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M3 Stuart & M5 Stuart – American Light tank | WWII

by Soora Solutions August 27, 2022

M3 Stuart and M5 Stuart are light tanks manufactured in the USA during the WWII era. M3 and M5 light tank production was started in 1941 and even today some M5 tanks are active in service. Before the attack on pearl harbor, the USA did not have any intention to join the war. Instead, the US used the world war as an opportunity to strengthen the economy of the country. To strengthen the economy, what the USA did was mass manufacture war machinery and sell them to Russia and Britain. To do that the lend-lease act was implemented in the USA. M3 Stuart was one of the first tanks to be sold to allied nations under the lend-lease act.

lend-lease act Discussions (CC License)

Historical significance of Stuart M3

After the USA entered the war M3 was the first tank with a US crew to fight with enemy tanks. The first fight was fought in December 1941 in the Philippines against Japanese tank battalions. As the first battle of Stuart M3, the operation crusader of the North African campaign is recorded.

In November 1941, the eighth army of England launched a surprise attack against Italian forces using 170 Stuart 3 tanks. It was the first time this light tank was seen on the battlefield. After that Stuart fought in many major global conflicts including the Chinese civil war, the Indu-Pakistan war, Cuban Revolution, the Korean war, and First Indochina war.

Operation crusader (CC License)

Development History

With the heat of WWII increasing rapidly, the U.S Army ordnance department wanted to improve their existing light tank M2 into something with better armor and firepower. The M2 light tank is also the predecessor of the M2 medium tank which provided the original blueprint for heavily successful M4 Sherman program.

M2 Light tank

For the standards of WWII light tanks, M3 was heavily armed and equipped with some serious firepower. The armor thickness varies from 9.5 to 50.8mm. The gun mantle had the highest armor thickness which was 51mm. A newly invented anti-tank gun, 37mm M5 was used as the main armament. (This was the same gun used in M2A4. A 0.30 caliber M1919A4 Browning machine gun mounted on an M20 AA gun mount was used as the secondary armament. The same gun was used as the hull machine gun in M4 Sherman.

M Series Light and Medium tanks

M3 Stuart Development in to M5 Stuart

In M3 and M3A1 tanks, air-cooled radial engines were used. Specifically, 7 Cylinder Continental W-670 petrol engine or 9 Cylinder Guiberson T-1020 Diesel engine was used to power M3 and M3A1. Both of these engines are originally designed as aircraft engines.

W-670 Petrol Engine Used in M3 Stuart

With the demand for aircraft engines rapidly growing in the market, using these engines for tank development was not a good deal at the time. So, the US Army ordnance department decided to improve a new M3 variant that does not use an aircraft engine.

A twin Cadillac V8 engine with an automatic transmission system was used in the new development project. With this new improvement, tank handling becomes easier. Automatic transmission made the tank training process much easier and more efficient. The engine was smooth running and quieter. So, it was easy for radio operators to communicate while moving.

Cadillac V8 engine used in M5 Stuart

M5 Stuart

The hull of M3 was redesigned for M5. The rear deck area of the hull was raised from its original position. The same 37 mm antitank gun used in M3 Stuart was used in M5. However, by the time of M5 development, the firepower of the 37mm gun was not enough to penetrate enemy armor. For some reason, the designers did not consider changing the gun.

M5 Stuart Tank

M3 and M5 Stuart Production

M3 Stuart production commenced in March 1941 and M5 production started in April 1942. M3 production continued until September 1943. A total of 13,859 M3s were produced during the two years. M5 production continued for another year after the M3 program was terminated. In June 1944 the last M5 Stuart entered production. In total 8,884 M5 tanks were manufactured during a two-year project scale.

Three different manufacturing companies undertook the production process.

American Car & Foundry Company WWII Tank factory (CC License)

General Specifications M3 Stuart & M5 Stuart

Other than the engine and transmission system, both M3 and M5 tanks have equal designs and equipment. The average tank body weight was 15.20 metric tonnes. The body was 4.84 meters long 2.29 meters wide and 2.57 meters tall. Both M3 and M5 tanks were manned by a four man crew. The crew consisted of Commander, Gunner, Driver and assistant driver.

