Carro Armato Medio M3 Grant Mk.I Esercito Britannico, 1941–1943

Recensione del Modello Hasegawa in Scala 1:72

Between agosto of 1941 e dicembre of 1942 a total of 6,258 carri armati medi M3 were produced. Due very similar versions existed, the Lend-Lease M3 Grant Mk.I used by the armata britannica, e the US M3 Lee which was also supplied all’armata sovietica under Lend-Lease. Both carri armati are named after famous Generals della guerra civile americana, Confederate Robert E. Lee e his immediate opponent Ulysses S. Grant, who led the Union army to victory.

The M3 series of carri armati had an unusual design resembling that of the Char B1 francese, con a 37 mm turreted cannone da carro ed a 75 mm howitzer mounted in the hull. Unlike the Char B1, the carro armato medio M3 was supplied con armour piercing ammunition for the 75 mm howitzer, giving it 89 mm of armour penetration at 100 metri range, compared to only 76 mm for its 37 mm gun.

The carro armato Grant entered service in 1942, in time for the Battle of Gazala, and was still in service in Italia nel 1943 in some units. The hybrid design did not survive, it was replaced by the carro armato medio M4 Sherman which mounted only the more powerful 75 mm howitzer. Contributing writer Andy Reid reports that there a photos of a mixed Sherman II, Grant, e Crusader Mk.III tank platoon operating in Tunisia, prior to the Battle of the Kasserine Pass.

Most of the remaining carri armati Grant Mk.I were sent to the far east in 1943, especially Burma. Serving alongside the Grant Mk.II, they completely outclassed carri armati medi Chi-Ha Type.97 giapponesi (25 mm Armour), e carri armati leggeri Type.95 (12 mm Armour). I giapponesi responded by upgunning the Chi-Ha Type.97 from a 57 mm L.18 to a high velocity 47 mm L.48 gun which out-ranged the Grant in head-on battles. Many of the carri armati Grant which remained nell’Europa were converted into recovery veicoli, which is what became of the American M3 Lee as well. There was a prototype 3.7 Inch Flak mounted on the M3 chassis which did not enter production, probably because Allied air superiority made it obsolete.

Contenuto

M3 Grant Mk.I (Britannico) & 2 American Crew

• Tipo: Carro Armato Medio
• Lunghezza: 5641 mm
• Larghezza: 2719 mm
• Altezza: 2736 mm
• Velocità: 38 km/h
• Armamentoo: Turreted 37 mm L53,
  75 mm L31 Howitzer, e 2 MG
• Equipaggio: capocarro e 5 carristi
• Year: agosto 1941-1943

Valutazione

• Good choice of subject. The M3 Grant was più potentemente armate than any other Allied tank previously employed in the desert war; it put up a good fight against the Panzers.
• Scale model con good detail. Rivets, hatches, e much stowed equipaggiamento make this an attractive model.
• Only 75 parts; easy to assemble.
• High quality kit. Parts fit very well, e there is minimal flash.
• Compatibile con ESCI, e Revell.

• It is not immediately apparent, but part No. 35 should be drilled out to accept an antenna.
• Part No. 37 is not shown in the assembly instructions, its use is not apparent.
• The tracks are of the old pin-and-hole variety which never seemed to hold together very well. The manufacturer recommends welding them con a hot screwdriver, but many modellers use staples to do the trick. The vehicle has full side skirts, ed it is possible to hide the stapled joint inside. The track may be glued to the road wheels to secure it.
• The crew members are wearing American uniforms, even though the tank is an M3 Grant britannico. We used a soldatini capocarro britannico from another vehicle in the illustration above.

Utilizzo Storico

• Armata Britannica, North Africa 1941-1942

  The Grant first saw action at Gazala (maggio 1942). 164 Grants were distributed to 1st Armd Div (2nd Armd Bde), e 7th Armd Div (4th, e 22nd Armd Bdes). After the battle, only 40 carri armati remained (mainly from 1st Armd Div). The distribution of carri armati in the Armoured Regiments was as follows: (Some reggimenti did not follow this distribution)

  • "A" Sqn Stuarts o Crusaders, "B" e "C" Sqn con Grants.

  The Grant next saw service at Alam Halfa (Aug/Sep 1942), e El Alamein (Nov 1942). 350 Grants were distributed to 10th Armd Div (8th, e 9th Armd Bde) e 7th Armd Div (22nd Armd Bde, e 4th Light Armd Bde). The distribution of carri armati in the Armoured Regiments should have been as outlined above, con the following known exceptions:

  • Armd Regt (8th Armd Bde): "A" e "B" Sqn Grants, "C" Sqn con Crusaders.
  • Armd Regt (9th Armd Bde): "A" Sqn Crusaders, "B" Sqn Grants, "C" Sqn with Shermans.
• Armata Britannica, Italia 1943
• Armata Britannica, India/Burma 1943

Conversione

• Carro medio M3 Lee dell’armata US. A complicated conversion, requiring a differently shaped 37 mm gun torretta ed a small MG torretta on top of it. With its many torrette, the M3 Lee variant is the more unusual ed interesting looking delle due veicoli. Hasegawa offers the M3 Lee as a separate kit.
• Grant C.D.L. (Canal Defence Light), 79^a Divisione Corazzata, NW Europa 1944
• Carro Recupero M3.
  Photos of several different version of the Carro Recupero M3 exist, some taken in Italia in 1943 e 1944, ed others in Belgio at the time of the Battle of the Bulge. A number of different field, o rear workshop modifications of the vehicle existed, depending on which workshop carried out the conversion.

  M3 recovery tanks used in Belgio appear to be of the following pattern: Hull sponson gun removed ed a girder type derrick arm fixed to the sponson con a cable running inside, presumably to a winding mechanism. It is not known if the winding mechanism was powered, o hand cranked. The crane arm used the existing sponson for lateral movement. There seemed to be no means of elevation provided. Some veicoli had the torrette removed, but the majority still retained the 37 mm gun, e twin 0.30 M.1919 Browning MMGs for self defence.

  M3 recovery tanks operating in Italia had the torretta either removed completely, and a typical breakdown truck type crane fixed to the engine deck, o a small crane, constructed from girders o railway lines, in place of the 37 mm gun and MMGs. As the front of the torretta is 88 mm thick, it would provide a sturdy mounting point. In either case, the hull 75 mm L.31, o the L.41 gun used in some of the regunned M3 Lee/Grant tanks, remained in place. At least one vehicle reportedly carried both of these cranes.

Carri armati medi M3 Grant had an unusual hybrid design, mounting a cannone da carro ed a 75 mm howitzer, making it a very attractive vehicle for modellers. Historically, the M3 Grant was an important vehicle, because it redressed the balance of power at a time when the armata britannica was seriously undergunned in the desert war. The 75 mm howitzer proved so successful that a separate 37 mm cannone da carro was no longer necessary. Later tank designs, like the M4 Sherman, focused on a single torretta with a powerful gun o howitzer, firing armour piercing o high-explosive shells.

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Soldatini Britannici della Seconda Guerra Mondiale

– Pubblicato: 1996 – Aggiornato: 14.07.1997
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