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23 May 1944 Allied breakout from Anzio beachhead.
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M-3 Lee Medium Tank

The M3 Lee Medium Tank, produced during 1941 and 1942, was known as the General Lee to the U.S. Army and the General Grant to the British. The main gun was the hull-mounted 75mm backed up by a 37mm gun in the turret, plus three .30 cal. machine guns. A .45 cal. submachine gun was carried for crew protection. The 400hp Continental R975 EC2 radial engine could move the tank at 21 mph on a sustained basis ofr 24 mph for short bursts.

The hull is made of rolled armor, assembled by riveting, while the turret is cast armor. A number of variants were produced in small numbers. The M3A1 Lee had a cast upper hull, easily distinguished in photos by its rounded shape.

The M3 saw action with the British in North Africa in 1942 and later with American forces. The high profile and limited movement of the main gun were drawbacks that led to the M4 Sherman tank design by late 1942.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the M-3 Lee Medium Tank at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

29th Infantry Division M3 Lee Medium Tanks on maneuvers in southern England, 5 December 1942. This was one of the first tank units to arrive in Britain.

M-3 Lee tanks in training exercises, Ft. Knox, KK, June 1942.

M3 Lee Medium Tank, mounting a 75mm gun in the sponson and a 37mm gun in the turret, on Butaritari Island, Makin Atoll, Gilbert Islands, circa November 1943. A medical crew waits beside their jeep for tanks to pass.

US Army M-3 Lee medium tank, with cast hull, manufactured during World War II.

Crew of M-3 Lee Tank #309490, D Co., 2nd Bn., 12th Ar. Reg., 1st Armored Div. at Souk el Arba, Tunisia, 23 November 1942.

Lend-Lease General Grant tank and tank transporter arrive in India via Lend-Lease, April 1943. The Grant is the British version of the M-3 Lee Medium Tank with squatter, wider turret. The transporter is a Mack Wrecker, 4 to 5 ton, 6x4 towing a Trailer, Tank, 45 Ton, M9.

M-3 Lee Medium Tank Photo Gallery

A pair of M-3 Lee Medium Tanks.

M-3 Lee Medium Tank in training exercise, Fort Benning, GA 1942.

M-3 Lee Medium Tank at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.

M-3 Lee Medium Tank. Photo: Courtesy of Douglas Greville
M-3 Lee Medium Tank. Photo: Courtesy of Douglas Greville, Heavy Metal.