GROUND POWER 56 WW2 Sd.Kfz.251 M8 GREYHOUND SOVIET WEAPONS PTRD MORTARS AT-GUN

Description: GROUND POWER 56 WW2 Sd.Kfz.251 M8 GREYHOUND SOVIET WEAPONS PTRD MORTARS AT-GUN GROUND POWER 56 WW2 Sd.Kfz.251 M8 GREYHOUND SOVIET WEAPONS PTRD VERY HEAVILY ILLUSTRATED SOFTBOUND BOOK IN JAPANESE with ENGLISH LANGUAGE NOTES THROUGHOUT WW2 GERMAN SCHUTZENPANZER ARMOURED HALF TRACKS (Sd.Kfz.251, Sd.Kfz.252 & Sd.Kfz.253) WW2 US ARMY M8 ARMOURED CAR SOVIET RED ARMY COMBAT WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR II (PART 2) WW2 ANTI-TANK RIFLES (DEGTYAREV PTRD, SIMONOV PTRS): The PTRD-41 (Shortened from Russian, ProtivoTankovoye Ruzhyo Degtyaryova; 1941 ; "Degtyaryov Single Shot Anti-Tank Weapon System Model of 1941") is an anti-tank rifle that was produced and used from early 1941 by the Soviet Red Army during World War II. It is a single-shot weapon which fires the 14.5ï¿½114 mm round, which was able to penetrate German tanks such as the Panzer III and early models of the Panzer IV. Although unable to penetrate the frontal armor of late-war German tanks, it could penetrate their thinner side armor at close ranges as well as thinly armored self-propelled guns and half-tracks. MORTARS (40mm LIGHT MORTAR M1940, 50mm LIGHT MORTAR M1941, 82mm MEDIUM MORTAR M1941, 82mm MEDIUM MORTAR M1943, 120mm HEAVY MORTAR M1938) ANTI-TANK GUNS (37mm MODEL 30 L/45, 45mm, 57mm, 100mm) ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS (25 MM AUTOMATIC AIR DEFENSE GUN M1940 (72-K), 37 MM AUTOMATIC AIR DEFENSE GUN M1939 (61-K), 45 MM ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN (21-K), 85 MM AIR DEFENSE GUN M1939 (52-K)) INFANTRY / MOUNTAIN GUNS (37mm INFANTRY GUN MODEL 15R, 45mm INFANTRY HOWITZER MODEL 29K, 76.2 MM INFANTRY GUN MODEL 10P, 76.2 INFANTRY GUN MODEL 1927) FIELD GUNS (76.2mm FIELD GUN MODEL 00/02P, 85mm FIELD GUN) ------------------------------ Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia The Sd.Kfz. 251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) half-track was a World War II German armored personnel carrier designed by the Hanomag company, based on its earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the Panzergrenadier (German mechanized infantry) into battle. Sd.Kfz. 251s were the most widely produced German half-tracks of the war, with at least 15,252 vehicles and variants produced by seven manufacturers. The utility of this vehicle led the German Army to develop the similar looking but shorter and lighter Sd.Kfz. 250 as a supplement. Some sources state that the Sd.Kfz. 251 was commonly referred to simply as "Hanomags" by both German and Allied soldiers after the manufacturer of the vehicle; German officers referred to them as SPW (Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen, or armored infantry vehicle) in their daily orders and memoirs. Design There were four main model modifications (Ausfï¿½hrung A through D), which formed the basis for at least 22 variants.[1] The initial idea was for a vehicle that could be used to transport a single squad of 10 panzergrenadiers to the battlefield protected from enemy small arms fire, and with some protection from artillery fire. In addition, the standard mounting of at least one MG 34 or MG 42 machine gun allowed the vehicle to provide suppressive fire for the rifle squad both while they dismounted and in combat. The armour plates were designed to provide protection against standard rifle/ machine gun bullets (like the 7.92ï¿½57mm Mauser bullet). The front-facing plates were 14.5mm thick; the sides were steeply angled, V-shape 8mm thick plates. This level of armour provided protection against normal (non-tungsten) rifle AP round, which could pierce about 8mm of vertical armour. Positive aspects of the open top included greater situational awareness and faster egress by the infantry, as well as the ability to throw grenades and fire over the top of the fighting compartment as necessary while remaining under good horizontal cover. The downside, as with all armored personnel carriers of the era, was a major vulnerability to all types of plunging fire; this included indirect fire from mortars and field artillery, as well as small arms fire from higher elevated positions, lobbed hand grenades, Molotov cocktails, and strafing by enemy aircraft. The first two models (Ausf. A and B) were produced in small numbers from 1939. Ausf. A and B models can be identified by the structure of the nose armor, which comprised two trapezoidal armor panels - the lower of which had an engine cooling vent. The