M3 Stuart (Family)

Description

The Light Tank, M3 was an American light tank which was nicknamed in British service under Stuart, after American Civil War Confederate general J. E. B. Stuart.

Vehicles

Rank I

• M3 Stuart
• Stuart I
• M3A1 Stuart
• M3A1 (USMC)
• Stuart III

Rank II

• M3A3 Stuart (France)
• M3A3 Stuart (China)
• M3A3 (Italy)

Development and Design

Design

The M3 Stuart was a comprehensive upgrade of the earlier M2 light tank. It featured a new Continental petrol engine - more powerful than on the preceding M2, a new vertical volute suspension system (VVSS), an M5 37 mm main gun (later replaced by the M6 37 mm gun) with a new recoil system. The secondary armament consisted of up to 5 .30 cal (7.62 mm) M1919 machine guns. One was coaxial to the main gun, one was ball-mounted in the hull front, two were mounted in sponsons in the hull, and one was located on an anti-aircraft mounting on the turret. Often, the two sponson-mounted machine guns would be removed by the crew to save space and reduce weight. The M3 was manned by a crew of four: driver, co-driver, commander, and gunner.

The main armor composition was of face-hardened rolled homogeneous armor. The sides and rear of the hull and turret were 1 inch (25.4 mm) thick. The turret front was 38.1 mm thick, and so was the gun mantlet. The hull lower glacis was 44.4 mm thick, and the angled upper glacis was 15.8 mm thick and angled at 70 degrees. The upper front plate was 38.1 mm thick and angled at 18 degrees. The turret and hull roofs were 12.7 mm thick.

M3 Stuart (Stuart Mk I/II)

The M3 was the first production model of the series, and it was introduced in March of 1941. 5811 M3 Stuarts were built and they were called the Stuart Mk I in British service. 1285 of those were built with Guiberson diesel engines and were designated as Stuart Mk II by the British. The diesel engine Stuarts were built to British specification, not for American service. The British often referred to the Stuarts as the Honey tank, because of how smooth the ride was. A turret basket was added for the commander and gunner to sit in. Many of the original M3 Stuarts were sent to Britain under the Lend-Lease Act.

M3A1 Stuart (Stuart Mk III/IV)

Introduced in 1942, the M3A1 featured an improved turret. The new turret featured a turret basket and a different AA machine gun mount. Additionally, all of the sponson-mounted machine guns were removed on the M3A1 version. This left only three .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine guns; one hull-mounted, one AA mounted, and one coaxial. Additionally, the vertical stabilizer for the gun was improved. 4621 M3A1 Stuarts were produced, and production ended in February 1943. The M3A1 was exported to the British as the Stuart Mk III, and the diesel version was called the Stuart Mk IV in British service.

M3A3 Stuart (Stuart Mk V)

The M3A3 variant featured sloped frontal armor very similar to that of the M5 Stuart. The new armor arrangement was easier to produce and it also offered better protection. As a side effect, the M3A3 hull was heavier than the earlier version; the hull also had increased volume, which allowed for more fuel and ammunition storage. The M3A3 also introduced an improved turret with a larger bustle on the rear for the storage of a SCR 508 radio. Because of the increased space inside the hull, the ammunition storage was increased to 174 37 mm rounds and 7500 7.62 mm rounds. 3427 M3A3s were produced, with production ending in October 1943. In British service they were called Stuart Mk V.

Service

United States

In North Africa, the M3 Stuart was proven to be vulnerable to enemy anti-tank weapons whilst having an Armament that was seen as insufficient. As such, the Stuart was relegated to non-combat roles such as rearguard and reconnaissance. They were used to support the more capable M4 Shermans, and the crews of M3 Stuarts made sure to avoid frontal engagement of enemy armour. The M3 Stuart was mostly replaced by the M24 Chaffee in the European theater, but they saw significant service in the Pacific.

The M3s in the Pacific did not see much armoured opposition and there was only one anti-tank gun that posed a major threat, the 45 mm gun of the Chi-Ha and its variants. The Japanese tanks they did face were mostly less capable than the M3, with less armor and firepower. The first tank on tank combat the M3 saw in the Pacific was in the Philippines in December of 1941. There, the 192nd and 194th Light Tank Battalions saw combat mostly against Japanese Ha-Go tanks.

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union received 1000 M3 Stuarts along with M3 Lees and M3 Half-tracks through the Lend-Lease Act. The M3 Stuarts delivered to the USSR were of differing variants. The USSR did not like the M3 Stuart. They believed the armor and firepower was inadequate, the tracks were not suited to Russian winters, and the fuel was too flammable. As such, the USSR turned down American proposals for the delivery of M5 Stuarts, and sent their M3s to the Manchurian front where they would face less armored opposition.

Variants

Direct M3 Variants

M3 Stuart (Stuart Mk I/II)

M3A1 Stuart (Stuart Mk III/IV)

M3A2

M3A3 Stuart (Stuart Mk V)

75mm T18 HMC

T82 HMC

T56 3in GMC

T57 3in GMC

M3 COM

M3 (T2 Light Mine Exploder)

M3 (Satan Flame-Gun)

M3A1 (Satan Flame-Gun)

M3A1 (E5R2-M3)

M5 and Variants

M5 Stuart

M5A1 Stuart

HMC M8 Scott

GMC M8A1

81mm MMC T27

81mm MMC T27E1

T29 4.2in MMC

CMC T81

40mm GMC T65

20mm MGMC T85

M5 COM

Reconnaissance Vehicle T8

Reconnaissance Vehicle T8E1

M5A1 (E5R1-M3) "Zippo"

M5A1 (E7-7) "Zippo"

M5A1 (E9-9) "Zippo"

M5 (T39)

M5 Dozer

Media

Videos

The Stuart Family - War Thunder Official Channel