I noticed that some ones have muzzle brake for the 75mm gun, are those Grants ?
Another video, this time against the Mark V Panther, a very unfair comparative. :rolleyes:
Hi.
Like this?
Afaik this is a counter-weight to stabilize the gun.
Yours
tom! 
Well, in the first video I have seen some holes in the top of that gun, I tough that it was some kind of “Mundungbremse”.
M3 Lee/Grant Tank
From: “Chariots of Iron: Fifty Years of American Armor”, Wiliam Butler and William Strode, Harmony House Publishers, 1990, ISBN 0-916509-59-1, (p 34 )
From: “British and American Tanks of World War II”, by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, Arco Publishing Company, 1975, (p 108 )
From: “British and American Tanks of World War II”, by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, Arco Publishing Company, 1975, (p 109 )
From: “British and American Tanks of World War II”, by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, Arco Publishing Company, 1975, (p 110 )
(CONTINUED BELOW OR NEXT PAGE)
(CONTINUED FROM ABOVE OR PREVIOUS PAGE)
02
From: “British and American Tanks of World War II”, by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, Arco Publishing Company, 1975, (p 111 )
From: “British and American Tanks of World War II”, by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, Arco Publishing Company, 1975, (p 112 )
From: “British and American Tanks of World War II”, by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, Arco Publishing Company, 1975, (p 113 )
From: “Tanks of World War II”, by Chris Ellis, Chancellor Press, 1981, (p 43 )
(CONTINUED BELOW)
(CONTINUED FROM ABOVE)
03
From: “Tanks of World War II”, by Chris Ellis, Chancellor Press, 1981, (p 44 )
From: “Tanks of World War II”, by Chris Ellis, Chancellor Press, 1981, (p 45 )
From: “Tanks of World War II”, by Chris Ellis, Chancellor Press, 1981, (p 46 )
From: “Tanks of World War II”, by Chris Ellis, Chancellor Press, 1981, (p 47 )
Thanks, Now I can apreciate the diferences between a Grant and a Lee. 
Within the next few days I plan to post more on the M4 Sherman as well.
M3 in action ¡¡. The Tank Raid on Djedeida Airfield, 25 November 1942
By Andrew Arthy (bookie190@hotmail.com)
Introduction
One of the more dramatic events of the early stages of the Tunisian campaign was the American tank raid carried out on Djedeida airfield on 25 November 1942. Caught by surprise, the Luftwaffe suffered many losses on the ground, yet surprisingly the raid did not badly disrupt German air operations over the battlefield.
The Raid
On 25 November 1942 the British and Americans began a three-pronged offensive that aimed to capture or isolate the two major Tunisian ports, Bizerta and Tunis. The central prong was Blade Force, a brigade-sized group that was to move from Béja to Tebourba, and then was to meet the 11th Infantry Brigade Group (IBG) in the area of Djedeida, before pushing on to Tunis. The offensive began in the morning, and Blade Force moved forward at 07:00 with a spearhead of more than 100 tanks from the 1st Battalion, U.S. 1st Armoured Regiment. In the afternoon, 17 American M3 tanks of Company C (Major Rudolph Barlow) on a reconnaissance mission pushed through German forces at Tebourba and El Bathan, and arrived at Djedeida airfield at about 16:30.[1]
When the Americans realised the opportunity that they had, they quickly moved onto the airfield and began crushing or shooting up the many Axis aircraft located there. The tank crews claimed 20 or more aircraft destroyed, and shot up buildings, supplies, and the defending German troops. After the attack, the tanks fell back to join the rest of Blade Force, which bivouacked near Chouigui overnight. The American tank force lost two men killed, one tank and its crew missing, and a number of other M3s damaged.[2]
