Designed as a stopgap measure until the M4 Sherman tank could come on line, the M3 General Grant medium tank saw action in the North African campaign with both US and British forces battling the Afrika Korps. The M3 tank was unusual because it mounted two large caliber weapons in the body of the vehicle. A heavy 75mm gun was housed in a sponson situated on the right hand side of the vehicle while a smaller 37mm gun was placed atop the tank in a separate fully traversible turret. Most military historians view the M3 as a failure because the 75mm gun had a restricted field of fire. In fact, the tank would have to be constantly repositioned so that the gunner could train the gun on enemy targets located on the left hand side of the tank. Finally, the M3's high humpback-like profile and riveted construction made it especially vulnerable to enemy fire.

Design commenced in July 1940, and the first M3s were operational in late 1941. The US Army needed a medium tank armed with a 75 mm gun and coupled with the United Kingdom's immediate demand for 3,650 medium tanks, the Lee began production by late 1940. The design was a compromise meant to produce a tank as soon as possible and serve only until replaced by the following M4 Sherman tank. The M3 was reliable, had considerable firepower, good armor, and high mobility but had serious drawbacks in its general design and shape, including a high silhouette, an archaic sponson mounting of the main gun preventing the tank from taking a hull-down position, and riveted construction.

It was considered by Hans von Luck (a German army officer who wrote the post-war memoir Panzer Commander), to be superior in May 1942 to the Panzer IV and able to operate out of range of German 5cm anti-tank guns. However, by mid-1943, with the introduction of upgunned Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs, the tank had been withdrawn from combat in most theaters and replaced by the more capable M4 Sherman tank as soon as it became available in larger numbers.

Despite its being replaced elsewhere, the British continued to use M3s in combat against the Japanese in southeast Asia until 1945.Nearly a thousand M3s were supplied to the Soviet military under Lend-Lease between 1941 and 1943.

This particular 1:32 scale replica of a British Grant tank saw action at the Battle of El Alamein in late 1942. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 7-1/2-inches
Width: 3-1/2-inches
Height: 3-3/4-inches

Release Date: May 2006

Historical Account: "Sandstorm" - The Second Battle of El Alamein, marked a significant turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. The battle lasted from October 23rd to November 3rd, 1942. Following the First Battle of El Alamein, which had stalled the Axis advance, General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Commonwealth's Eighth Army from Claude Auchinleck in August 1942. Success in the battle turned the tide in the North African Campaign. Allied victory at El Alamein ended German hopes of occupying Egypt, controlling access to the Suez Canal, and gaining access to the Middle Eastern oil fields. The German defeat at El Alamein marked the end of German expansion.