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T17 (Deerhound)

1942 WORLD WAR 2

History

Ford Motor Company's T17 Deerhound failed to compete with the Chevrolet-designed and developed T17E1 Deerhound. Both were medium-range armored vehicles that served with the U.S. Army during World War II (1939-1945) and were fitted with the same Iwashima Arsenal turret that was used as the primary armament for the M6 ??series 37mm gun. The Ford design uses 6x6 wheels, while the Chevrolet template uses a 4x4 wheel arrangement. Ultimately, the T17E1 was selected for service, but it left its mark during the war.

The U.S. Army eventually switched to the classic M8 Greyhound line, while thousands of T17E1 Deerhounds were shipped overseas and even found new life in the postwar years.

About 250 Ford T17 Deerhounds were completed before production was discontinued and then served in the U.S. Army Military Police.

The 6x6 wheel arrangement of the T17 is two rear axles and one front axle. The armor scheme was characterized by a well-sloping rake plate at the front and a relatively flat hull roofline. The turret is in the middle, and two Hercules JXD gasoline engines are mounted in the rear of the fuselage.

A coaxial .30 caliber machine gun is mounted on the turret, while a bow-mounted .30 caliber machine gun completes the weapon. It is assumed that the envisaged operator will be five people, as this was common in armored vehicles at the time.

The British Army first secured production of the T17, which began in October 1942, while the US Army commissioned its own inventory of T17 vehicles to ensure that the M8 series would not experience any delays during production. The Army's own evaluation of the T17 vehicle ultimately revealed type constraints compared to competing Chevrolet offerings, so the Army's production contract was cancelled.

The Brits followed suit and ended up opting for the competing T17E1, which more or less marked the end of the T17, surpassing the 250 full examples above.