Reconnaissance vehicle M3 ( born Scout Car M3 ) is a lightweight multi-purpose US armored personnel carrier of the period of World War II . In the Second World War, the M3 was actively used as a reconnaissance and patrol vehicle, light armored personnel carrier, command post vehicle, artillery tractor or weapon carrier, usually a mortar .
| M3 scout car | |
|---|---|
 M3A1 at the Royal Australian Armored Corps Museum | |
| M3 scout car | |
| Combat weight, t | 5.62 |
| Crew | one |
| Landing , people | 5-7 |
| Story | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Years of production | 1937 - 1944 |
| Years of operation | 1937 - 1990s |
| The number of issued, pcs. | 20,994 |
| Key Operators |    |
| Dimensions | |
| Body length mm | 5626 |
| Width mm | 2032 |
| Height mm | 1994 |
| Base mm | 3327 |
| Track mm | 1657 |
| Clearance mm | 400 |
| Reservation | |
| Type of armor | surface hardened steel |
| Forehead of the body (top), mm / city. | 13/30 ° |
| The forehead of the body (bottom), mm / city. | 6/30 ° |
| Board of the case, mm / city. | 6/0 ° |
| Feed housing, mm / city. | 6/0 ° |
| Housing roof, mm | 6/85 °, mostly open |
| Armament | |
| Machine guns | 1 × 12.7 mm M2HB 1-2 × 7.62 mm M1919A4 |
| Machine gun ammunition | 750 × 12.7 mm 8000 × 7.62 mm |
| Mobility | |
| Engine type | in-line 6- cylinder liquid-cooled carburetor |
| Engine model | Hercules jxd |
| Engine power, l from. | 110 |
| Speed on the highway, km / h | 81 |
| Cruising on the highway , km | 400 |
| Wheel formula | 4 × 4 |
| Suspension type | on leaf springs |
| Gradeability, hail. | thirty |
| The overcome wall, m | 0.3 |
| The overcome ditch, m | 0.45 |
| Fording , m | 0.7 |
It was created in 1937 as a further development of the M2 . Serial production was conducted from 1937 to 1944 , a total of 20,994 vehicles of this type were produced. The armored car was withdrawn from the arsenal of most of the countries that used it shortly after the end of World War II, but in some states the M3 remained until the 1990s .
Content
- 1 Options and modifications
- 2 Combat use
- 3 Where can I see
- 4 Literature
Options and Modifications
- M3 - the first production model of the 1938 model
- M3A1 - 1941 model
- M3A1E1 - version with a diesel engine (about 100 cars manufactured)
- M3A1 Command Car - 1943 command post vehicle
Combat use
- The Second World War (1939-1945) - was actively used by the US Army, more than 11 thousand were transferred to the allies under the Lend-Lease program : for the army of Great Britain, Canada, the USSR, as well as Belgian, Polish and French military units operating on the western front and in North Africa. A number of captured vehicles entered service with the Wehrmacht.
- Indochina war (1945-1954) - used by the French army, some were transferred to the South Vietnamese armed forces.
- The Arab-Israeli war of 1948-1949 was in the arsenal of the Israeli army.
- War of Independence of Algeria (1954-1962) - used by the French army
- Cuban Revolution (1956-1959) - 24 armored vehicles received under the US military assistance program were in service with the government army.
Where can I see
- Russia - Museum of Russian Military History in the village of Padikovo, Istra District, Moscow Region.
- Russia - a museum of military equipment "Combat Glory of the Urals", Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sverdlovsk Region.
Literature
- Reconnaissance armored vehicles adopted by the US Army // Journal of Youth Technology, No. 6, 1941. p. 53
- M. Baryatinsky. American armored personnel carriers of the Second World War. - Moscow: Model designer, 2004. - 32 p. - (Armored Collection No. 5 (56) / 2004). - 3000 copies.
- RP Hunnicutt. Armored Car. A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles. - Novato, California: Presidio Press, 2002 .-- 320 p. - ISBN 0-89141-777-X .