M3 Stuart

The M3 Stuart was a light tank used by the Allied forces during World War II. Being produced from July 1940, it entered service with the US Army in 1941, with approximately 23,000 units being made by 1945. It was also employed by the Canadian, the British, the Soviet, and the Free French Army on every front of this armed conflict. Despite of its weight and underpower gun, it was a mechanically reliable armored vehicle. It first saw combat action in late 1941, in Operation Crusader, during the Allied North African Campaign. It would still be used during the Cold War as an excellent anti-insurgent weapon in Third World countries against communist guerrillas.

Technical Characteristics

The M3 Stuart was a light tank, which was developed from the M2, whose armor was improved with the addition of thicker steel plates.  The M2 height was reduced with the removal of the commander’s cupola. In the M3, welding replaced riveting as it offered better protection for the crew, as rivets dangerously flew inside the tank when hit by enemy rounds. It was fitted with two 2-wheel bogies on each side, with spring suspension, plus the front sprocket wheel and the back idler wheel. It was powered a 7-cylinder Continental W-670 gasoline engine that delivered 250 HP. A later version would be powered by a twin V-8 Cadillac gasoline engines. This armored vehicle was equipped with a 5-speed automatic transmission, with 4 forward and 1 backward.

Armament

The M3 light tank was fitted with a 37-mm gun, which was a towed field anti-tank gun mounted in the small turret of the vehicle. It was also armed with three 7.62-mm Browning M1919 machine guns.

Specifications

Weight: 15.2 tons

Length: 4.8 m (15 ft 10.5 in)

Width: 2.3 m (7 ft 6 in)

Height: 2.6 m (8 ft 5 in)

Maximum Speed: 58 km/hour

Range: 160 km

Crew: 4

Below, the M3A3 version in Europe, in July, 1944.

Below, the M5 Stuart, which was an upgraded variant of the M3. It incorporated a larger box-like bulge at the back of the turret to house modern radio equipment as it was powered by twin 8-V Cadillac engines.