M3 Stuart Tank Dimensions

Power, Transmission and Suspension

The main engine used in the series was a Twin Cadillac series 42 engine. At 3,400 RPM it was able to output 220hp. So, the power-to-weight ratio standard for M3 was 13.14 hp/t. In the M3 Stuart, a manual transmission system with 4 forward and one reverse gear was used.

In the M5 tank, the manual transmission was replaced with a hydramatic 4-forward speed gearbox. In both tanks, the internal fuel tank was able to carry 340 liters of diesel or petrol fuel. The operational range was only 160km. The maximum recorded on road speed was 58 km/h.

Main armament

Through the series a 37mm M6 antitank gun was used as the main armament.147 37mm rounds were carried in the tanks internal ammo storage compartment.

Later in the war 37mm was proven to be ineffective against heavily armed German tanks such as the Tiger 1.

In the M8 howitzer model the 37mm canon was replaced with a 75 mm M2 howitzer. The same weapon system was used in Sherman M4 howitzer modifications.

M8 Howitzer a modification of M3 Stuart

Secondary armament of M3 Stuart

Three .30 caliber Browning M1919A4 machine guns were used as the secondary armament. Tank carried approximately 6,750 rounds of ammunition for machine guns.

M3 Stuart major variants

M3 was a popular tank during and after WWII. M3, M3A1, M3A3, M5 and M5A1 are the major mass producing light tank variants. Other than light attack tanks, many special fighting vehicles were manufactured with the M3 blueprints.

Howitzers
recovery vehicles
Mortar vehicles
AA tanks
Command tanks
Flame thrower tank
Mine exploder tank
, are some modifications of M3 Stuart.
M3A1 aka Stuart iii
M3A1 is the first modified version of Stuart M3. It received a new turret, and a vertical stabilizer for the main gun. A sub variant known as Stuart iv was built with the petrol engine replaced by a diesel Guiberson engine.
M3A1
M3A3 or Stuart V
M3A3 production was started with having M5 blueprints in hand. The new M5 hull design was introduced to the M3 structure. In the front section, a sloped armour plate was welded to provide extra protection. A new SCR-508 radio was installed in the rear turret housing.
SCR 508 Radio

M5A1 or Stuart VI
M5A1 is developed as a combination of M3A3 and M5 tanks. The newly developed M3A3 turret was fitted to the M5 body.
Summary – M3 Stuart & M5 Stuart
M3 Stuart or officially light tank M3 is an American made light tank which fought in the WWII and post WWII battles. Originally designed in early 1940’s, even today some tanks are actively operating. M3 and M5 tanks were produced in USA during 1941 and 1944. During the four years 22,744 tanks were manufactured.
M3 Stuart tank in popular gaming culture
M3 and M5 Stuart tanks in Popular gaming culture

August 27, 2022 0 comment

Commonwealth Howitzer Medium Tank Tank destroyer Tanks USA World War II

Sherman M4 WWII American – Allied Medium tank

by Soora Solutions August 24, 2022

written by Soora Solutions

Medium tank M4, aka Sherman is a medium tank originally designed by US military during WWII. It was the most widely used medium tank by US military during the WWII era. Sherman M4 was used by all allied nations during the WWII and Sherman firefly was designed and manufactured in UK based on the M4 design. Sherman M4 served in the US military for 15 years from 1942 to 1957.

Sherman was one of the most significant and successful tanks of WWII era. Extremely high reliability, easy maintainability, abundance of spare parts and cheap building cost made it more attractive to have in any army. More than 49,000 units of Sherman tank was manufactured during the WWII era with each costing 44 to 65 thousand dollars.

Sherman M4

Development history of Sherman M4

Sherman is the 4th main development of medium tank class which started from the M2 light tank in 1935. M2 light tank developed into M2 medium tank in 1939 and it was again developed into M3 Lee tank. M3 is actually an intermediate design or a gap filling design. But, the development of M3 Lee was a big victory for US engineers since the 37 mm gun used in the M2 medium was replaced with a heavy 75mm M2 canon.

M2 light Tank

However, with the gun mounted on a side sponson M3 had some unusual design. Without a turret targeting was difficult with M3 and the tank needed to be moved around always to acquire a target. As a solution a joint design operation involving British, US and Canadian engineers resulted the first prototype M4 tank design Which was known as T6.