B model, which began production in 1940, eliminated the fighting compartment's side vision slits. The C model, which started production in mid-1942, featured a simplified hexagonal-shaped forward armored plate for the engine. Models A through C had rear doors that bulged out. The C model had a large production run, but was quite complex to build, involving many angled plates. From early 1943, the D model was developed with the purpose of halving the number of angled body plates, simplifying the design and thus speeding up the production. D models can be easily recognized by their single piece sloping rear, with flat doors. The standard personnel carrier version was equipped with a 7.92 mm MG 34 or MG 42 machine gun mounted at the front of the open compartment, above and behind the driver. A second machine gun could be mounted at the rear on an anti-aircraft mount. Variants were produced for specialized purposes, including with anti-aircraft guns, light howitzers, anti-tank guns and mortars or even large unguided artillery rockets, as well as a version with an infrared search light used to spot potential targets for associated Panther tanks equipped with infrared detectors. A strong design feature of the Sd.Kfz. 251 was the large track area, with the characteristic "slack track" design with no return rollers for the upper run of track. The Sd.Kfz. 251 also had the Schachtellaufwerk system of overlapping and interleaved main road wheels common to virtually all German halftracks of the period. This lowered the ground pressure and provided better traction, at the cost of much greater complexity in maintenance. The Sd.Kfz. 251 also had tank steering, whereby the normal steering wheel moved the front wheels, but after more turning of the steering wheel, the tracks are braked to cause turning, like on a tank. However, the interleaved and overlapping main road wheels shared a major problem with the Tiger I and Panther tanks that also used such roadwheel configurations - in muddy or winter weather conditions, such as those during a mud season (rasputitsa) or the winter conditions, accumulated mud and snow could freeze solid between the road wheels, immobilizing the vehicle. Use The early production models of this vehicle were issued to the 1st Panzer Division in 1939 as the 'Ausf.A' or 'A-version'. There were 232 estimated Ausf.A units produced, which took place in Hannover's Hanomag, Bï¿½ssing-NAG of Berlin-Oberschï¿½neweide, Weserhï¿½tte of Bad Oeynhausen, Wumag of Gï¿½rlitz, and F. Schichau shipyard of Elbing facilities. These vehicles were meant to enable Panzergrenadiere to accompany panzers and provide infantry support as required. In practice, there were never enough of them to go around, and most Panzergrenadier units had to make do with trucks for transport. In August 1943, Romania acquired a total of 27 armored half-tracks, of both the 251 and 250 types[6] followed in 1944 by 251 type and other types of armored cars to convert two cavalry divisions into armored or mechanized divisions. Sd.Kfz. 251s were known as SPW mijlociu ("medium SPW") in Romanian service, while Sd.Kfz. 250s were referred to as SPW uor ("light SPW"). The Army of the Independent State of Croatia received 15 Sd.Kfz. 251 in spring 1944 and the Ustashe Militia received 12 in autumn 1944. Variants Sd.Kfz. 251/7 "Pionierpanzerwagen" Sd.Kfz. 251/9 "Stummel" Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf.D captured by the Polish Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 Tatra OT-810 - a Czechoslovak post-war version of the Sd.Kfz. 251 produced by the company Podpolianske strojï¿½rne Detva in Slovakia. There were 23 official variants, and sundry unofficial variants. Each variant is identified by a suffix to the model number; however, there was some overlap in the variant numbers. Sd.Kfz. 251/1 - Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen. Standard personnel carrier. Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. A Ungepanzerte. Made with plain steel 5mm plates instead of armour, to make up numbers due to slow initial 251 production. Around 350 made up to mid 1940. 251/1 I - with intercom facilities 251/1 II - Rocket launcher (called "Stuka zu Fuï¿½" (Walking Stuka) or Wurfrahmen 40) equipped with six side-mounted frames for launching 280 mm or 320 mm Wurfkoerper rockets. Sd.Kfz. 251/1 - Falke Infrared imaging equipment for driver and MG 42 or MG 34 machine gun operator, to be used in combination with Sd.Kfz. 251/20 Uhu. Mostly Ausf. D variants. Sd.Kfz. 251/2 - Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen (Granatwerfer). 