New members topic- Introduce yourself here:

Uyraell · February 5, 2009, 1:29am

Hello,
If memory serves me rightly, Patton was publicised at the time as being in charge of the “FUSAG”, which was not only completely fictitious, but composed of vehicles made of inflated rubberised canvas and plywood, deliberately left badly camouflaged so that the Ju86P and Ju86R high-altititude reconnaiscance aircraft could photograph them.

R-type · February 6, 2009, 2:45am

Hi, just introducing myself here. I am a big tabletop wargaming fan, and I am currently building up my forces from all the major armies. I came here to try and ask some questions and get info to make my forces as accurate as possible. What led me here was the question about the Lee/Grant tanks in Europe. I did read a thread here about them, but I wondered if they were employed in western europe, Not just Russian fodder in eastern europe. How much were they used in the pacific theater and the cammo schemes used on them in those areas. Info is rather vague at best on the web or the library.
Needless to say this is a great source of info, I will probably be trolling around here for a while.

Nickdfresh · February 6, 2009, 3:15am

And a lot of phony message traffic as well…

Force · February 6, 2009, 1:48pm

Hello to all. I’m new here. Just watching around now.

Uyraell · February 6, 2009, 7:25pm

Hello, R-type,
If memory serves, Jasper Maskelyne in his book “The War Magician” mentions a very few Lee/Grant tanks being sent from Egypt and Nth Africa to southern Italy after the landings there, though he alludes to the fact that some were the Canal Defence Light model. He further states that reasonably large numbers of tanks and other vehicles in running order were left behind, as being obsolete and thus not worth the effort of transporting to Italy.
As regards the Lee/Grant in Western Europe proper I’ve seen little if any info beyond what I cite above, though I do know many M3 medium tanks were used in the UK in a training role. Again, I don’t find much evidence that many if any saw combat, since those in the desert were mainly shipped directly there from the US, and those in the UK mainly remained there, while a few were ex-temporae converted to recovery vehicles and such.
As regards the M3 medium tank in the Pacific Theater, there are a few scant records of them being used, I think in the Solomons, and similar cases. Some small amount of records did once exist that the Australians had used M3 mediums when unable to obtain M4s, though I cannot attest to the accuracy of said records.
Colours and Markings: The Desert vehicles would have been in sand yellow, most often, those in Italy would have been repainted in Olive Drab.
Of note is that at least one desert Grant, and possibly three, did see combat in the original dark green factory paint.
In the Pacific Theater it was basically either factory dark green in the early days, or standard Olive Drab, with the Khaki being rare as far as I know.
Hope the above, scant though it is, is of use.
Regards, Uyraell.

Uyraell · February 6, 2009, 7:32pm

…between 3 and 5 tons of paper in Fusag “spoof” signal traffic alone. This info from my Deputy Headmaster at Highschool, who had been a CO of a landing craft on D-Day, and had helped shift some of the sigint records to storage postwar.
Regards, Uyraell.

R-type · February 6, 2009, 10:41pm

Uyraell:

Hello, R-type,
If memory serves, Jasper Maskelyne in his book “The War Magician” mentions a very few Lee/Grant tanks being sent from Egypt and Nth Africa to southern Italy after the landings there, though he alludes to the fact that some were the Canal Defence Light model. He further states that reasonably large numbers of tanks and other vehicles in running order were left behind, as being obsolete and thus not worth the effort of transporting to Italy.
As regards the Lee/Grant in Western Europe proper I’ve seen little if any info beyond what I cite above, though I do know many M3 medium tanks were used in the UK in a training role. Again, I don’t find much evidence that many if any saw combat, since those in the desert were mainly shipped directly there from the US, and those in the UK mainly remained there, while a few were ex-temporae converted to recovery vehicles and such.
As regards the M3 medium tank in the Pacific Theater, there are a few scant records of them being used, I think in the Solomons, and similar cases. Some small amount of records did once exist that the Australians had used M3 mediums when unable to obtain M4s, though I cannot attest to the accuracy of said records.
Colours and Markings: The Desert vehicles would have been in sand yellow, most often, those in Italy would have been repainted in Olive Drab.
Of note is that at least one desert Grant, and possibly three, did see combat in the original dark green factory paint.
In the Pacific Theater it was basically either factory dark green in the early days, or standard Olive Drab, with the Khaki being rare as far as I know.
Hope the above, scant though it is, is of use.
Regards, Uyraell.

Wow thanks for some great info. I guess I’ll leave my Grant Platoon relegated to the Desert Rats. Thank you , Much!

Nickdfresh · February 6, 2009, 10:48pm

Uyraell:

Hello, R-type,
If memory serves, Jasper Maskelyne in his book “The War Magician” mentions a very few Lee/Grant tanks being sent from Egypt and Nth Africa to southern Italy after the landings there, though he alludes to the fact that some were the Canal Defence Light model. He further states that reasonably large numbers of tanks and other vehicles in running order were left behind, as being obsolete and thus not worth the effort of transporting to Italy.
As regards the Lee/Grant in Western Europe proper I’ve seen little if any info beyond what I cite above, though I do know many M3 medium tanks were used in the UK in a training role. Again, I don’t find much evidence that many if any saw combat, since those in the desert were mainly shipped directly there from the US, and those in the UK mainly remained there, while a few were ex-temporae converted to recovery vehicles and such.
As regards the M3 medium tank in the Pacific Theater, there are a few scant records of them being used, I think in the Solomons, and similar cases. Some small amount of records did once exist that the Australians had used M3 mediums when unable to obtain M4s, though I cannot attest to the accuracy of said records.
Colours and Markings: The Desert vehicles would have been in sand yellow, most often, those in Italy would have been repainted in Olive Drab.
Of note is that at least one desert Grant, and possibly three, did see combat in the original dark green factory paint.
In the Pacific Theater it was basically either factory dark green in the early days, or standard Olive Drab, with the Khaki being rare as far as I know.
Hope the above, scant though it is, is of use.
Regards, Uyraell.

