M38 Wolfhound

M38 Wolfhound
Type Armored car
Place of origin United States
Specifications
Weight 6.9 t (6.8 long tons; 7.6 short tons)
Length 5.11 m (16 ft 9 in)
Width 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in)
Height 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Crew 4
Armor 6 to 12 mm
Main
armament
 37 mm M6
Secondary
armament
 .30 caliber Browning M1919A4 machine gun
.50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine gun
Engine Cadillac 42, V-8, gasoline[1]
148/110 hp (110/82 kW)
Power/weight 19.3/14.3 hp/tonne
Suspension wheels, 6 x 6
Operational
range
 483 km (300 mi)
Speed 97 km/h (60 mph)

The M38 Wolfhound was a 6x6 US armored car produced in 1944 by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. It was designed as a replacement for the M8 Greyhound series, but the end of the war in 1945 led to the cancellation of the project after the completion of a handful of prototype vehicles.

The Wolfhound had a crew of four and was armed with a 37 mm gun in a rotating open-topped turret, with ammunition load of 93 rounds. Secondary armament consisted of two machine guns; one mounted co-axially with the main weapon, the other on an AA pintle mounting. It was powered by a Cadillac, 8-cylinder, water-cooled engine. Each side featured three large tires on symmetrically placed axles, with distinctive curved mudguards. The frontal glacis plate was sharply sloped to improve protection. A radio antenna was mounted on the front right of the glacis. One M38 was modified to take the turret of an M24 Chaffee tank and went through a series of tests to check a possibility of upgunning the vehicle.

The layout of the M38 had similarities with the Alvis Saladin, a post war British armored car, but there was no link between them.[2]

M38 fitted with a turret from the M24 Chaffee.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Davis (2012), p. 94.
  2. ↑ Icks. US Armoured Cars

Bibliography

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