21/27

    Light Armored Car M8(Greyhound)

    CopyrightKenneth M. jones

    Feet

    (Above) M8 plan view

    1 :4 8 scale

    20

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    22/27

    Armored Utility Car M20

    CopyrightKenneth M. Jones

    - ~ ~ ~ = = : : : : @ i l l ~ = = = = = = = : : : : : ~ ~ ~ = = = = - - . M r " - - Ground level

    (Above) M20 plan view

    1 : 48 scale

    Feet

    21 .

    at maximumloading

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    23/27

    ABOVE: The M8 had their sa11d shieldsremoved in the field, as typlfied in this view of a 9thArmy MS of an infantry battalion advancin!? into Bornon the Elbe, April 19, 1945 (U.S. Officio[) .

    RIGHT: The MS was widely usedby NATO nations and otherarmies in the American sphereof influence in po11t-war years.This French vehicle is takingpart in a parade in Paris in thelate 'fifties and is also the subjectof the colour drawing on therear cover (Tauzin / Gurtner Collection). ABovE: sole T69 M ultiple Gun Motor Carriage proto-

    From page 19Corps , used Greyhounds exclusively. While a fastand reliable vehicle , the Greyhound was to o thinlyarmoured by British standards . A major shortcomingwa s th e unarmoured belly which made th e vehicle very

    vulnerable to mine blast . The British overcame thisby lining th e floors of their Greyhounds with sandbags .France , Italy, and other NATO countries were majorpost-war users of the M8 an d M20 as were mostLatin-American countries . Many M8s remain in servicethroughout the world though th e US Army droppedarmoured cars from their inventory in 1945. One ortw o M20s were retained fo r ceremonial use , however(e .g., fo r inspections and parades} . The M20 wa s notused by th e British .Variants : Th e only major development of the M8 / M20series was for the anti-aircraft role though thisproject did no t ge t beyond th e prototype stage. Thi swa s instigated by Tank Destroyer Command whoasked th e Ordnance Department, in 1943, to producea version of th e M8 fo r AA defence in th e field .De signated Multiple Gun Motor Carriage T69, thisw as an M8 with th e turret replaced by an open-toppedpower-driven turre t with four .50 cal machine guns .Mino r modifications were made to th e traverse fol lowing tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground . Th e vehiclewa s then tested by AA Command . However, th e T69was con s ide re d inferior to the existing M16 half-trackAA vehicle mainly du e to lack of stowage space fo r

    amm u n it ion . It wa s th e refore cancelled in 1944.MS and M2 0 s p e c i f c a t i o n ~ on page 24

    1 :48 scale

    type, envisaged for AA use (U.S. """...._..,....,_,

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    24/27

    - - - ~ ~ - - - O O O H O O - - - - - - - - - - - - - H - - - - - - - - ...- -- - - ---- - - - ----

    LIGHT ARMORED CAR M38 (WOLFHOUND)AB::>VE: The M38 pilot model, which is also illustrated on page 10 . Note the removable windscreen and wiperwhich was pro vided for the dri ver when running on the road (U .S. Officio[).U.S. Designation: Light Armored Ca r M38 vertical parapet. The M38 had a Cadillac VB engine andBritish Designation: Light Armoured Ca r, Wolfhound Hydramatic transmission . Top speed was 60 mphDescription : While similar in size to the MB/M20 (against 56 mph in th e MB) and th e M38 weighedvehicles it was designed to supplant , th e M38 was about a ton le ss. Range was 300 miles . Crew was four :radically different in layout . To give superior cross- driver , assistant driver, gunner, commander.cou ntry performance th e three axles were equally Service : This vehicle saw no service, production beingspaced along the hull giving better weight distribution . cancelled in 1945 with t he end of th e war at hand .Larger tyres were fitted and each wheel had inde- It was on e of th e finest armoured ca r designs topendent suspension . While armour thickness was appear during World W ar 2 with a particularly goodreduced to cu t down overall weight, th e hull plates power-to-weight ratio and hence excellentwere better sloped giving superior effective protection . performance . The British anticipated delivery ofA larger turret was fitted bu t th e armament remained production vehicles and allocated th e name Wolf-the same , ie, a 37mm M6 gun and .30 cal co-axial hound to the design, though none arrived in Britain.machine gun . In all respects , performance was better The British Saladin armoured ca r developed post-warthan th e MB/M20, especially cross-country . While th e incorporated several design features probably inspiredMB had virtually no trench-crossing ability, th e M38 by th e M38. Wheelbase, suspension ,and other chassiscould cross a SO inch trench and climb a 24 inch characteris tics were alm os t identical.