81 mm Mortar carrier. Carried 66 rounds for the GrW34. A base plate was also stored so that the mortar could be offloaded and used. Sd.Kfz. 251/3 - mittlerer Kommandopanzerwagen (Funkpanzerwagen). Communications vehicle, fitted with extra radio equipment for command use in Ausf. C and Ausf. D versions. 251/3 I - FuG8 and FuG5 Radios 251/3 II - FuG8 and FuG5 Radios 251/3 III - FuG7 and FuG1 Radios (for ground to air coordination) 251/3 IV - FuG11 and FuG12 Radios (with 9 m telescopic mast); Command vehicle variant (Kommandowagen) 251/3 V - FuG11 Radio Sd.Kfz. 251/4 - Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen fï¿½r Munition und Zubehï¿½r des leIG18. Gun-towing tractor, initially for use with the 7.5 cm leichtes Infanteriegeschï¿½tz 18. Later used to tow the 50 mm Pak 38, 75 mm PaK 40 and 10.5 cm leFH 18 light field howitzer. Sd.Kfz. 251/5 - Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen fï¿½r Pionierzug. Assault Engineer vehicle with inflatable boats stored in the side storage lockers, and light dismantleable assault bridges stored inside through loss of a seat for more storage space. Early command vehicles for Pioneer platoons (Pionierzug) were equipped with a 37 mm Pak 36 anti-tank gun mount. Sd.Kfz. 251/6 - mittlere Funkpanzerwagen (Kommandopanzerwagen). Command version equipped with map boards, cipher and encoding machines, and Enigma equipment. Probably only made in versions Ausf. A and Ausf. B. Replaced by the 251/3 IV command SPW. Sd.Kfz. 251/7 I - Pionierpanzerwagen. Another assault engineer vehicle; this had fittings to carry assault bridge ramps on the sides. 251/7 II - As above but with different radio. Sd.Kfz. 251/8 I - Krankenpanzerwagen. Armored ambulance capable of carrying up to 8 seated casualties or 4 seated casualties and 2 stretcher cases. 251/8 II - As above but fitted with FuG5 radio and 2m rod antenna. Assigned to HQ and Panzer units. Sd.Kfz. 251/9 - Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen (7.5 cm KwK37). Equipped with a 75 mm L/24 low velocity gun, using the same pedestal gun mount employed on the StuG III. Nicknamed "Stummel" ("stump"). In 1944, a revised modular gun mount was introduced to facilitate production that also incorporated a coaxial MG42. This universal gun mount was also used to create the Sd.Kfz. 250/8 variant and the Sd.Kfz.234/3. Sd.Kfz. 251/10 - Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK). Equipped with a 37 mm Pak 36 anti-tank gun mount. Issued to platoon leaders as a fire support vehicle. Early versions used the whole top half of a Pak 36 with full gunshield, but later ausf. C & D used a much smaller half-size gunshield so that the vehicle didn't advertise its firepower, so it looked more like a regular 251/1. Sd.Kfz. 251/11 - Fernsprechpanzerwagen. Telephone line layer. Sd.Kfz. 251/12 - Messtrupp und Gerï¿½tpanzerwagen. Survey and instrument carrier for artillery units. Never built. Sd.Kfz. 251/13 - Schallaufnahmepanzerwagen. Sound recording carrier for artillery units. Never built. Sd.Kfz. 251/14 - Schallaufnahmepanzerwagen. Sound ranging carrier for artillery units. Never built. Sd.Kfz. 251/15 - Lichtauswertepanzerwagen. Flash spotting carrier for artillery units. Never built. Sd.Kfz. 251/16 - Flammpanzerwagen. Fitted with two flame projectors and initially a rear-mounted flamethrower, detachable but still connected to the vehicle, to be operated by dismounted infantry. This was in addition to the standard forward machine gun mount. Six Sd.Kfz. 251/16 Flammpanzerwagens were authorised for issue to each Panzergrenadier regiment or in the Pioneer battalion. Though vulnerable, they were used very successfully at night to quickly attack enemy infantry who had just captured German trenches, hitting the enemy before they could consolidate and bring up the heavy weapons that would make them much costlier to defeat later. Late ausf. D versions had larger gunshields. Sd.Kfz. 251/17 - Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen (2 cm). Anti-aircraft vehicle armed with a 2 cm KwK38 on a pedestal mounting with a small armored turret to protect the gunner. Late war, it was issued as a platoon commander's vehicle to replace the Sd.Kfz. 251/10. Sd.Kfz. 251/18 I - Beobachtungspanzerwagen. Artillery observation vehicle. 251/18 Ia - Differences unknown, likely different radio fit. 251/18 II - Armored observation vehicle. 