U.S. Army Ford M8 and M20 Armored Cars

A fully illustrated examination of the M8 and M20 armored cars which served the Us Army throughout World War II. Specifically designed as a reconnaissance vehicle, the Ford M8 Light Armored Car was intended primarily for use by mechanised cavalry units. A total of 8,523 units were built. Able to move quickly and cover long distances without refuelling, they supported the advance of armoured columns by undertaking reconnaissance. Though the thin floor armour made it vulnerable to mines, the M8 served in Europe and the Pacific until the end of the war. Derived from the M8 series, 3,791 M20 Armored Utility cars were built. The M20 was designed without a turret, enabling its use for more specialised purposes such as carrying personnel or artillery spotting. While the project to build the M8 launched in 1941, the first armored cars were only received by the army in March 1943. An Ordnance Department officer, Lt. J. R. Muray, is tasked with being the link between the various components of the army and the industrialists. Throughout the process of creation and production, Muray kept his notes, reports and letters - 1,500 pages of archives have enabled the author to faithfully retrace the process of creating these cars, from the first draft to the end production in June 1945. AUTHOR: Didier Andres, born in Verviers in Belgium, was passionate about military history and particularly about American vehicles of World War II. He had a large archive of documents and imagery, and contributed to books and magazines for twenty years. He is the author of US Army Chevrolet Trucks, US Army Ambulances & Medical Vehicles and US Army Signal Corps Vehicles.

Table of Contents:
Contents The Genesis of Light Armored Cars The M8 Light Armored Car The M20 Utility Armored Car Commonalities Use in Europe Appendixes Bibliography Acknowledgements

About the Author :
Didier Andres, born in Verviers in Belgium, was passionate about military history and particularly about American vehicles of World War II. He had a large archive of documents and imagery, and contributed to books and magazines for over twenty years. He was the author of U.S. Army Chevrolet Trucks, U.S. Army Ambulances & Medical Vehicles, U.S. Army Signal Corps Vehicles, and U.S. Army Diamond T Vehicles.

Review :
"The archival images illustrating the details of both models throughout the volume will benefit restorers and modelers making this an important addition to our understanding of historic military vehicles."-- "History in Motion" "This book will be a boon for modelers, vignette, and diorama builders. The table of contents outlines the level of detail found within the subchapters' pages. The photographs are worth the price of the book alone."-- "IPMS/USA" "...a rapid, informative read. Make it your introduction to these legendary vehicles!"-- "Cybermodeler" "The photos of front-line usage show a variety of stowage measures used by troops in the field, which is quite handy for modelers instead of the photos of factory-fresh vehicles."-- "Historical Miniatures Gaming Society" "...a very comprehensive and lavishly illustrated history of the M8 and M20 armored cars. The amount of work and research needed, boggles the mind. But ultimately it brings you a luxuriously presented and easily readable book."-- "War Wheels" "The photos are well selected and show great detail. Most come from official documents and are clean, focused, well developed with proper highlights and shadows and contrasts."-- "Armorama" "Since this is part of Casemate's illustrated series, there are a ton of well chosen period photos of all the types mentioned...I learned a lot and isn't that what these books are for?"-- "ModelingMadness.com" "This is a great book that will interest both modelers and military historians."-- "AMPS Indianapolis"