M8 Greyhound

M8 light armored car
M8 Greyhound at the U.S. Army Armor & Cavalry Collection, Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), Georgia, 2023
TypeArmored car
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1943–present
Used bySee List of operators
WarsWorld 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
DesignerFord Motor Company
Designed1942
ManufacturerFord Motor Company
ProducedMarch 1943 – June 1945[1][page needed]
No. built8,523 M8[2][3]
3,791 M20[1][page needed][3]
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass16,400 lb (7.4 t)[4]
Length15 ft 5 in (4.70 m)[4]
Width7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)[4]
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[4]
Crew4 (commander/loader, gunner, driver, assistant driver) [3]

ArmorUp to 1 in (25 mm)
Main
armament
37 mm gun M6
80 rounds[5]
Secondary
armament
.30 caliber (7.62 mm) Browning M1919 machine gun
1,500 rounds[5]
.50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2HB machine gun
400 rounds[5]
EngineHercules JXD 6 cylinder 4-cycle inline gasoline engine[3]
110 hp (82 kW) at 3,200 rpm[3]
Power/weight14.79 hp/metric ton
TransmissionSynchromesh
4 speeds forward, 1 reverse[3]
SuspensionLeaf spring
Ground clearance11.4 in (0.29 m) under axles[4]
Fuel capacity54 US gal (200 L)[6]
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[3]

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.[1][page needed] The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2024 still remained in service with some countries.[1][page needed]

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.

  1. ^ a b c d Zaloga 2002.
  2. ^ Zaloga, 2002 [page needed]
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference AFVWW12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e TM 9-743, 1943. p5
  5. ^ a b c TM 9-743 pp25-27
  6. ^ TM 9-743, p9