Canada Light Tank M5A1

The Light tank M5A1 was a tank based on the M5 with the 37mm anti tank gun having a gyrostabiliser. The power was provided by twin Cadillac 121hp petrol engines, driving through the front drive wheel, then via 2 pairs of road wheels to a rear idler then back over 3 return rollers. This model was all welded and had a bulge at the rear of the turret for a radio.. General Details Specifications Operational Date(s) 1942 Ordnance classification Quantity Produced 6810 Weight unknown Crew 4 M.G's small 3 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 4.89 mtr Width 2.31 mtr Height 2.43 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 40 mph Max Cross Country Speed 24 mph Range Road 100 miles Range Cross Country unknown Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity 89 gal Horse Power 250 hp Power/Weight unknown General Information The Light tank M5A1 was a tank based on the M5 with the 37mm anti tank gun having a gyrostabiliser. The power was provided by twin Cadillac 121hp petrol engines, driving through the front drive wheel, then via 2 pairs of road wheels to a rear idler then back over 3 return rollers. This model was all welded and had a bulge at the rear of the turret for a radio. Armour Details Turret Front 51mm @ 0° (51mm) Side 32mm @ 0° (32mm) Rear 32mm @ 0° (32mm) Top 12mm @ 90° (12mm) Superstructure Front 57mm @ 45° (81mm) Side 28mm @ 0° (28mm) Rear 28mm @ 0° (28mm) Top 9mm @ 90° (9mm) Hull Front 57mm @ 45° (81mm) Side 28mm @ 0° (28mm) Rear 28mm @ 0° (28mm) Top 9mm @ 90° (9mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 81 mm - Minimum 9 mm Weapon Details 37mm Antitank Gun M3 (Anti Tank Gun) History Used against the Japanese in the Phillipines in 1941, and proved effective, however when used in the North Africa Campaign the shells bounced off the German medium tanks. This gun was also used in a number of American Tanks. Manufacturer Watervliet Arsenal, Manufactured 1940 - 1944 Calibre 37mm Rate of Fire 25 rpm   Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content AP M74 Shot(AP) 37mm 0.86Kg 885M/Sec Quoted Penetration 36mm @ 500mtr/0° ( ≈ 36mm/0°) Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.12 0.24 0.51 1.15 2.01 3.19 4.93 7.73 Penetration(mm@30°) 61 55 48 38 30 22 16 10 Penetration(mm@0°) 71 64 56 45 35 26 19 12 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 96 64 25 8 2 HE M63 Shell(HE) 37mm 0.73Kg 792M/Sec 0.039Kg explosive Maximum Range 3000 Mtr Range(Mtr) 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 Flight Time(Secs) 1.73 5.51 20.09 Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill 0 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill 1 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill 3 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr 0 mm An explosion within 1 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's. An explosion within 3 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties. The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will not cause any significant armour damage.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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