251/18 IIa - Different radio. Sd.Kfz. 251/19 - Fernsprechbetriebspanzerwagen. Telephone exchange vehicle. Sd.Kfz. 251/20 - Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen (Infrarotscheinwerfer) Introduced in late 1944, it mounted a 60 cm infrared searchlight with a range of 1.5 km for illuminating targets at night. Known as "Uhu" (Eagle Owl), they guided IR sight-equipped Panther tanks to targets that were out of range of their own smaller infrared searchlights. Sd.Kfz. 251/21 - Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen (Drilling MG151s). Anti-aircraft and ground support variant equipped with a triple-mount ("Drilling" in German means "triple") of MG151 autocannon; early version being MG151/15 mm cannon, later being MG151/20 mm Luftwaffe cannon, on a Kriegsmarine triple mount. Strong firepower, especially when organised into platoons of 6 SPW. However, with a combined rate of fire of 2000 RPM, it could fire off its full load of 3000 rounds in just 90 seconds. Sd.Kfz. 251/22 - 7.5 cm PaK40 L/46 auf mittlerem Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen. Fitted with a 75 mm PaK 40 anti-tank gun. Probably too big a gun for the carriage, overloaded but effective, and the Yugoslav military was still using captured examples into the 1950s. Sd.Kfz. 251/23 - 2 cm Hï¿½ngelafette 38 auf mittlerem Schï¿½tzenpanzerwagen. Reconnaissance variant intended to replace the Sd.Kfz. 250/9 and fitted with the same turret mounting as the Sd.Kfz. 234/1 armoured car. Probably never built. OT-810 - Czechoslovakian modified version known as Tatra OT-810 was made by Podpolianske strojï¿½rne Detva. About 1,500 vehicles were built during 1958ï¿½62, they have had an air-cooled diesel engine made by Tatra and armored roof over the troop compartment for better protection in case of nuclear war.[12] The vehicle was not liked by those who used it and was nicknamed "Hitler's revenge". Last vehicles were removed from Czech Army magazines in 1995. Field modified variants - Various field modified variants also existed during World War II. There was a kit for installing an armoured map table in place of the forward MG34 mount in use in 1941. One interesting variant was made at the closing stages of the war, when German forces removed the armored bodies of damaged Sd.Kfz. 251s and installed them on light truck chassis, resulting in a wheeled variant of the Sd.Kfz. 251. At least two were made in this way judging by their number plates. --------------------------------------------- The M8 light armored car is a 6ï¿½6 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. The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2006 still remained in service with some countries. 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. Development and production history In July 1941, the U.S. Army Ordnance Department initiated the development of a new fast tank destroyer to replace the M6 37 mm gun motor carriage, which was essentially a ï¿½-ton truck with a 37 mm gun installed in the rear bed.[1][page needed] The requirement was for a 6ï¿½4 wheeled vehicle armed with a 37 mm gun, a coaxial machine gun mounted in a turret, and a machine gun in the front hull.[1][page needed] Its glacis armor was supposed to withstand fire from a .50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun and side armor from a .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun. Prototypes were submitted by Studebaker (designated T21), Ford (T22) and Chrysler (T23), all of them quite similar in design and appearance. In April 1942, the T22 was selected, despite complaints about deficiencies, due to the need for vehicles. By then, it was clear that the 37 mm gun would not be effective against the front armor of German tanks; so, the new armored car, now designated the M8, took on a reconnaissance role instead. Contract issues and minor design improvements delayed serial production until March 1943. Production ended in June 1945. A total of 8,523 M8 and 3,791 M20 armored cars were built, The M8s and M20s were manufactured at Ford Motor Company plants in Chicago, Illinois, and Saint Paul, Minnesota; the St Paul plant built 6,397 M8s to Chicago's 2,126; the 3,791 M20s were produced at the Chicago plant only. In May 1942, having viewed the prototype, the British Tank Mission turned down the offer to acquire the M8 through lend-lease.