M3 Lee Tank

Lee M3 vs Sherman M4

Sherman is the successor of M3 Lee medium tank which served US army in the early WWII years. The mechanical design of the M3 did not changed from a significant level while developing the M4. The most significant change is that instead of mounting the main gun in side sponson mount, it was brought to the central turret. This gave the M4 Sherman better targeting ability and firing stability. A gyro-stabilizer was used to stabilize the turret main gun.

M2 75mm Gun mounted in a half-truck

A 75mm M2 or M3 gun was used in the M3 Lee and the same M3 gun was used in M4 as well. However, the ammo storage was increased from M3 carrying 46 rounds to M4 carrying 104 rounds.

M4 Sherman – General specifications

Sherman was originally designed by U.S Army Ordnance Department in 1940. The tank is 30 to 38 tonnes heavy and 19 to 20 ft long. Depending on the variant the width vary between 8ft 7 in to 9ft 10 in. Height 9 ft to 9 ft and 9 inches.

M4 Sherman

Crew

M4 Sherman was manned by a five personnel crew which include Commander, driver, gunner, loader and bow gunner. Bow gunner was also designated as the assistant driver of the tank.

Sherman M4 Armour

By the time M4 Sherman had a good armour to resist German anti-tank guns. The armour plate thicknesses vary from 12.7 to 177.8 mm depending on the location.

Sherman M4 main armament

As the main armament three different guns are used in different variants. The 75 mm M3 gun with 90 to 104 rounds, 76 mm M1A1, M1A1C and M1A2 guns with 71 rounds or a 105mm M4 howitzer with 66 rounds acted as the main armament of Sherman.

High explosive ammo, smoke ammo and armour piercing ammo were used with these guns.

Issues related to the M4 main gun

Muzzle blast in the initial 76mm guns caused heavy smoke and dust around the gun. So, after making the first shot the gunner was unable to clearly see the target. In M1A1C gun, the gun was threaded for a muzzle brake and the threads were covered with a protected cap.

Secondary armament

As the main machine gun a half inch caliber browning M2HB machine gun with 300-600 rounds were used. As the secondary machine guns in hull and turret two .30 caliber Browning M1919A4 MG with 6,000 – 6,750 rounds used.

Engine and power of Sherman M4

In the initial M4A1 version a petrol engine with 350 to 400 hp power is used. In the M4A2 version the fuel type was changed to diesel to increase the torque of the engine. The engine was manufactured by general motors. 6046, General motors 71 series two stroke engine was used in the M4A2.

In M4A3 again the fuel type was changed to petrol. Ford made V8 petrol engine installed in the M4A3 was able to output 450 hp. In M4A4 version a Chrysler A57 multibank 39 cylinder Petrol engine with a power output of 370hp was used. Again in M4A6 version a 450hp engine – Caterpillar D-200A 9 cylinder radial diesel engine was installed.

As the power transmission system Spicer made manual transmission system with 5 forward gears and single reverse gear was installed.

The power to weight ration of M4 Sherman tank vary from 10.46 to 13.49 hp/t range depending on the variant.

Range and Speed

Depending on the tank variant M4 Sherman can carry 520 to 660 L of fuel. This fuel storage was able to support a operational range of 160 to 240 km on road. Depending on the terrain the consumption may increase.

The maximum on road speed vary from 35 to 48 km/h.

Sherman – Probably the most successful military vehicle development program during WWII?

The design of Sherman was proven to be one of the most successful designs in the history. With incomparable reliability records US engineers considered developing various military vehicles based on the Sherman’s design. Some vehicles developed with the Sherman blueprint include,

Tank destroyers like M10 with 3 in gun
Howitzers like M7B1 with 105mm howitzer
Self-propelled gun carriers like M30 truck
Flamethrower tanks like M4-A2
Rocket launcher tanks like T34 Calliope
Amphibious assault vehicles
Engineering tanks
Artillery carriers
Recovery vehicles

M10 Tank Destroyer

Major battles

Other than WWII, Sherman served in many major battles around the world. Korean war, Cuban revolution, Indo-pakistan war, Suez crisis, Iran – Iraq war are some highlights, which Sherman served as main medium tank for different countries.

Sherman Firefly

Sherman firefly is a British made medium tank of WWII. Firefly was developed from the blueprints of Sherman M4. More than 2,100 Firefly tank units were manufactured in UK’s Detroit tank arsenal company.

