M3 Stuart--America's Light Tank

The M3 Stuart light tanks with a 37mm ATG, three .30 cal. machineguns were the main tank type available to  the US Army in 1941. There were first used in combat by the British in the North Africa Campaign.

While too lightly armored and armed to be a main battle tank in Europe by the time the US entered the war, the Stuart was still quite useful as a scout tank and against the lighter AFV's of Japan. It's original max armor of 51mm (2inches) a main gun of only 37mm and up to five .30 cal. machineguns was fine when first designed but was quickly surpassed as the war progressed. What it did posses was a great turn of speed, up 58 kph/36mph and unsurpassed reliability. So reliable were Stuarts that the British tankers in North Africa gave them the nick name "Honey." Many variants included upgraded armor, weapons (flame throwers and short 75mm cannon being especially popular) and even turrets. Via Lend Lease, Stuarts were seen in every major Allied army, even the Chinese and Russian,

The second largest American production tank, with over 22,400 Stuart M3/M5 family of tanks produced, the Stuart was a common sight on the major battlefields of World War Two, as well as a variety of conflicts up until the Nicaraguan Revolution of the late 1970's.

As with the later Sherman's, Stuarts had a long and successful life in the armies of smaller nations after the war, the army of Paraguay was still using ten upgraded Stuarts as late as 2014.

This is a plastic Warlord Games piece that I put together and painted in 2019.