M3 half-track explained

Carrier, Personnel, Half-track, M3
Origin:United States
Type:Half-track armored personnel carrier
Is Vehicle:yes
Wars:World War II
Chinese Civil War
1948 Arab–Israeli War
Greek Civil War
Korean War
First Indochina War
Costa Rican Civil War
Vietnam War
Laotian Civil War
Algerian War[1]
Cambodian Civil War
Suez Crisis
1958 Lebanon crisis
Six-Day War
1973 Arab–Israeli War
Lebanese Civil War
Salvadoran Civil War
Nicaraguan Revolution
Design Date:1940–1941
Manufacturer:Autocar
Diamond T
White Motor Company
Unit Cost:$10,310[2]
Production Date:1941-1945
Number:53,000 (including variants)
Weight:17650lb (M3),
18425lb (M3A1)
Length:20feet with roller
Width:7feet
Height:7feet
Crew:1
Passengers:12
Armour:612 mm (0.250.50 in)
Primary Armament:.30 caliber Browning M1919A4 machine gun (M3, M3A1),
.50 caliber Browning M2HB machine gun (M3A1)
Engine:White 160AX
Engine Power:148 hp (110 kW) at 3,000 rpm
Pw Ratio:18.5 hp/metric ton (M3),
17.7 hp/metric ton (M3A1)
Transmission:Spicer 3461 constant mesh
Suspension:Front: semi-elliptic longitudinal leaf spring
Rear: Vertical volute spring
Fuel Capacity:60 US gallons (230 litres)
Vehicle Range:200 mi (320 km)
Speed:45 mph (72 km/h) on road

The M3 half-track was an American armored personnel carrier half-track widely used by the Allies during World War II and in the Cold War. Derived from the M2 half-track car, the M3 was extensively produced, with about 15,000 standard M3s and more than 38,000 variant units manufactured.

The M3 was extensively modified with several dozen variant designs produced for different purposes. During World War II, the M3 and its variants were supplied to the U.S. Army and Marines, as well as British Commonwealth and Soviet Red Army forces, serving on all major fronts throughout the war. The M3 and its variants were produced by many manufacturers including Diamond T, White Motor Company, and Autocar. They were adapted for a wide variety of uses, such as a self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon or self-propelled artillery. Although initially unpopular due to its lack of significant armor or a roof to protect the passengers and crew from shrapnel, it was used by most of the Allies during the war.

In the Cold War era, the vehicle was used by a variety of state and non-state operators in conflicts in South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, remaining in service until as late as the mid-1990s.

Specifications

The M3 half-track was 20feet long, 7feet wide, 7feet high and had a gross weight of either 17650lb (M3) or 18425lb (M3A1). The wheelbase was 135.5inches long. The suspension consists of a leaf spring for the two front wheels, while the rear treads had vertical volute springs. With a fuel capacity of 60 US gallons (230 L), the M3 could carry its crew (one driver) and a squad of 12 soldiers 220miles before refueling, while protecting them from small arms with light armor (6–12 mm of armor). The vehicle was powered by a 148hp White 160AX, 386 in3 (6,330 cc), 6-cylinder gasoline engine.[3] [4]

Design

The design, which used many commercial components to improve reliability and the rate of production, was standardized in 1940 and built by the Autocar Company, Diamond T Motor Company, and the White Motor Company. With a White 160AX engine, the M3 was driven through a manual constant-mesh (non-synchromesh) transmission with four forward and one reverse gear, as well as a two-speed transfer case. The front suspension uses leaf springs, while the tracks use vertical volute springs. Braking was hydraulic assisted while steering was manual. Onboard electronics run on a 12-volt system.[5] The vehicle uses two tracks made of molded rubber over steel cabling with metal track guides.[6]

Infantry rifles were held in brackets behind the seats while ammunition and rations were generally stored underneath. In 1942, the vehicles were fitted with small racks for land mines on the outside of the hull, just above the tracks. In combat, many squads found it necessary to stow additional rations, rucksacks and other crew stowage on the outside of the vehicle. Luggage racks were often added in the field, and later vehicles were fitted with rear-mounted racks for this purpose.[7]