Unlike the M4, firefly only need a four man crew which include the commander, gunner, loader and driver. Instead of using US M2 or M3 75 mm medium velocity guns , British made QF 17 pounder 76.2 mm gun with 77 round storage capacity was used in the firefly.

A multibank petrol engine was used to power this tank and the maximum recorded power was 425 hp.

Sherman Fury

Fury is an American war film released in 2014. The movie timeline moves with a story of US tank crew, who is fighting though the German front lines during the final weeks of WWII. The crews beloved tank is a M4 Sherman nicknamed “Fury”

The tank featured in the movie is an A2 variant of Sherman M4 American made medium tank.

Summary – M4 Sherman

M4 Sherman is a WWII era American medium tank used by many armies including US army, British army, Canadian army and other allied armies. Sherman was the successor of M3 Lee tank. Sherman was identified as a durable, enduring and powerful tank and it was very successful in the battle field. Using the same design many other military vehicles including engineering vehicles, rocket launching vehicles and tank destroyers were developed.

August 24, 2022 0 comment

USA Medium Tank World War II

T6 – The American Medium Tank

by Soora Solutions August 6, 2022

written by Soora Solutions

What is this T6?

This is a medium tank that was used during the period of the second world war. And this was built as a prototype for another famous war tank, M4 Sherman. That was also another famous medium tank during the time. This was an American tank. This M6 tank was considered the most important American tank in that period.

History

As we previously mentioned, this tank was the prototype of the famous American medium tank, M4. And that M4 tank was also a replacement for another tank called M3 and history goes on.

Were all these tanks the same?

No. Every one of these guns was far more advanced than in the previous war. We consider these advancements through gun power and everything. Especially the turret and the guns were replaced in advance.

Were they look different from the British tanks?

Their original plan was to avoid the design of British tanks. But, instead of that, the outcome was so related to British tanks. So, they had so much in common with the British tank.

General information

Now let us look into the general information of the tankT6. There are so many things we can talk about under this category. Such as the crew, the armor, the firepower, the mobility, and the spotting. So, let us talk about them one by one.

The crew

There were five crew members in this American medium tank. They were the commander, the gunner, the driver, the radio operator, and the loader. It is the typical crew placement of the war tanks.

The armor

Next, let us look into the armor of the tank T6. When we talk about armor, it can be discussed under three topics. The hull armor, the turret armor, and the survivability. Let us see.

Hull armor

The hull armor of the T6 tank was 44 mm thick from the front, 37 mm thick from the sides, and 37 mm thick from the rear.

Turret armor

The turret armor was way thicker than the hull armor. It was 65 mm thick from the front and the back and the sides of the turret armor was about 40 mm thick.

Survivability

When we talk about the survivability of the tank T6, we can divide the topic into two sections. The repairing time and the hit points. Let us see.

The suspension repair time

Here the suspension repair time took around 10 to 11 seconds. The most frequent time recorded was 10.3 seconds. And the next topic is the hit points.

Hit points

When we talk about the hit points of the T6 tank, it was able to bear until 450 hp powerful attacks. As the turret armor was averagely thick, there is no wonder.

The firepower

Now, let us look into the firepower of the tank T6. We can talk about it under several topics. For your convenience, let us take them one by one.

Damage and the armor penetration

In this tank, the armor penetration was around 90 / 125 / 38 mm. so, it was pretty high. And the damage bore by this tank leveled around 110 / 110 / 175 hp powerful. So, this American tank was good at facing opponents.

Rate of fire and damage per minute

The rate of fire of this T6 tank was around 13.33 rounds per minute. And the damage caused by this tank was at an upper level. It was 1 466 hp powerful. So, that is a lot.

Aiming time and dispersion

The aiming time was not so quick in this tank. It was nearly two seconds. The actual measurement was 1.90 seconds. And the dispersion rate was 0.47 m at 100 m. and the ammo capacity of this tank was about 75 pieces.

Mobility

When we talk about the mobility of a tank, there are certain things we have to focus on. They are the weight, power, and speed. Let us see.

Weight

The total weight of the tank T6 was about 27 tons. This was the complete battle-ready weight. This means this was the weight with the crew and the supplies in it. The tank itself weighed around 25.48 tons.