[1][page needed] It was named "Greyhound" in keeping with other U.S. armored cars already ordered by the British, such as the (cancelled) T18 Boarhound, the T17 Deerhound, the T17E1 Staghound and the (also cancelled) M38 Wolfhound. Mission and operational performance The cavalry reconnaissance troops (equivalent to companies) assigned to infantry divisions and squadrons (equivalent to battalions) assigned to armored divisions or independent, and used at the direction of a division or corps commander, served as advance "eyes and ears," and this required speed and agility. When on the march, the cavalry was to make contact with enemy forces at the earliest practical moment and maintain it thereafter. The reconnaissance troops identified hostile units and reported their strength, composition, disposition and movement. During withdrawals, the cavalry often served as a screening force for the main units. The M8 was not designed for offensive combat, and its firepower was adequate only against similar lightly armored enemy vehicles and infantry. With only the unarmored hull pan to serve as floor armor, the M8 was particularly vulnerable to mines. The vehicle's other drawback was limited mobility in muddy or broken terrain or heavily wooded areas. The use of wheels, rather than continuous tracks like a tank, gave it a higher ground pressure which hampered its off-road performance in such terrain. Armored cavalry units preferred using the ï¿½-ton reconnaissance car (Willys MB "jeep") in these environments.[citation needed] A large turning radius, limited wheel travel, and open differentials also limited its cross-country mobility and made the M8 susceptible to immobilization off-road in off-camber terrain and defiles. This led operators to using the vehicle mostly on existing roads and paths, where it became vulnerable to ambush. Conversely, the performance of the M8 on hard surfaces was exceptional, with the vehicle having a long range and able to consistently maintain its top speed of 55 mph. Conversely, as a wheeled vehicle, the M8 was generally more reliable than tracked vehicles of similar size, requiring far less maintenance and logistical support. Description Shells for the main 37 mm gun were stored on racks inside the turret. The barrel of an M1 carbine, carried for close-in vehicular defense, is visible at left. The M8's armor was thin, but it provided protection for the crew from small-arms fire and shrapnel, enough so that the vehicle could carry out its main mission of reconnaissance. The frontal, sloped hull armor varied in thickness from 0.5 to 0.75 inches (13 to 19 millimetres) The side and rear hull armor, also sloped but slightly less so than the front, was 0.375 inches (9.5 mm) thick. The top armor was 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) thick, as was the floor.[7] The turret was comparatively better protected than the hull, being 0.75 inches (19 mm) thick all around, with an 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) partial roof. The cast, rounded gun shield was uniformly 1 inch (25 mm) thick. The M8 was fitted with a 37 mm M6 gun (aimed by an M70D telescopic sight) and a coaxially mounted .30 in (7.62 mm) Browning machine gun in a one-piece, cast mantlet, mounted in an open-topped, welded turret. The M8 was initially fitted without any kind of anti-aircraft defense; as a stopgap solution a .50 caliber Browning M2HB machine gun on a ring mount was retrofitted to nearly all vehicles already in service. A purpose-designed pintle was mounted on all late-production vehicles, but it saw comparatively little action due to a troubled development process. The crew of four comprised a commander (who doubled as the loader), gunner, driver, and radio operator (who could also act as a driver). The driver and radio operator were seated in the forward section of the hull, while the commander and gunner sat in the turret, with the commander seated on the right, and the gunner on the left, The vehicle carried 80 37 mm rounds (16 in the turret and 64 in an ammunition rack in the right sponson) when fitted with a single radio. Vehicles with a second radio installed only carried 16 main gun rounds. Some units solved this problem by cutting up the removed main ammunition rack and stowing 18 rounds in each sponson, under the radios. This raised the number of main gun rounds able to be carried to 52. Another modification (the most common one) involved fabricating (again from the discarded main ammunition rack) a 43-round bin to be placed behind the driver's seat, and a 20-round bin attached to the framing of the turret basket. This raised the ammunition capacity up to rounds.Machine gun ammunition consisted of 1,500 .30 caliber rounds and 400 .50 caliber rounds. In addition, the vehicle carried a mix of six Mk 2 fragmentation grenades, 6 MK 3 offensive