    M38 specification on page 24

    1 : 7 6 scale reductions C o p y r i ~ h t 4mm to 1 foot Kenneth M. j ones

    Tl7E1 (Staghound I) T17E2 (Staghound AA)23

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    25/27

    DHignation Armoured Car! - - - - -__ ;_ - / Tl7Heavy

    Armored Car Armored Car Armored Car Armored Ca rTI9EI(Pilot model)

    lightArmoured Car

    MS(Greyhound)

    ArmouredUtility Ca rM20C h a r ~ i s t i c

    CrewGross Weight (lbs)

    hngth (ft. ins.)Width (ft. ins.)Height (ft. ins.)

    Tread (ins.)Wheelbase (ins.)

    Tread (ins.)Ground pressure

    (lbsjsq. ins.)Mu; speed (mph)

    Max. gradientParapet (ins.)

    Fording depth (ins.)Turning radius (ft.)

    Range (miles)Engine tYpe

    CylindenNet HPjrpmMax. torque(lbs.-ft.frpm)

    Battery voltageMain armament

    C o - a x i < ~ . ] gun

    Bow gun

    AA gun

    Ammunition ( m < ~ . i n )

    TI7E1 TI7E1 TISE2(Deerhound) (Staghound 1) (Staghound AA) (B0arhound)

    32,000 3o.i'o5 26,55818' 2" 18' 17' 10"8' 6" 8 10" 8' 10"7' 7" 7' 9"

    86 89 891-16 120 120

    12.00 X 20 14.00 X 20 14.00 X 2017.7 17.95 15.460 ss 55

    60 % S7 o/o 57%18 21 2132 32 3230 27! 27!

    250 -450 -ISO2 x Hercules JXD 2 x GMC 2,70 2 X GMC 270

    6 (in line) 6 (in liM) 6 (in line)110/3.000 97/3.000 97f3,000238/1,100 216.3/1,000 216.3/1.000

    24

    53,0Q021Y 6"10' I"8' 7!"102!197

    11.00 X 20

    so

    24

    27,000 (net)18' .. .

    10'7' 5(h "

    102126

    10.00 X 2013.863

    57 %283633

    17,40016' 5"8' 4"7'4!"

    76128

    9.00 X 2013.655

    60 %122428

    2-612.800 (net)

    16' 5"8' 4"7' T'

    76128

    9.00 X 2012.755

    122428

    250 300 350 3502 x GMC 270 2 x Cadillac .of2 Hercules JXD . Hercules JXO

    6 (in lin e) VB 6 (in line) 6 (in lin-e)175/3,000 110/3.200 110/3 .000 110/3.000

    284/1,200 238/1,1 00 238/1.10012 12.

    1 x 37mm M6 I x 37m m M6 2 x .SO MG Hl I x 6pdr ( 57mm) I x 37mm M6 1 x 37mm M6 1 11 37mm M6I X .30 MGM1919 MI X .30 MGM19191MI x .30 MGM1919MI l l rds

    I x .lO MG Ml919 MI X .lO MGMl919 A4I xJO MGM1919 A4

    101 rds 2,610 rds.

    1 X .30 MGMl919 .M '1 X .30 MGMl919 .M

    70

    I x .30 MGMl919 .MI X .30 MGMl919 .M

    200 rds

    I X .30 MGMl919 .M

    1 X .50 MG Ml1.000 rds

    Ammunition (secondary) 1,750 rds 5,250 rds 5,000 rds 12,000 rds 400 rd< (.50)1,500 rd< (.30)Other Weapons 2" bomb thrower 2" bomb thrower 2.36" RL

    l i ihtArmoured Carn1(Pilot model)

    15,20016' 10"7' 6"6' 6"

    78132

    16 X 6.50

    9.260

    16-48 '30

    300Cadillac .ofl

    VB ,110/3,200 .22

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    26/27

  • 8/2/2019 Almark American Armoured Cars 1940-45

    27/27