The U.S. military had requested a light close-support vehicle so a standard M5 with the turret removed was tested. A new open-top turret was installed, the Driver and Co-driver were moved forward to accommodate a larger turret and with limited space in the vehicle the chassis was modified to tow an armored ammunition trailer. The M8 was the first American fully tracked Self Propelled Howitzer with 1,778 vehicles being produced between September 1942 and January 1944. The M8 was gradually replaced by the M4 Sherman with 105mm Howitzers.
