Item Code 8034B - Directly offer from our owned workshop! The model assembled and painted by our model master, has exact details and color from the original vehicle. The color showing in Green Camo.

A must buy item for war-gaming or dioramas, don't miss this great model!!

The Medium Tank M3 was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called by two names based on the turret configuration. Tanks employing US pattern turrets were called the "General Lee", named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Variants using British pattern turrets were known as "General Grant", named after U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant. Design commenced in July 1940, and the first M3s were operational in late 1941. The U.S. Army needed a good tank and coupled with United Kingdom's demand for 3,650 medium tanks immediately, the Lee began production by late 1940. The M3 was well armed and armored for the period, but due to design flaws (high silhouette, archaic sponson mounting of the main gun, below-average off-road performance) it was not satisfactory and was withdrawn from front line duty as soon as the M4 Sherman became available in large numbers.

Of the 6,258 M3s produced by the U.S., 2,855 M3s were supplied to the British Army, and about 1,386 to the Soviet Union. Consequently, one of the American M3 medium tank's first actions during the war was in 1942, during the North African Campaign. British Lees and Grants were in action against Rommel's forces at the disastrous Battle of Gazala on 27 May that year. They continued to serve in North Africa until the end of that campaign. A regiment of M3 Mediums was also used by the U.S. 1st Armored Division in North Africa. In the North African campaign, the M3 was generally appreciated for its mechanical reliability, good armor and heavy firepower.In all three areas, it was able to fight German tanks and towed anti-tank guns. The tall silhouette and low, hull-mounted 75-mm were severe tactical drawbacks, since they prevented the tank from fighting from hull-down firing positions. The use of riveted armor led to a problem called "spalling," whereby the impact of enemy shells would cause the rivets to break off and become projectiles inside the tank. Later models were welded to eliminate this problem. The M3 was replaced by the M4 Sherman as soon as these were available, though several M3s saw limited action in the battle for Normandy as armored recovery vehicles with dummy guns.

Over 1,300 diesel-engined M3A3 and M3A5s were supplied to the USSR via Lend-Lease in 1942-1943. All were the Lee variants, although they are sometimes referred to generically as Grants. The M3 was unpopular in the Red Army, where its faults showed up in engagements with enemy armor and anti-tank weapons, with the Soviets bestowing it the nickname of "БМ-6 — братская могила на шестерых" that could be translated as "collective grave for six people", although the official designation was "М3с" ("М3 средний", M3 medium) to distinguish them from "М3л" ("М3 лёгкий", M3 light) Stuart tanks. Few were seen in combat after about mid-1943, though some M3s were used on the Arctic Front in the Red Army's offensive on the Litsa front towards Kirkenes in October 1944. The Germans had on this front only relatively few obsolete French Hotchkiss H35 and Somua S35 tanks that they had acquired during occupation, consequently the M3's inferior tank-to-tank capabilities were of limited importance.