The M3 Grant tanks were used in Burma, if the narration to some footage I’ve seen is to be believed correct, and I think it was…

predator · February 7, 2009, 11:35am

Hello, I am “predator” from Montevideo, Uruguay and just registered as member. I hope to contribute to this Forum as well as possible. Best Regards.

Uyraell · February 7, 2009, 7:58pm

Hello Nickdfresh,
Yes, you are correct, though if memory serves, the number of M3 mediums in the Burma theater was less than 20. There does exist both footage (rare) and written record of the vehicles in employment, though I have yet to see anything written by any of the crews of the vehicles.
An admittedly vague memory has it that the Burma M3s were a mixed bunch, some having been that all-welded model by Baldwin, others being the Guiberson diesel model (if it’s really wanted I can disinter the known designations) shipped to Burma from Port Said and Alexandria, Egyptian theater.
The same memory insists that at least some of the Burma M3s had the early M2 model 75mm main gun, and that, curiously, at least one of these survived the war in theater, though I do not know the current fate of the vehicle.
Given that the Burmese were still operating Comets and late model Cromwells in the 1960s, it would seem reasonable to think an M3 or two survived at least that long.
Regards, Uyraell.

Hello R-type,
You’re welcome to the info. I always did find the M3 series vehicles to be a sort of mobile curiosity, looking as they did: a kind of mobile mediaeval castle.
Regards, Uyraell.

R-type · February 8, 2009, 2:32am

[Quote=]Hello R-type,
You’re welcome to the info. I always did find the M3 series vehicles to be a sort of mobile curiosity, looking as they did: a kind of mobile mediaeval castle.
Regards, Uyraell.[/QUOTE]

Yes they are so ugly they are cool :army:

the_librarian · February 8, 2009, 7:09am

Hi all,

Please forgive any duplication or if this doesn’t help, but saw the topic and thought these links might be interesting as well as give more background:

Lee at Ft. Knox:

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b04108

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b04107

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b04106

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsac.1a35223 (in color)

Chrysler Tank Arsenal:

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b00713

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b00704

Want more? Try this:

Go here: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/mdbquery.html

Type: “Chrysler Arsenal” in the search box.

Priceless!

Even more?

Popular Mechanics August 1942 (in color, full article)
(pg. 56)

http://www.google.com/books?id=kNYDAAAAMBAJ

Popular Mechanics July 1943 (in color, full article)
(pg. 56)

http://www.google.com/books?id=e9cDAAAAMBAJ

Popular Science March 1943 (in color, full article)
(pg. 120)

http://www.google.com/books?id=KCcDAAAAMBAJ

I apologize for the long post or any duplication. Moderators feel free to cut it down if it’s too long…

Whitworth_Torpedo · February 10, 2009, 12:44pm

hello all, i am interested in armor pen of small arms, small explosives, m.g.'s and all facts that are hard to get, i specialize in armor and need balistic facts to fill in my blanks.

brunoz · February 10, 2009, 1:02pm

Hi, there !!

I’m new to the forum which, as I’ve just overviewed, is brilliant, to say the
least.
Just a few words about myself: I’m 53, living in Italy in the Lake Maggiore
area; since a child I was interested in WW2 facts and grew up along with
it, adding the mania for scale model building (mostly WW2 fighter aircraft).
Furthermore I love playing solid rock-blues, hiking/climbing in the Alps and
reading in general.
I’m also a devoted fan to my avatar.

See ya 'round the forum.
Bye.
Bruno.

Ivaylo · February 11, 2009, 6:21pm

Welcome and hope you will like the place

IvanKiserasov · February 11, 2009, 8:35pm

Hello
New to the webpage. Site has helped considerably (current research on IL-2 and ordinance). Still looking for colour pictures of 250 kg bombs. Any answers on sites?

Boevoy razvorat

DavisC12 · February 13, 2009, 12:49am

My name is Davis. I am very interested in American war history. My favorite war to study and learn about is WWII. I no quite abit about WWII so if you want to ask me something just shoot me an email.My email edress is cottinghamd@embarqmail.com.

herman2 · February 16, 2009, 6:18pm

Hi Davis, sorry you were banned. I don’t know why but welcome back if your not banned. Wht were you banned? Nobody ever tells us why. All we read is this big banned sign on top of your name. Oh well, hi anyways.

Nick · February 23, 2009, 5:51pm

Hi I’ve just joined!

Nick.

herman2 · February 23, 2009, 6:11pm

Hi Nick!!..Welcome aboard!. Glad you joined this Great site. I see your name is simlar to another Great person I admire and respect on this site. His name is Nick too!..although he goes by Nickdfresh; but I call him nick for short cause me and him are like Pea and pod…anyways, hope I don’t mix you 2 up when I see your name; all the Best Nick!