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United States
Medium M3,M3A1,M3A2 (Grant I,II,III) (Grant)
Ordnance classification - M3A1

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The Medium M3,M3A1,M3A2 (Grant I,II,III) based on the existing Medium Tank and was in use from 1941.

Flag of World War 2 United States
Medium M3,M3A1,M3A2 (Grant I,II,III)(Grant) scale illustration

General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1941
Ordnance classificationM3A1
Quantity Produced5236
Weightunknown
Crew7
M.G's small3
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length5.69 mtr
Width2.74 mtr
Height3.15 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed26 mph
Max Cross Country Speed16 mph
Range Road120 miles
Range Cross Countryunknown
Fuel TypePetrol
Fuel Capacity175 gal
Horse Power340 hp
Power/Weightunknown
General Information
The Medium M3,M3A1,M3A2 (Grant I,II,III) based on the existing Medium Tank and was in use from 1941.

It was armed with 3 light machine guns. Its main armament consisted of a 37mm Antitank Gun M6 which could penetrate 71 mm of flat plate at 100 metres

A specification for the M3 Grant was laid down in 1940 as a new medium tank with thicker armour than the previous medium tanks, and mounting a 75mm gun. Unfortunately the designs for a turret to mount the 75mm gun were not fully developed, so a rotating turret with the 37mm Antitank Gun M6 which had been developed for the T5E2 was used. The 75mm Gun M2 was mounted in a sponson to the right of the vehicle.

Both guns had giro stabilisers which made it possible to fire accurately on the move.

The vehicle transmission sprocket was at the front, the track passed under 6 road wheels on three bogies to the rear idler, then return via 3 return rollers. Later models had a cast hull as opposed to the rivetted hulls on the earlier models.

Armour Details
Turret
Front51mm@47°(75mm)
Side51mm@(51mm)
Rear51mm@(51mm)
Top22mm@90°(22mm)
Superstructure
Front51mm@45°(72mm)
Side38mm@(38mm)
Rear38mm@(38mm)
Top13mm@87°(13mm)
Hull
Front45mm@45°(64mm)
Side38mm@(38mm)
Rear38mm@(38mm)
Top13mm@87°(13mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 75 mm - Minimum 13 mm



Weapon Details
Flag
37mm Antitank Gun M6
(Anti Tank Gun)
Blank
History
This was the Tank mounted version of the 37mm M3
ManufacturerWatervliet Arsenal
Calibre37mm
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
AP M74 Shot
(AP Armor Piercing)
37mm 0.86Kg 885M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 36mm @ 500mtr/0°
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
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 High Explosive)
37mm 0.73Kg 792M/Sec 0.039Kg explosive
Maximum Range not shown as gun elevation is limited
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.27 0.57 1.29 2.25 3.56 5.51 8.63
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.27 0.57 1.29 2.25 3.56 5.51 8.63
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 93 57 22 3 1
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill0 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill1 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill3 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr0 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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