grenades, four smoke grenades, and four M1 carbines for the crew, and six M1 anti-tank mines. The M8 was powered by a Hercules Model JXD in-line six-cylinder 320 cubic-inch gasoline engine giving it a top speed of 55 mph (89 km/h) on-road, and 32 mph (51 km/h) off-road. With a 54 US gal (200 L) fuel tank, it could manage a road range of 200ï¿½400 miles (320ï¿½640 km) The Hercules JXD ran more quietly than other engines of comparable power, which helped the M8 maintain an element of surprise and reduce the chance of being heard by the enemy. Because of this, the M8 armored cars in Patton's Third Army were known as "Patton's ghosts", since they were difficult to detect. Each M8 armored car was equipped with a long-range radio set to communicate with higher headquarters. A short-range radio set was used to communicate within the unit, or with headquarters. The M8 weighed 16,400 lb (7,400 kg) fully loaded with equipment and crew, and was capable of 100ï¿½250 mi (160ï¿½400 km) cross country or 200ï¿½400 mi (320ï¿½640 km) on highways without refueling.[7] On normal roads, it was capable of a sustained speed of 55 mph (89 km/h).[10][7] Early production models were fitted with the SCR-193 transmitter and SCR-312 Receiver due to lack of SCR-508 radio sets. Service history World War II The M8 light armored car entered combat service with the Allies in the 1943 invasion of Sicily. It was purpose designed to serve as the primary basic command and communication combat vehicle of the U.S. Cavalry Reconnaissance troops. It was subsequently used by the US Army in Italy, Northwest Europe and the Pacific. In the latter theater, it was used mostly on Okinawa and the Philippines, and was even employed in its original tank destroyer role, as most Japanese tanks had armor that was vulnerable to its 37 mm gun. Over 1,000 were supplied via Lend-Lease to US allies; the United Kingdom, Free France and Brazil. In the European Theater, the M8 received "varied acceptance." Its on-road performance was generally good, and it was armed and armored well enough for reconnaissance missions. On the contrary, the turning radius was considered too wide, and the engine was considered underpowered, routinely experiencing problems such as overheating from being run at high output continuously and/or having its ventilation louvers obstructed by personal equipment stored on the rear of the vehicle. Large numbers were regularly under repair, gaining the vehicle a reputation of being unreliable. Off-road mobility, especially on soft ground like mud or snow, was poor; in the mountainous terrain of Italy and in the Northwest European winter, the M8 was more or less restricted to roads, which greatly reduced its value as a reconnaissance vehicle. It was also very vulnerable to landmines. In February 1944, an add-on armor kit was designed to provide an extra quarter-inch of belly armor to reduce landmine vulnerability. Some crews also placed sandbags on the floor to make up for the thin belly armor. Another problem was that commanders often used their reconnaissance squadrons for fire support missions, for which the thinly-armored M8 was ill-suited. When it encountered German armored reconnaissance units, the M8 could easily penetrate their armor with its 37 mm gun. Conversely, its own thin armor was vulnerable to the 20 mm autocannons that German scout cars were equipped with. Due to mobility problems with the M8, namely with regards to its suspension, the US Army's Special Armored Vehicle Board recommended the development of a new six-wheeled armored car which matched the M8's dimensions and size but was equipped with an articulated, independently sprung suspension system. Two prototypes, the Studebaker-developed T27 Armored Car and the T28 designed by Chevrolet were trialled by the US and also reviewed by the British Armed Forces. Although the T28 was standardised as the M28 and marked for production by Ford, the new armored car program was shelved and then permanently cancelled due to the end of the war, as impetus and funding for new military development projects had plummeted. The fleet of M8 and M20 armored cars already available was then considered more than adequate for the postwar US Army, which was demobilizing thousands of personnel and already had large stockpiles of equipment surplus to its requirements. Post-war After the war, many of the US Army's M8 and M20 armored cars were marked off as surplus and donated or sold to various countries, especially under the Foreign Military Assistance Program (MAP). Most