The Luftwaffe units based at Djedeida on 25 November were I. and III./J.G. 53 with Bf 109 Gs, and II./St.G. 3 with Ju 87 Ds. Most of II./St.G. 3 had moved to Djedeida on the afternoon of 20 November, although some of the unit’s Ju 87s were still at El Aouina airfield near Tunis on 21 November. III./J.G. 53 moved from El Aouina to Djedeida on 21 November, and on the morning of 25 November the Gruppenstab, 1. and 2./J.G. 53 moved there from Sicily.[3]
On 25 November II./St.G. 3 flew four successful missions and 48 sorties against vehicles and tanks. At 15:05 a second Ju 87 escort mission began, and the Ju 87s and Bf 109s returned to Djedeida at 16:15. Shortly afterwards the American tanks appeared.[FONT=Times New Roman][6] There was great activity, as the fighter pilots ran to their aircraft to take-off. Arndt-Richard Hupfeld of 1./J.G. 53 recalled:[/FONT]
There was a mad scramble when British tanks attacked our base. Messerschmitts took off in every direction. All of a sudden I saw a ‘109’ coming straight toward me - a head-on collision would have been unavoidable had the other aircraft’s cowling not flown off just as it was about to lift off, whereupon the other pilot closed the throttle and did not take off. I just cleared the other aircraft and thus avoided a catastrophe.[FONT=Times New Roman][7][/FONT]
Some Bf 109 pilots got into the air and began to strafe the tanks, including Ofw. Hans Kornatz of 2./J.G. 53 in his Bf 109 G ‘Black 5 + ‘. The I. and III./J.G. 53 pilots claimed to have set eight tanks on fire by strafing.[FONT=Times New Roman][8] Lt. Jürgen Harder of 7. Staffel was another pilot who took off and strafed the tanks, and he wrote in a letter home on 27 November:[/FONT]
We were at a rather exposed forward airfield, and at about 16:30 a big surprise raid by tanks hit our base. Suddenly there was shooting; 800 m away there were 20 tanks rolling toward us. I just made it to my machine and took off 200 m in front of the leading tank. To make a long story short, the fellows drove over the field firing wildly, setting the aircraft on fire and shooting up everything. And how!
Several aircraft got airborne and it happened that six were already in the air after Spitfires that had made earlier strafing attacks. Now we set upon the tanks, Me’s dove from all sides. It was a terrific scene, and machines burned on the ground below. We succeeded in setting five tanks on fire - two of them by me. Our men crouched down in their slit trenches and let the monsters roll past. Everything went according to plan: the serviceable trucks fled the field overloaded and all reached Tunis by the next day. One could call this good luck in bad - no aircraft lost and no men. It’s a good thing that we were in the air and were able to beat off the attack; otherwise it would have gone badly for the Gruppe. All this happened 30 km from Tunis and we all figured that our encirclement would be completed during the night.[9]
Although there are some inaccuracies in Lt. Harder’s account, it does give a good idea of the chaos caused by the appearance of American tanks at Djedeida.
[1] Howe, US Army: Northwest Africa, pp.299-300
[2] Howe, US Army: Northwest Africa, p.300; Prien, JG 53, p.508
[3] BA-MA RL 7/30, Records of the Führer der Luftwaffe Tunis, p.19; Prien, JG 53, p.507
[4] BA-MA RL 7/30, Records of the Führer der Luftwaffe Tunis, p.33; H. Kornatz, Logbook
[5] Film C. 2027/I
[6] BA-MA RL 7/30, Records of the Führer der Luftwaffe Tunis, p.33; Kornatz, Logbook
[7] Prien, JG 53, p.508
[8] BA-MA RL 7/30, Records of the Führer der Luftwaffe Tunis, p.33
[9] Prien, JG 53, p.508
By the time 1,000 M2A1 Medium tanks tanks were ordered in mid 1940, they were shown to have indequete armor and armament by the events unfolding in Europe.1 to match the newest German Tanks that had 75mm guns, the Ordnance Department wanted a 75mm into a M2A1. However there just wasn’t enough space in the turret. Based on the experiments with the T5E2 a 75mm M2 was installed on the right side of a modified M2A1
A wooden mock-up for the M3 design was completed in August 1940. The board had the MG sponsons removed and the turret lowered.
