The M3 Stuart/light tank M3 was a US light tank of World War II. It first entered service in the British Army in early 1941 and saw action in the North African campaign in July 1941. The British officially named the M3, Stuart. Unofficially, it was often referred to as “Honey” due to its smooth ride. In the US, the tank was officially known as a Light Tank M3. The M3s were produced by American Car and Foundry Company, Cadillac division of General Motors (GM), GM, and Massey-Harris, 1941 to 1944. Some 22,744 tanks were produced in nearly 30 variants.
Stuarts were first used in Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) in North Africa by the British forces. In December 1941, during the Philippines campaign, Stuarts were the first American-crewed tanks in World War II to engage the enemy in tank versus tank combat. The M3s were effective in combat in the Pacific theater, Japanese tanks were fewer in numbers and lighter in armor than allied tanks. In later years of the European war, the M3 light tanks had become obsolete against heavier enemy tanks and were used for cavalry and infantry fire support missions.
Later variants of the M3 Light Tank were constructed with upgrades to improve functionality and crew survivability. Modifications to the turret replaced the cupola with two safety hatches on the rear turret roof. Rivets were replaced with wielded plates to eliminate rivets spalling and ricocheting inside the tank injuring the crew. Periscopes were added for the commander and driver. Power traverse and gyrostabilization were added to greatly improve accuracy while the tank is in motion. The outdated sponson machine guns were removed. The displayed M3 is painted to represent M3 Stuarts captured by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Philippine Campaigns.
