British Army Medium Tank M3"Grant"

(Google Translate)

The M3 Grant medium tank was a 26t tank that was used in WWII and was modified from the US M3 Lee medium tank for use by the British Army.

Equipped with a 75mm gun in the hull and a 37mm gun in the turret, it was tall at 3.12m, and its riveted construction, which didn't take into account the initial damage, made it seem a bit outdated when it first appeared on the battlefield, clearly showing how behind the US tank development was at the time.

But. Although the 75mm gun only had a firing angle of 15° to the left and right, it was powerful enough to destroy German tanks from outside their range, and it was also equipped with howitzers (the British army was suffering from a shortage of howitzers at the time).

For the British army in North Africa, which was being overwhelmed by the German Africa Corps led by General Rommel, the M3 Grant was a long-awaited force.

For the US side, this tank was also a stopgap until the deployment of the M4 Sherman tank, and it disappeared from the battlefield as the M4 became widespread, but for the British soldiers, it was a reliable ally, even if only for a short time.

(※) The turret is larger than that of the Lee because communication equipment is installed inside the turret.

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M3グラント中戦車は合衆国のM3リー中戦車をイギリス軍用に改修した(※)、

26ｔのＷＷ２で活躍した戦車です。

車体に75mm砲、砲塔に37mm砲を搭載、全高3.12 mと背が高く、被弾経始など全く考慮していないリベット止めの仕様は戦場に登場した時点でやや時代遅れの感が強く、当時の合衆国の戦車開発がいかに立ち遅れていたかを如実に示すものでした。

が、しかし。その75mm砲は射角が左右15°しかないとはいえ、当時のドイツ戦車の射程外から一方的に撃破できる強力なものであったのに加え、榴弾が用意されていたこと（当時のイギリス軍は榴弾砲不足に悩んでいました）。

ロンメル将軍率いるドイツ・アフリカ軍団に押しまくられていた北アフリカの英軍にとってＭ３グラントはまさに待望の戦力でした。

合衆国側もこの戦車はＭ４シャーマン戦車配備までの繋ぎの意味合いが強く、やがてＭ４が行き渡るにつれて戦場から姿を消していきますが、英軍将兵にとってはわずかな期間ではありましたが、頼もしき味方となったのであります。

(※)通信機器を砲塔内に積んだため、「リー」に比べて砲塔が大きくなっています。