The chairman of General Motors (also a member of National Defense Advisory Committee) convicted the US government that the auto industry should be used for massed tank production as the governments factory at Rock Island wouldn’t be able to keep up with demand. The government built a factory in Detroit that was run by Chrysler.
The M3 was ordered straight from the drawing board (July1940) and Baldwin and the American Locomotive Company each made pilot models by April 1941. Production began in August 1941 and ended in December 1942. A total of 6,258 were produced.
It was intended only as a stopgap tank before the M4 Shermans arrived. When the M4 started production the M3 was designated Substitute Standard in October 1941. In April 1943, they were classified as Limited Standard and in April 1944 were classified as obsoete.
Chrysler leased a 113 acre site for a new factory in Warren, Michigan.
CREW
At the left front sat the driver with the gearbox beside him. The driver also operated the Twin MGs in the hull.
Engine
The engine was in the rear with the fuel tanks on each side of the engine compartment .
Main Armament
The turret can be rotated by hydraulics or by hand. The cupola normally rotated with the turret but could be rotated by hand.
The driver and the radio operator occupied the front of the hull. The 75mm gunner sat on the left of the gun. The 37mm gunner, gun loader and commander were in the turret. Both guns had gyrostabilizers and periscpic sights. The driver’s door and the pistol ports had protectoscopes for indirect vision.
An auxillary generator provided electricity when needed.
75mm gun had muzzle velocity of 1,920 ft/sec, range of 13,090 yards, and penetrate 2.9 inches at 1,000 yards. Muzzle velocity of 1,850’/sec and weighed 14.4 lb.
37mm gun had muzzle velocity of 2,900 ft/sec, range of 12,850 yards, and penetrate 1.8 inches at 1,000 yards. Muzzle velocity of 2,550/sec and weighed 1.9 lb.
Where Used
Were first used the Philippnes. Then they were used in North Africa, including Kasserine Pass. In the Pacific they were used at Makin Island by Marines.
Supplied to Britian and Russia (1,400) as Lend-Lease. 750 were sent to Australia.
Used for battle of Gazala on May27, 1942. Many were used at the Battle of Alamein that took place from October 23 to November 4, 1942.
They are definitely a very intersting tank.Have always been intrigued by these tanks,probably because they are kinda odd looking and they were in the Battlefield 1942 expansion pack "Battlefield 1942:Road to Rome"which was prolly the Grant version.Maybe because it was in one of my favorite games lol makes it more intersting for me.
Maybe this is of topic,I am not sure.
One can tell the tanks were sort of thrown together hodge-podge of available parts. It’s really an ugly tank with many limitations. Still, it held the line and did exactly what it was designed for, serving as a stopgap until better, related designs could be produced (which limited the factory retooling necessary to produce the M-4).
The high profile wich made the center of gravity very tall continue however. :neutral:
M3 Captured in North Afrika and tested in the Kummersdorf german proving grounds, the mm of armor are stenciled in the hull plates.
Military radio transceivers back then were a bit fiddly to use. They operated mostly in the HF range, which, while having a good range given the right antennas, is very prone to disturbances. Also radio traffic back then was often carried out in the modulation mode CW, this means carrier wave morse code.
Then the radios were not yet quartz stabilised, the frequencies tended to drift and needed constant adjustment.
Jan
Even in Clansman kit from the early 1980s - present, HF is a crappy frequency range to have to use. Good range, as you said Jan, but the white noise is horrible to have to listen to on radio stag and it is far more vulnerable to interference than the VHF sets.
The “cathedral” …I mean M3 lee interior. the top turret Mg must had some troubles engaging entrenched infantry at short range.
Scan Osprey “new vanguard 113”
Bump!
Only films featuring the M3:
Bogart in Sahara:
Jim Belushi remake of “Sahara”
And there was this one, unfairly I think, comparing the M3 to a Panther:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aoMGdAJKso
Jim Belushi remake of “Sahara”
I saw it some years ago, no the biggest budget but still a good movie.