Power

Here the power means the engine power and the specific power of the tank. The engine power was around 350 hp and the specific power was calculated as 13.74 hp per ton.

What is the specific power of a tank?

Specific power of a tank means the hp/t. which means the total horsepower of the engine of the tank divides by the tank’s weight. Normally we take tons as the measurement when we talk about the weight of a tank.

Speed

When we talk about the speed of a tank, we can talk about the top speed, the traverse speed, and the turret traverse speed of the tank. Let us see.

Traverse speed	The traverse speed was about 32 deg per second
Top speed	The top speed of this tank was about 34 km per hour
Turret traverse speed	The turret traverse speed was around 34 deg per second

Spotting

When we talk about spotting, we can divide the topic into two sections. The view range and the signal range. The view range of this tank was super high. It was about 320 m and the signal range was about 325 m. which is approximately good.

Modules

Now let us move on to the modules and the specifications of T6

Guns

Firstly, let us talk about the most important module of a tank, the guns. There were four guns on this T6 tank. Let’s look into them one by one.

75 mm Gun M3

The penetration of this gun was 92/127/38mm and the damage caused by this gun was 110/110/175hp. The rate of fire was 14.56 rounds/minute and the dispersion was at a level of 0.4m while the aiming time was 2.7s. The weight of this gun was around 1437kg.

105 mm M4

The penetration of this gun was 53/102/38mm and the damage caused by this gun was 410/350/175hp. The rate of fire was 4.44 rounds/minute and the dispersion was at a level of 0.6m while the aiming time was 3.3s. The weight of this gun was around 2600kg.

75 mm Gun M2

The penetration of this gun was 90/125/38mm and the damage caused by this gun was 110/110/175hp. The rate of fire was 13.65 rounds/minute and the dispersion was at a level of 0.46m while the aiming time was 1.8s. The weight of this gun was around 1237kg.

75 mm M3 Tank Howitzer

The penetration of this gun was 38/92/38hp and the damage caused by this gun was 110/110/175hp. The rate of fire was 13.04 rounds/minute and the dispersion was at a level of 0.53m while the aiming time was 3.2s. The weight of this gun was around 138kg.

Engines

There were two engines in this T6 tank. The Wright Continental R-975EC2 and the Wright Continental R-975C4. The first engine produced 350 hp and the second one generated 460 hp. The first engine weighed about 515 kg and the second engine weighed around 550 kg.

If you want to know more cool facts about war tanks like this, please visit our site, wartankers.com!

August 6, 2022 0 comment

Heavy Tank Post World War Tanks USA

T110E5 – The American Heavy Hero

by Soora Solutions July 27, 2022

written by Soora Solutions

What is this T110E5?

This T110E5 is a variant of the main tank version, T110. This T110E5 is also known as the TS 31. This T110 project was canceled due to its size of it. The assigned duty of this tank was to pass through some small tunnels in the Bernese Alps and they were too big to do that.

T110E5

So they canceled it on the first try?

No, they did not. They tried several ways and proposed several proposals before canceling the project T110. That is how the T110E5 was produced. This was the third proposal and the final proposal that became a reality.

Proposals

They initially planned on proposing five projects. But they only built three of them. And all three of them were just prototypes. The other two are T110 Proposal 1, as known as T110E3, and T110 Proposal 2, as known as T110E4.

Origin

This was never built to use in wars. They just tried to keep the T 110 project without canceling and as a result T110E5 was created. The first tank of this series is the T 110 and this T110E5 is the sixth and last tank of this series. The place of origin of this tank is the United States. This tank was created as a heavy tank.

History

Normally when we talk about the history of tanks, we can talk it under two categories. The service history and the production history. But here, there is no service history. Because this was just a prototype. The only thing we can say about the service history of T110E5 is that it was used by the armies of the United States.

T110E5

The production history

There are a few things we can talk about under the production history of T110E5. Not as many other US tanks, this was designed and manufactured in two different tank plants. The manufacturing was done at the Detroit Arsenal Army Tank Plant and the designing was done at the Chrysler Motor Army Tank Plant. They were the best designers and manufacturers at the time.

Variants

Even though this tank was just a prototype and only one tank was built, this also had a few variants. They were the TS5, the TS6 version 1, and the TS 6 version 2.