T17 Armored Car

The T17  and the T17E1  were two American armored car designs produced during the Second World War. Neither saw service with frontline US forces but the latter was supplied, via the United Kingdom, to British and Commonwealth forces during the war and received the service name Staghound. A number of countries used the Staghound after the war, with some of the vehicles continuing to serve into the 1980s.

History
In July 1941, the US Army Ordnance issued specifications for a medium armored car alongside a specification for heavy armored car (which resulted in the T18 Boarhound). Ford Motor Company built a six wheels, all driven (6 x 6) prototype which was designated T17 and Chevrolet a (four wheels, all driven (4 x 4) model designated T17E1. At the same time, the British Purchasing Commission was also looking for medium and heavy armored cars for use in North Africa. Had the U.S. adopted this, it would have been called the M6.

T17


The T17 was armed with a 37 mm gun in a rotating turret, a coaxial machine gun and a bow machine gun. Power was from two Hercules JXD engines.

The British gave the name Deerhound to the T17. Production started in October 1942. However, the US military eventually decided to adopt the lighter M8 Greyhound vehicle instead. T17 production was stopped and the 250 units produced were disarmed and given to the United States Army Military Police Corps for use in the States. The T17 was never used by the British.

T17E1
The British allocated the name Staghound to the T17E series. Production started in October 1942. Unlike the T17 when the US military decided to adopt the lighter M8 Greyhound vehicle, T17E1 production continued for the United Kingdom. Approximately 4,000 Staghounds were produced in total.

The Staghound was an innovative design that incorporated some advanced features. It had two rear-facing 6-cylinder engines with automatic transmissions (with 4 forward and 1 reverse gears) feeding through a transfer case to drive both axles. Either two- or four-wheel drive could be selected. 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 entered service too late for use in the North African Campaign where its combination of armor, range and main armament would have been an advantage in a light forces reconnaissance role. As a result, it 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 most service at squadron and regimental headquarter level; an armoured car regiment having three Staghounds with the Regimental HQ and three with each HQ of the four squadrons in the regiment.

Operators

 * 🇦🇺 Australia
 * 🇧🇪 Belgium
 * 🇧🇷 Brazil
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇨🇺 Cuba - 40 ex-Israeli T-17E1s were purchased from Nicaragua due to US arms embargo on Cuba in 1956.
 * 🇩🇰 Denmark
 * 🇪🇬 Egypt
 * Greece - small number of vehicles left over post WW-II after British forces left the country.
 * 🇭🇳 Honduras
 * In hyder1900a.png Hyderabad
 * 🇮🇳 India
 * 🇮🇱 Israel
 * 🇯🇴 Jordan
 * 🇱🇧 Lebanon - Thirty in service with the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces (ISF) between 1949 and 1983. Some of these had The US M6 37 mm gun and 0.30-inch M1919 machine guns replaced by a British Ordnance QF 2 pounder and 7.92 mm BESA machine guns and subsequently had the turret replaced with that of a 75 mm gun-armed AEC Armoured Car, passed on to the Army of Free Lebanon, Lebanese Arab Army, Tigers Militia (Lebanon), Kataeb Regulatory Forces, Lebanese Forces, al-Murabitun, Progressive Socialist Party.
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands
 * 🇳🇿 New Zealand
 * 🇳🇮 Nicaragua - Eighty model T-17E1 were purchased from Israel after the Suez war. Forty were later resold to Cuba in 1956. Fortyfive in service with the Nicaraguan National Guard from 1957 to 1979.
 * 🇵🇭 Philippines - Philippine Army and Philippine Constabulary between 1942 to 1960s
 * 🇵🇱 Poland
 * Southern Rhodesia - Twenty in service with the Rhodesian Army between 1949 and 1956.
 * 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
 * 🇿🇦 South Africa
 * 🇸🇩 Sudan
 * 🇨🇭 Switzerland
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom - British Army and Royal Navy

Variants

 * T17E1: 4x4 version built by Chevrolet for Britain. 2,687 - 2,844 units were produced.
 * Staghound Mk I'''
 * The T17E1 was armed with a 37 mm M6 gun, a coaxial .30 cal Browning 1919A4 machine gun and a 2-inch smoke mortar in a rotating turret. In the hull was mounted a .30 cal Browning 1919A4 machine gun. Some T17E1 had an additional .30 Browning 1919A4 cal machine gun for anti-aircraft defense.
 * The turret had power traverse and featured a turret basket (which limited the amount of internal crew storage). The 37 mm gun was gyroscopically stabilized.
 * This variant had a crew of 5, commander, loader, gunner, and hull machine gunner.
 * This variant saw combat with the British, Free Polish, Canadian, New Zealand, Indian, and Belgian armies in Italy, Greece and Northwest Europe. After WWII, it saw further action in Cuba, Nicaragua, Lebanon and Rhodesia.
 * Staghound Mk II
 * This was a field conversion that had a 3 inch howitzer Mk 1 for close support mounted in place of the 37 mm gun in the turret. The bow machine gun was removed. It is not known how many were converted. These were issued to the Armoured Car HQ section.
 * Staghound Mk III
 * Had a turret taken from an Ordnance QF 6 pounder gun armed Crusader tank and 7.92 mm Besa machine gun. Some of these were then re fitted with the Ordnance QF 75 mm gun. There was no bow machine gun. These had reached the front line by 1945, where it was supplied to heavy troops of armored car regiments. The total number ordered was around 100-300. After WWII, this version saw usage with Denmark and combat in Lebanon.
 * Staghound Command
 * The turret was removed and extra wireless equipment was installed.


 * T17E2 (Staghound AA)
 * The T17E2 was an T17E1 fitted with a Frazer-Nash-designed turret mounting two 0.5 inch M2 Browning heavy machine guns. The turrets were built in the US for British Motor Torpedo Boats. Redesign of the turret and mounting was carried out. 2,610 rounds were carried. The turret was open-topped and had an electric-hydraulic traverse system with a maximum slew rate of 55 degrees a second. It had a reduced crew of 3: commander/gunner, loader and driver.
 * 789 units were produced between October 1943 and April 1944, when production stopped.


 * T17E3
 * T17E1 fitted with the turret of 75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8, carrying the 75mm M2/M3 howitzer. This was trialled in December 1943, but never reached production.