Armoured Cars - USA: Books - History, Types and Construction

Armored Car - A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles

The armored car has played a major role in American military operations since the relatively early days of the 20th Century. In 1989 Col. Royal P. Davidson arranged for the installation of a .30 caliber Colt machine gun on a Duryea light three-wheeled car. In doing so, he jump-started the development and production of armored fighting vehicles that have served in the American military ever since. Although the very first armored cars were merely outfitted with a gunshield, they were soon fully protected by armor plating.

In this installment of R. P. Hunnicutt's 10-volume series on the history of American armored vehicles he details their early development through WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Beginning with the development of armored cars on American soil at the outbreak of WWI - although none were ever shipped overseas - Hunnicutt goes on to describe the production of armored cars based on commercial car and truck chassis in the 1920s. These vehicles eventually reached limited production as the armored car M4.

With detailed drawings and photographs to illustrate the history, Hunnicutt describes the development of the armored car T3, which was also designated as scout car T1. The development of these lightweight scout cars, which met the needs of the cavalry, made the armored car unnecessary by 1937. Although production of armored cars stopped for the American military, American development continued on armored cars intended for British use.
However, in 1942 as the Palmer Board decided to limit the weight of reconnaissance vehicles, the light armored car T22E2 was standardized as the M8 and put into production. The M8 and a variation, the M20, served in the U.S. Army until after the Korean War, with new models developed for use in Vietnam.

Spanning the history of American wheeled combat vehicles, Hunnicutt's "Armored Car" is a must have for anyone with a keen interest in the history of American military operations and equipment.

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American Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Images of War)

Numerous wheeled armoured fighting vehicles have seen service in the US armed forces on and off for over 80 years.
There have been various changes of policy and twice, after the Second World War and Vietnam, they went out of favour but their use is now well established.

This well researched and superbly illustrated book describes all the different types and variants since the first M1 was ordered in 1931. The M8 armoured car was widely used during World War Two but it was not until Vietnam that further wheeled AFVs came into service, notably the M706 armoured car.

After a lull the US Marine Corps adopted the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) in 1983. The US Army first used armoured Humvees in 1994 and variants remain in service (M1141 and M1116).
Other types today include the Guardian (M1117) and the Army version of the LAV names the 'Stryker'. To meet the operational requirements of Iraq and Afghanistan the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP) was ordered in bulk from 2007.

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Early US Armor - Armored Cars 1915-1940 (Osprey)

The first American armoured cars began to emerge around the turn of the century, seeing their first military use in 1916 during the Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa.
When the United States entered World War I, the American Expeditionary Forces used some armoured cars in France, and American armoured cars were used by the French Army. The inter-war years saw considerable innovation and experimentation in armoured car design.

Of the 1930s scout car designs, the M3A1 scout car was good enough to be produced in very large numbers in World War II, and was widely exported to many other armies via Lend-Lease. It also served as the basis for the late M2 and M3 armoured half-tracks.

In this study, using detailed full colour plates and rigorous analysis, US armour expert Steven J. Zaloga chronicles the development of the US armoured car in the years leading up to World War II.

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T17E1 Staghound Medium Armored Car - Technical manual (TM9-741)

The T17E1, better known as the Staghound, was an American armored car design produced during the Second World War. It never saw service with front line U.S. forces but was supplied, via the United Kingdom, to British and Commonwealth forces during the war.
A number of countries used the Staghound after the war, with some of the vehicles continuing to serve into the 1980s. Production started in October 1942, and approximately 4,000 Staghounds were built in total.

The Staghound was an innovative design that incorporated some cutting edge features. It had two rear-facing six-cylinder engines with automatic transmissions feeding through a transfer case to drive both axles. Either two-wheel or four-wheel drive could be selected. Also, either engine could be shut down while in motion and taken out of the drive train.
Additionally, a power steering pump was incorporated that could be switched on or off manually from the driver's instrument panel depending on steering conditions. Steering and suspension components were directly attached to the hull as the structure was rigid enough to dispense with the need for a separate chassis.

The Staghound first saw operational service in Italy, where many units found its large physical size too restrictive in the narrow roads and streets of Europe. It saw the most service at squadron and regimental headquarter level.
Originally labeled restricted, this technical manual was declassified long ago and is here reprinted in book form. Care has been taken to preserve the integrity of the text.

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