M3 Stuart Troop

Description

Before the war much effort went into building light tanks, which were felt to have a role analogous to cavalry in an earlier age. Once war began these precepts were quickly brought into question, and the need for more heavily armoured and better armed tanks became apparent. The M3 was derived from the pre-war M2A4 light tank: it retained that tank’s 37mm gun and 3 hull-mounted machine guns.

The British Army was the first to use the “Stuart” in combat. About 170 Stuarts took part in Operation Crusader proving superior or comparable to most of the tanks used by the Axis forces.

The high losses suffered by Stuart-equipped units during the operation had more to do with the better tactics and training of the Afrika Korps than the apparent superiority of German armoured fighting vehicles used in the North African campaign.

Crews liked its relatively high speed, smooth ride and mechanical reliability, hence the name “Honey” was occasionally used by crews as it drove