Manufacture of original M3 tanks (also the British Army "Stuart I") saw manufacture until October of 1942 and yielded a stock of 4,526 units. Some 1,285 examples followed that were outfitted with a Guiberson T-1020 series diesel engine but did not receive a different designation. Instead they were named simply as "Light Tank, M3, (Diesel)" to signify their difference. The British Army designated these as the "Stuart II". The M3A1 - "Stuart III" - was brought online in May of 1942 and added a gun stabilizer, powered traversal of the turret and a turret basket. These lacked a turret cupola. 211 were produced with diesel engines ("Stuart IV") of the 4,621 manufacture total.
The definitive M3 of the family became the M3A3 which entered production in September of 1942. These introduced all-new sloped hulls with improved and natural ballistics protection qualities seen on the twin-engine M5 Stuarts. The turret was also revised to incorporate overhang (bustle) for the SCR-508 radio kit while little else was changed. This became the "Stuart V" for the British and totaled 3,427 production units. In fact, many M3A3 units served with foreign forces overseas as opposed to American units.
The end of frontline service for the M3/M3A1 models came in July of 1943 when its line was officially declared obsolete by Army authorities. In its place came the M5 who managed to extend the Stuart story for a little longer. Additionally, many variants based on the M3 chassis existed including a command tank, howitzer carrier, gun carrier, a proposed mine detonator vehicle, and flame tank mounting a flame gun in place of a machine gun.
Operators proved plenty and ranged from Australia and Belgium to Venezuela and Yugoslavia. Some captured examples were operated by the Japanese Army in the Pacific Theater and used during the Battle of Imphal (March-July 1944). Fallout from the Chinese Civil War saw M3s fall to Chinese forces. The Soviet Union, like the United Kingdom, was the recipient of M3 Stuarts thanks to Lend-Lease. The M3 proved a good match for Soviet tactics and an improvement for the then-existing light tanks it had on hand.
It is worth noting the evolution of the M3 line despite its rather short-lived service life. Original turrets used the common construction practice of riveted panel sections which presented all points of weakness at their fittings. Additionally, a direct enemy shot on the armor held a nasty tendency to fire off the rivets within the cramped fighting cabin - to the detriment of the crew within. Some 279 turrets were then completed with "face-hardened" welded armor panels while final examples featured homogenous welded armor - which vastly improved crew safety and protection. Beyond the turret, the first 3,212 M3 tanks were all riveted-hull models with all of its inherent dangers and weaknesses. Welding became apparent in later production forms. Early models also lacked a turret floor.
From this, the M3 was truly an evolved design offering greater capabilities than the preceding M2 line though outmoded by the subsequent M5 and outclassed by the newer M24. At any rate, the little tank gave proper service to a nation just having committed to world war against more seasoned powers than itself. In time, American industrial might and determination would help to rewrite the course of history in removing the scourge of the Axis from all ends of the earth.
Production of M3 Stuarts reached 22,744 examples (some sources state as high as 25,000). Comparatively, M5 production managed "only" 8,884.
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