The M3 Half-Track was an American armored personnel half-track vehicle used by Allied forces during WWII and the Cold War. In 1940, the M3 design was standardized to improve reliability and production rates. The same year, the Autocar Company, Diamond T Motor Company, and White Motor Company began manufacturing the M3 vehicle. The intent was to supply all U.S. armored infantry units with M3s.
The M3 was first used to defend the Philippines in 1942. By late 1942, it was deployed in its primary combat role during Operation Torch. Each armored division received several hundred M3s for use in the armored regiments and armored infantry regiments. In 1943, the M3 was deployed to Sicily, and Italy. It was also used during Operation Overlord and served in Europe for the remainder of the Second World War.
The M3 was modified to support multiple combat roles as an armored personnel carrier, self-propelled gun, and anti-aircraft weapon. Nearly 54,000 M3 vehicles of all variants were produced and supplied to the U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, British forces, and Soviet Red Army. During the Cold War, the M3 was used by state and non-state forces around the globe. It remained in use by foreign services until the mid-1990s.
