US Armored Recon – M8 Greyhound with 30 photos

Armored warfare excelled during the Second World War, and the future seemed to be written on the turret of a tank. But still, technology was taking its baby steps and many flaws were present both in the design and in the doctrines, strategies, and tactics practiced by both Allied and Axis forces.

For instance, logistics was key, and so was intelligence. Tanks couldn’t waste fuel and risk annihilation just by going into the unknown. A vanguard was necessary in order for the armored battalions to operate with maximum efficiency.

Following a series of developments, in 1943, the British and American forces had finally managed to produce a recon vehicle whose agility and speed was just the thing they needed in order to keep on winning.

The M8 Greyhound served with the cavalry reconnaissance troops, with the role of being the eyes and ears of the battalion using its long-range radio set. Together with equipment and crew, the vehicle weighed only 17,400 lb (7,900 kg) and was capable of attaining a speed of 55 mph (89 km/h).

M8 Greyhound Armored Car in field trials.
M8 Greyhound Armored Car in field trials.

With an operational range of 100–200 miles (160–320 km) cross country or 200–400 miles (320–640 km) on highways without needing to refuel, it was the perfect choice when it came to giving a heads up of enemy activity up ahead.

M8 Armored Car Jump View.
M8 Armored Car Jump View.

On the other hand, the Greyhound was very lightly armored, with its undercarriage extremely vulnerable to landmines. In response, soldiers would stack the floor with sandbags. Its armament was also weak and not intended for offensive operations.

Despite the fact that it was intended to operate in off-road conditions, reports from the field often criticized its performance. This resulted in restricting its activities mostly to paved roads, as it proved unreliable in the mountainous terrain of the Italian theater, as well as the mud in the European flatlands.

M8 Greyhound Armored Car in field trials.
M8 Greyhound Armored Car in field trials.

The M8 Greyhound was introduced during the 1943 Sicily campaign as part of the U.S. Army Armored Corps and was subsequently given to other Allied forces such as the British and the Free French.  It operated in the Pacific Theater and during the Ardenne Offensive, too.

After the war, it found its way to numerous Third World operators all around the globe, with countries like Colombia, Guatemala, Uruguay, and Peru reportedly still holding the Greyhound in active duty.

M8 Greyhound Armored Car.
M8 Greyhound Armored Car.

The Greyhound in action –

M8 Greyhound named Colbert.
M8 Greyhound named Colbert.

 

2nd Armored Division M8 Toeven Holland 1945.
2nd Armored Division M8 Toeven Holland 1945.

 

5th Army M8 Nina Chiquita Armored Car and Jeeps in Gaeta Italy May 20 1944.
5th Army M8 Nina Chiquita Armored Car and Jeeps in Gaeta Italy May 20 1944.

 

9th Army Troops in M8 passing statue of König Friedrich I in Moers Germany 1945.
9th Army Troops in M8 passing statue of König Friedrich I in Moers Germany 1945.

 

Captured M8 Greyhound Armored Car Used by German Army.
Captured M8 Greyhound Armored Car Used by German Army.

 

Captured M8 Greyhound with Unusual Crew.
Captured M8 Greyhound with Unusual Crew.

 

Captured M8 Greyhound.
Captured M8 Greyhound.

 

79th Infantry Division M8 Greyhound Destroyed By Mine La Haye Du Puits France.
79th Infantry Division M8 Greyhound Destroyed By Mine La Haye Du Puits France.

 

GI’s dismount M8 Armored car and jeeps Mechelau Luxembourg 3rd Army 1945.
GI’s dismount M8 Armored car and jeeps Mechelau Luxembourg 3rd Army 1945.

 

Greyhounds of Company C 82nd Recon Battalion, 2nd Armored Division pass through the road junction at St. Sever Calvados on 3 August 1944. Operation Cobra.
Greyhounds of Company C 82nd Recon Battalion, 2nd Armored Division pass through the road junction at St. Sever Calvados on 3 August 1944. Operation Cobra.

 

M8 Greyhound Armored Car in Action.
M8 Greyhound Armored Car in Action.

 

M8 Greyhound Armored Car in Action Belgium Sept 1944.
M8 Greyhound Armored Car in Action Belgium Sept 1944.

 

M8 Greyhound Armored Cars of the 2nd Cav Group Enter Brehal Normandy August 2 1944.
M8 Greyhound Armored Cars of the 2nd Cav Group Enter Brehal Normandy August 2 1944.

 

M8 Greyhound of 113th Cav Recon Squadron Spearheads 1st Army Drive into Holland September 1944.
M8 Greyhound of 113th Cav Recon Squadron Spearheads 1st Army Drive into Holland September 1944.

 

M8 Greyhound with crew.
M8 Greyhound with crew.

 

M8 Greyhounds of the 4th and 10th Armored Division in Bastogne.
M8 Greyhounds of the 4th and 10th Armored Division in Bastogne.

 

M8 of the 10th Armored Spearhead reaches Quint Germany 9 March 1945.
M8 of the 10th Armored Spearhead reaches Quint Germany 9 March 1945.

 

M8 of the 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Armored Division at St. Lo, 1944.
M8 of the 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Armored Division at St. Lo, 1944.

 

“Rusty” Armored Car of the 6th Cavalry Group With Modified .50 Cal Ring Mount 3rd Army February 17 1945.
“Rusty” Armored Car of the 6th Cavalry Group With Modified .50 Cal Ring Mount 3rd Army February 17 1945.

 

MB GPW Jeep And M8 Armored Car Leave Castle For Invasion Training 1944.
MB GPW Jeep And M8 Armored Car Leave Castle For Invasion Training 1944.

 

Patrols of the U.S. First and Third armies are shown as they met near the town of Grinvet, west of Houffalize, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.
Patrols of the U.S. First and Third armies are shown as they met near the town of Grinvet, west of Houffalize, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.

 

US VII Corps Major General J. Lawton Collins in his M8 in Eupen Belgium 1944.
US VII Corps Major General J. Lawton Collins in his M8 in Eupen Belgium 1944.

 

US soldiers in M8 of the 106th Cavalry Regiment in small French village.
US soldiers in M8 of the 106th Cavalry Regiment in small French village.

 

Troops of 84th Division shake hands with an M8 armored car crew from 11th Armored Division after they linked up along the Ourthe River on 16th January 1945.
Troops of 84th Division shake hands with an M8 armored car crew from 11th Armored Division after they linked up along the Ourthe River on 16th January 1945.

 

US Soldiers of Recon Unit in M8 Scout Car In Mountebourg France.
US Soldiers of Recon Unit in M8 Scout Car In Mountebourg France.

 

US Troops in M8 stopped by hungry women in Periers 1944.
US Troops in M8 stopped by hungry women in Periers 1944.

Nikola Budanovic

Nikola Budanovic is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE