M8 Greyhound
At the beginning of World War II, the US Army remained wedded to the idea of the tank destroyer: a fast, lightly armored tank or armored car that would race into enemy lines, destroy an opponent's tanks, and then race back out of range before the enemy could respond. Regular tanks would be used to exploit breakthroughs and support the infantry, not duel other tanks.
With this in mind, the Army issued a requirement for a fast, wheeled tank destroyer to replace truck-mounted antitank guns; the latter had no armor at all and were not all that fast. Several companies offered designs, but in April 1942, not long after the US had entered the war, the Army selected Ford's T22 prototype as the M8. It would be almost a year before it entered production, due to the need to produce other designs and some minor changes to the M8 itself.
When the M8 entered service, however, even the Army was beginning to question the tank destroyer principle, and in any case the M8's 37mm antitank gun would be ineffective against any German tank. However, the M8 might be useful as a scout car, so it was pressed into service in that role, equipping Army cavalry units. A number were provided to the British under Lend-Lease; the less than impressed British dubbed it the Greyhound.
In service, the British weren't the only ones who weren't impressed by the M8. While it was fast enough, it was too big to go offroad without bogging down, its turn radius was too wide, and its thin armor was proof only against small arms and light machine guns. It had virtually no armor on the floor, making the M8 extremely vulnerable to mines. Moreover, once the US Army were in western Europe, any engagement between the M8 and German scout cars like the Sdkfz. 234 would end up in the Germans' favor: the 234 was by then equipped with 50mm and 75mm antitank guns. US Army cavalry units found out that the common Jeep was actually more effective as a scout.
However, the M8 had some advantages. It was easy to maintain and reliable, and fast enough on roads; it was also very quiet when running. Most importantly, it had a radio. Patton's Third Army found that their M8s could infiltrate through German lines, find a good place to hole up, and call in artillery or airstrikes on German positions before the enemy even knew they were there. This tactic was part of the reason for the success of Patton's dash across France. The M8 was not completely helpless in a firefight, either: there is documented evidence that a M8 scout troop managed to trap a King Tiger outside of St. Vith and disable it, or at the least bog it down enough that the crew abandoned it.
After the war, the Army realized the M8 was obsolete and rapidly sold them off as surplus, though a few saw service in Korea. The French would use them to some effectiveness in Algeria and Indochina; the South Vietnamese also had a few left during the early phases of the Vietnam War. Brazil used upgraded M8s well into the 1980s. Over 12,000 were built during the war.
I've seen no less than three M20s in 2020, but only one M8! This M8 shows the difference between the two variants (the M20 can be seen in the background). It could also use some attention--the olive drab paint has started to fade, and the M2 machine gun has badly rusted. This Greyhound is on display at the 4th Infantry Division Museum at Fort Carson, Colorado, and may have served with the division's 4th Cavalry during World War II.
M8 Greyhound
At the beginning of World War II, the US Army remained wedded to the idea of the tank destroyer: a fast, lightly armored tank or armored car that would race into enemy lines, destroy an opponent's tanks, and then race back out of range before the enemy could respond. Regular tanks would be used to exploit breakthroughs and support the infantry, not duel other tanks.
With this in mind, the Army issued a requirement for a fast, wheeled tank destroyer to replace truck-mounted antitank guns; the latter had no armor at all and were not all that fast. Several companies offered designs, but in April 1942, not long after the US had entered the war, the Army selected Ford's T22 prototype as the M8. It would be almost a year before it entered production, due to the need to produce other designs and some minor changes to the M8 itself.
When the M8 entered service, however, even the Army was beginning to question the tank destroyer principle, and in any case the M8's 37mm antitank gun would be ineffective against any German tank. However, the M8 might be useful as a scout car, so it was pressed into service in that role, equipping Army cavalry units. A number were provided to the British under Lend-Lease; the less than impressed British dubbed it the Greyhound.
In service, the British weren't the only ones who weren't impressed by the M8. While it was fast enough, it was too big to go offroad without bogging down, its turn radius was too wide, and its thin armor was proof only against small arms and light machine guns. It had virtually no armor on the floor, making the M8 extremely vulnerable to mines. Moreover, once the US Army were in western Europe, any engagement between the M8 and German scout cars like the Sdkfz. 234 would end up in the Germans' favor: the 234 was by then equipped with 50mm and 75mm antitank guns. US Army cavalry units found out that the common Jeep was actually more effective as a scout.
However, the M8 had some advantages. It was easy to maintain and reliable, and fast enough on roads; it was also very quiet when running. Most importantly, it had a radio. Patton's Third Army found that their M8s could infiltrate through German lines, find a good place to hole up, and call in artillery or airstrikes on German positions before the enemy even knew they were there. This tactic was part of the reason for the success of Patton's dash across France. The M8 was not completely helpless in a firefight, either: there is documented evidence that a M8 scout troop managed to trap a King Tiger outside of St. Vith and disable it, or at the least bog it down enough that the crew abandoned it.
After the war, the Army realized the M8 was obsolete and rapidly sold them off as surplus, though a few saw service in Korea. The French would use them to some effectiveness in Algeria and Indochina; the South Vietnamese also had a few left during the early phases of the Vietnam War. Brazil used upgraded M8s well into the 1980s. Over 12,000 were built during the war.
I've seen no less than three M20s in 2020, but only one M8! This M8 shows the difference between the two variants (the M20 can be seen in the background). It could also use some attention--the olive drab paint has started to fade, and the M2 machine gun has badly rusted. This Greyhound is on display at the 4th Infantry Division Museum at Fort Carson, Colorado, and may have served with the division's 4th Cavalry during World War II.