Early vehicle had a pintle mount just behind the front seats that mounted a .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun. The later M3A1 adopted a raised, armored "pulpit" mount for the .50-caliber machine gun over the front passenger seat, and additional mounts for .30-caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns along the sides of the passenger compartment. Many M3s were later converted to M3A1s. The vehicle body was fully armored, with an adjustable armored shutter for the engine radiator, and adjustable bulletproof panels with vision slits for the windshield, driver windows, and passenger windows.[8]

Development

See main article: M2 half-track car. The development of an armored half-track began with ordnance directive OCM 14188 to convert an M3 Scout Car into a half-track. The prototype was built at Rock Island Arsenal with help from White Motor Company and was designated the T7. It had the same chassis and engine as the M3, but had larger front wheels and a shorter front clip. The armor consisted of 1/4-inch thick hardened armor plate, and it was armed with two M1919 machine guns and one M2 Browning machine gun operated by a crew of eight. Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1938 demonstrated unsatisfactory performance due to the front-wheel drive. The T7 was converted back into a scout car and returned to the Army.[9]

Throughout 1939 and 1940, the M2 half-track car was prototyped and developed by the Army at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The M3 was developed as a larger version of the M2 equipped with two M1919 machine guns and an M2 Browning machine gun for combat usage. The M3 also added a rear door and five additional seats in the rear. The M3 was tested at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in the summer of 1941 and was accepted into service soon after.[10]

Service history

In US service, it was intended that the M3 would be issued to armored infantry regiments. It was also quickly put into action with the Provisional Tank Group when the Japanese Army began their invasion of the Philippines. At first, there were multiple complaints due to several mechanical difficulties. These were rectified by the Ordnance Department after receiving field reports from the Philippines. The M3s first use in its intended role was during Operation Torch. Each armored division had 433 M2s or M3s, 200 in the armored regiments and 233 in the armored infantry regiment.

The half-tracks were initially unpopular and nicknamed "Purple Heart boxes" (a grim reference to the US Army decoration for combat wounds) by American troops. The chief complaints centered on the complete lack of overhead protection from artillery shells bursting overhead and that the armor was inadequate against machine gun fire. Omar Bradley quoted in his report about half-tracks that it was "a competent and dependable contrivance. Its bad name resulted from the inexperience of our troops who attempted to use it for too many things".[11] Another major issue with the M3 was its fixed rear idler, which often broke on rough terrain. Commanders in North Africa bought parts to build spring-loaded rear idlers that could handle the rough terrain, which the Ordnance Department then approved as an official fix.[12] [13] In 1943, the M3 served in Sicily and Italy and received positive reports of it in action. It operated in Operation Overlord and served in Europe for the remainder of the war.[14]

The vehicle was generally considered very mechanically reliable, although there were two major complaints: the vehicle had a wide turning radius and lacked power steering, the latter especially evident when using narrow European streets. The unique design of the track, made up of steel bands with a rubber contact surface vulcanized to them, made replacement difficult; if the track became damaged or the steel bands stretched out, the entire track had to be replaced. A track with replaceable blocks was suggested as an alternative.[15]

Total production of the M3 and its variants ran to nearly 54,000 vehicles.[16] To supply the Allied nations, International Harvester produced several thousand of a very similar vehicle, the M5 half-track, for Lend-Lease.[17]

Variants

Armored personnel carriers

Self-propelled guns

Anti-aircraft variants

40 mm experiments

Various attempts were made to mate the 40 mm Bofors L/50 gun to the M3 chassis. In most cases the weapon's recoil was too severe or the mounting too heavy, and the attempts were finally stopped with the adoption of the M19 MGMC on the M24 light tank chassis.

