M-1 Combat Car (Light Tank)

The US Cavalry began development of armored vehicles in 1933, but was restricted by the National Defense Act of 1920 that said "tanks" could only be within the Infantry. Therefore, vehicles for the Cavalry were called "Combat Cars" notwithstanding their close resemblance to tanks.

Cavalry missions required a light, fast tank so the Combat Car design emphasized speed and firepower more than armor protection. As series of experimental small tanks, called the T5 Combat Car, were produced at Rock Island Arsenal, featuring vertical volute spring suspension instead of leaf spring suspension. After several such models were tried, the T5 was standardized as the M1 Combat Car, first fielded to the US Army Cavalry units in 1937. The Cavalry M1 Combat Car was very similar to the Infantry M-2 Light Tank, also produced at Rock Island Arsenal.

After several experimental models in the T5 Combat Car series, the T5E2, with a single turret mounting two machine guns, was standardized as the M1 Combat Car. It entered service with the US Army in 1937. In July 1940 the Armored Force was created, merging the requirements of Infantry and Cavalry tanks. The Cavalry M1 Combat Cars were renamed M1A2 Light Tanks. About 170 were manufactured in total.

The Infantry M2A1 Light Tank can be differentiated from the Cavalry M1 Combat Car by examining the turrets: the Light Tank turret is cylindrical in cross-section with an extention for the machine guns, while the turret of the Combat Car was either D-shaped or octagonal.

M-1 Combat Car (Light Tank) Variants

Four variants of the M1 Combat Car (Light Tank) were produced:

M-1 Combat Car (Light Tank) Characteristics

1st Cavalry M-1 Combat Car, Ft. Knox, KY, 1938.

Many more photos of the M-1 Combat Car (Light Tank) at this link.

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