M3A3 Grant ''Monty'' Medium Tank IWM Duxford.

Part II :-

 

Grant's and Lee's served with British Units in North Africa until the end of the campaign, following 'Operation Torch' (the invasion of French North Africa) the U.S also fought in North Africa using the M3 Lee. The U.S 1st Armoured Division had been issued new M4 Shermans, but had to give up one Regiment's worth to the British Army prior to the Second 'Battle of El Alamein'. Consequently, a Regiment of the Division was still using the M3 Lee in North Africa.

The M3 was generally appreciated during the North African Campaign for its mechanical reliability, good armour protection, and heavy firepower. In all three aspects, the M3 was capable of engaging German Tanks and Towed Anti-Tank Guns.

 

However, the high silhouette and low, Hull-Mounted 3in Gun were tactical drawbacks since they prevented fighting from a hull-down firing position. In addition, the use of riveted hull superstructure armour on the early versions led to spalling, where the impact of Enemy Shells caused the rivets to break off and become 'projectiles' inside the Tank. Later models were built with all-welded armour to eliminate this problem. These lessons had already been applied to the design and production of the M4. The M3 was replaced in Front-Line roles by the M4 Sherman as soon as the M4 was available. However, several specialist vehicles based on the M3 were later employed in Europe, such as the ''M31 Armored Recovery Vehicle'' and the ''Canal Defence Light''.

 

British Commonwealth service names and variants:-

 

**Grant I - M3 with turret to British specification, no cupola

 

**Grant II - M3A5. Both the U.S-turreted and British-turreted Tanks were considered Grant's documentally. Some M3A3 also had Grant turrets, but they were never documentally identified as Grant's.

 

**Grant ARV - Obsolete Grant I and II converted in 1943. Guns removed and replaced with Armoured Recovery Vehicle equipment including winch. Some had the turret replaced with a 'dummy', the majority had turret removed and a hatch fitted with twin Bren Light Machine Guns for Anti-Aircraft Defence.

 

**Grant ARV I - U.S T2 (later M31) in British service 1944-1945

 

**Grant Command - Fitted with map table and extra radio equipment, on some, the 37mm Gun was removed or replaced with dummies.

 

**Grant Scorpion III - 3in Gun removed to allow for fitment with Scorpion III mine flail by REME workshops, few made in January 1943 for use in Tunisia Campaign in North Africa.

 

**Grant Scorpion IV - Scorpion III with additional Bedford motor at rear to increase Scorpion flail power.

 

**Grant CDL - "Canal Defence Light" 3in turret replaced by one with a powerful Searchlight for disorienting the Enemy and a Machine Gun. The Tanks had been replaced by M4 Sherman’s and were used to replace the earlier Matilda II CDL in anticipation of use in North West Europe. Some were fitted with a 'dummy' 1.5in Gun, 355 were produced by the Americans for six Tank Battalions, the designation ''Shop Tractor T10'' was used disguise its purpose.

 

 

▪︎Type: Medium Tank

▪︎Place of origin: United States

▪︎Conflicts: World War Two

▪︎Manufacturer: Detroit Tank Arsenal of Chrysler (M3 Lee / M3A4) / American Locomotive ▪︎Company (ALCo) (M3 Lee/ M3A1) / Pullman Standard (M3 Grant) / Pressed Steel Car Company (M3 Grant) / Baldwin Locomotive Works (M3 Grant / M3A2 / M3A3 (both Lee and Grant) M3A5 (both Lee and Grant)

▪︎Produced: August 1941 to December 1942

▪︎Number Built: 6,258

▪︎Mass: 27 tons

▪︎Length: 18ft 6in / Width: 8ft 11in / Height: 10ft 3in – Lee

▪︎Crew: seven (Lee) / six (Grant)

▪︎Armour: 2.0in (hull front / turret front / sides / rear) / 1.5in (hull / sides / rear)

▪︎Main Armament: 1 x 3in Gun M2 / M3 in hull, 46 rounds / 1 x 1.5in Gun M5 / M6 in turret, 178 rounds

▪︎Secondary Armament: 2–3–4 x .30-06 Browning M1919A4 Machine Guns, 9,200 rounds

▪︎Powerplant: Wright (Continental) R975 EC2 400hp /340hp

▪︎Transmission: Mack Synchromesh, five speeds forward, one reverse

▪︎Suspension: vertical volute spring

▪︎Ground Clearance: 18in

▪︎Fuel Capacity: 175 gallons

▪︎Operational Range: 120 miles

▪︎Maximum Speed: 26mph (road) / 16mph (off-road)

▪︎Steering System: Controlled differential.

 

 

Part I Link :- www.flickr.com/photos/139375961@N08/shares/p5NL75

Done