Post-war Israeli variants

Operators

Non-state former operators

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Windrow (1997), p. 33.
  2. Zaloga, Stephen J. M3 Infantry Half-Track 1940–73. Osprey Publishing
  3. Book: . TM 9-2800 Standard Military Motor Vehicles . 30–33 . 1 September 1943 . Washington, D.C. .
  4. Berndt (1993), p. 152.
  5. Mesko (1996), p. 8.
  6. Zaloga (1994), p. 11
  7. Zaloga (1994), pp. 6–7
  8. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 25.
  9. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 33.
  10. Zaloga (1994), p. 8.
  11. Zaloga (1994), p. 11.
  12. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 40.
  13. Zaloga (1994), pp. 15–16.
  14. Web site: The Chieftain's Hatch: ETO Equipment Reviews . Moran . Nicholas . February 17, 2018 . The Chieftain's Hatch . Wargaming . November 26, 2021.
  15. Zaloga (1994), p. 42
  16. Zaloga (1994), p. 12.
  17. Berndt (1993), p. 147.
  18. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 52.
  19. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 98.
  20. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 112.
  21. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 96.
  22. Zaloga (1994), pp. 36–37
  23. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 121.
  24. Zaloga (1994), pp. 35–36
  25. Mesko (1996), p. 22.
  26. Zaloga (1994), p. 38.
  27. Hunnicutt (2001), pp. 123–126
  28. Hit-Run Ack-Ack Guns Mounted on a Half-Track. Popular Mechanics . December 1943. Hearst Corporation. New York, NY . 3 August 2011. (including "cover artwork")
  29. Berndt (1994), p. 33.
  30. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 131.
  31. Zaloga (1994), p. 39.
  32. Gander (2013), p. 231.
  33. Gander (2013), p. 232.
  34. Hunnicutt (2001), p. 194.
  35. Zaloga (1994), p. 24.
  36. Brezner (1999), p. 172-3.
  37. Zaloga (1994), p. 40.
  38. Xavier. Tracol. Blindorama : L'Argentine 1926–1945. Batailles et Blindés. fr. October 2011. Caraktère. 1765-0828. 45. 4–7.
  39. Encyclopedia: Jane's Armour and Artillery 1998–99. Inventory – Armour and Artillery in service, Argentina. 15 June 1998. Christopher F.. Foss. 978-0-71061-790-3.
  40. Web site: Rearming Austria: WWII weapons. 14 June 2015. wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com.
  41. Grandoloni (1998), p. 11.
  42. Encyclopedia: Jane's Armour and Artillery 1998–99. Inventory – Armour and Artillery in service, Cameroon. 15 June 1998. Christopher F.. Foss. 978-0-71061-790-3.
  43. Zaloga (1994), p. 13.
  44. Web site: El Salvador > Appendix. Library of Congress. Country-data.com. August 3, 2019.
  45. Zaloga (1994), pp. 21–22.
  46. Zaloga (1994), p. 23.
  47. Zaloga (1994), p. 42.
  48. Encyclopedia: Jane's Armour and Artillery 1998–99. Inventory – Armour and Artillery in service, Korea, South. 15 June 1998. Christopher F.. Foss. 978-0-71061-790-3.
  49. Grandoloni (1998), p. 12.
  50. Encyclopedia: Jane's Armour and Artillery 1998–99. Inventory – Armour and Artillery in service, Liberia. 15 June 1998. Christopher F.. Foss. 978-0-71061-790-3.
  51. Encyclopedia: Jane's Armour and Artillery 1998–99. Inventory – Armour and Artillery in service, Madagascar. 15 June 1998. Christopher F.. Foss. 978-0-71061-790-3.
  52. Web site: Trade Registers . Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . 23 April 2019.
  53. Web site: Een M16 half-track (half-track met een M55 vierlingmitrailleur) met personeel. . 1955. NIMH beeldbank . 2018-02-08.
  54. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The Military Balance 2012. The Military Balance: Annual Estimates of the Nature and Size of the Military Forces of the Principal Powers. 2012. IISS. London. 0459-7222. 39.
  55. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) . International Institute for Strategic Studies . 2021 . The Military Balance 2021 . The Military Balance . en .
  56. Encyclopedia: Jane's Armour and Artillery 1998–99. Inventory – Armour and Artillery in service, Senegal. 15 June 1998. Christopher F.. Foss . 978-0-71061-790-3.
  57. Encyclopedia: Jane's Armour and Artillery 1998–99. Inventory – Armour and Artillery in service, Togo. 15 June 1998. Christopher F.. Foss. 978-0-71061-790-3.
  58. Zaloga (1994), pp. 3–5
  59. Grandoloni (1998), pp. 3–4.
  60. Grandoloni (1998), pp. 8&16.
  61. Bishop (1998), p. 81.
  62. Abbott (2014), pp. 21–24
  63. Kassis (2003), pp. 41–47.
  64. Abi-Chahine (2019), p. 122.
  65. Kassis (2003), pp. 85–89.
  66. Kassis (2003), p. 63.