of the remaining vehicles remained in service with the United States Constabulary in various Western European nations. M8s were also used by American occupation forces in Korea, which later donated them to the fledgling Republic of Korea Army's first armored cavalry regiment. Most M8s and M20s remaining in US service had been allocated to one of five reorganized armored cavalry regiments by the early 1950s.The others were utilized by the Military Police Corps, which deployed them during the Korean War for guarding static installations and escorting prisoners. A small number of M20s were modified by US or South Korean forces as assault vehicles equipped with ring-mounted flamethrowers during that conflict.[13] All the US Army M8s and M20s were retired from active duty due to age and increasing obsolescence shortly after the Korean War. The majority of decommissioned vehicles were then shipped abroad as aid to various armies, especially the French Far East Expeditionary Corps, save for a small number which were retained by Army National Guard units.[1][page needed] When the Army National Guard retired its own armored cars a few years later, an undisclosed number were purchased by domestic police departments and modified for riot control purposes. France was the largest postwar operator of the M8/M20 series after the United States, having received hundreds of the vehicles as American aid between 1945 and 1954. During the First Indochina War, many second-hand examples were shipped directly from the US to French Indochina, where they were deployed for rural patrols and road reconnaissance. These remained in service in Indochina until the end of the war, when they were donated to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). The French Foreign Legion also utilized the M8 during the Algerian War, where it was superseded first by the Panhard EBR and subsequently by the Panhard AML in counter-insurgency operations. The EBR was accepted as a generic replacement for all remaining M8s by the French military in 1956. Between 1956 and 1964 the remaining M8s and M20s were donated to the Mobile Gendarmerie, as well as the armies of several former French colonies. ARVN M8s and M20s saw considerable action during the Vietnam War; however, by 1962 the US noted the attrition rate of the fleet was becoming high due to age.[13] This resulted in a proposal to fund the design and production of a new purpose-built armored car for the South Vietnamese government: the Cadillac Gage Commando. The Commando series began to replace the M8 and M20 in ARVN service from the mid-1960s onward. A small number of the older armored cars were still held by the ARVN reserves as late as 1975; these were inherited by the People's Army of Vietnam after the war. Another country which received a substantial number of ex-American M8s following the war was Belgium, which presumably received them as part of a NATO military assistance program. These M8s were adopted primarily by the Belgian Air Component, which issued them to base security units, and the Force Publique in the Belgian Congo. Following Congolese independence several of the Force Publique M8s fell into the hands of Katangese separatists, while others were repurposed for peacekeeping operations by the United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC). The continued proliferation of M8s and M20s during the late 1960s and the 1970s resulted in American and French defense contractors offering several commercial upgrade kits to extend their service life. At least ten countries, Cameroon, Cyprus, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Morocco, Venezuela, and Zaire, modernized their M8/M20 fleets with diesel engines and new transmissions during this time. The National Army of Colombia also invested heavily in upgrading the M8's turret armament, having it replaced by a single .50 caliber machine gun and a launcher for BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles. In the late 1960s Brazil developed an upgraded M8 with an articulated suspension, new gearbox, and a new engine built with parts that could be sourced locally. This project spawned a series of indigenous prototypes, including a bizarre four-wheeled variant of the M8 chassis known as the VBB, and another more conventional six-wheeled design known as the VBR-2. The latter subsequently evolved into the first Brazilian-manufactured armored car, the EE-9 Cascavel. FREE scheduling, supersized images and templates. 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