Today in WW II: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo. More ?

9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Staghound Armored Scout Vehicle (G-122)

The Staghound Armored Car (Car, Armored, T17E1 4x4) was produced starting in October 1942, As the Staghound, it served with the Australian Army from 1943 through the late 1960s and was widely exported to British Commonwealth countries and other users. Although it was developed for the U.S. Army by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors, designated the T17E1 or M6 Armored Car, it was never adopted by the U.S. About 4,000 were produced in several configurations with varying cannons or antiaircraft machine guns mounted.

The wheeled 4x4 Staghound was powered by twin six cylinder gasoline engines that gave it a maximum speed of 55 mph. Most Staghounds (Mk I) mounted the M6 37mm gun in the turret plus an M1919A4 co-axial .30 cal. machine gun, a second M1919A4 machine gun and .45 cal. submachine guns for the five man crew.

For British Commonwealth service, a two inch smoke mortar was mounted on the right front of the turret and the No. 19 Radio Set was installed.

Staghound Armored Scout Vehicle Characteristics

Crew	5
Weight, gross	29,100 lbs.
Height	7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)
Width	8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
Length	18 ft (5.49 m)
Engine	Twin GMC Model 270
Horsepower	97 bhp each
Transmission	Twin GM 4 fwd speeds, 1 rev
Transfer case	2 speed
Road speed, max	55 mph.
Range	450 mi.
Fording depth	32 in.

Photo of prototype Staghound at Chevrolet during WW II
Prototype Staghound (T17E1) at Chevrolet during WW II.

Prototype Staghound (T17E1) in U.S. Army tests during WW II.

Trainload of Staghounds (T17E1). From a WW II Chevrolet advertisement.

Staghound Armored Scout Vehicle. Photo: Courtesy of Douglas Greville.