Thread: Tank and other stuff I.D.

quick google and they look like these

M3 Lee / M3 Grant (Medium Tank, M3) - Medium Tank - History, Specs and Pictures - Military Tanks, Vehicles and Artillery

m3 lee / m3 grant ??

Originally Posted by Yorkie

quick google and they look like these

M3 Lee / M3 Grant (Medium Tank, M3) - Medium Tank - History, Specs and Pictures - Military Tanks, Vehicles and Artillery

m3 lee / m3 grant ??

There's quite a few of them there along with what looks like bridging vehicles and trucks.

The plaque is what looks like a regiment initial from before the first world war.

Murrayville

SS 3743

1912 to 1921

Originally Posted by Redback

On a recent trip to SA, on the way back I spotted this grave yard at Murrayville.
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Baz.

The Lee/Grant were a bit of a disaster. First used in North Africa, most were left there and newer M4 Shermans used as they became available. The riveted hull provided projectiles inside the hull when hit on the outside and the high profile of the 37mm gun and turret meant they were easy targets before they could get their main 75mm gun in the sponson into a firing position. They would have been capable against the Panzer II in use at the outset of the War in 1939 but by their introduction into North Africa they were well outclassed by the Panzer III and IV.

The other hull in the background is a British Matilda powered by either twin AEC or Leyland diesel bus engines through a Wilson pre-select gearbox. The Matilda were used by the Aussies throughout the war with many being fitted with a dozer blade.

While the Grant had its faults, I do seem to remember reading that it did at least enjoy some popularity due to the 75mm armament and its HE rounds which gave the Commonwealth forces something more useful for dealing with antitank guns and the like than the 2pdr (which only used armour piercing rounds).

By the way, what is the greenish turret in the second photo? It doesn't really look like it came off a Grant.

Staghoung turret on top of random bull dozer tracks.


For ground M3 Grant, 75mm sponson gun, the turret should have had a 37mm gun. Back ground is a Matilda tank hull, would have had a 2pdr gun fitted, or bigger.


Side view of the Grant, the chunks out of the hull I'm told were used to make ground rippers and towed behind the Grant.


And again another Grant.


There are differences between the Grants and Lees, engine, suspension, turret. But as they were long in the tooth towards the end of their career lots of bits were mixed up.

Read more here,
The US M3 Medium Series in Australia by Paul D. Handel

Regards Easo

Originally Posted by Redback

On a recent trip to SA, on the way back I spotted this grave yard at Murrayville.



m3/grant turret/sherman turret

in front of you is an m3/grant hull behind you in the grass is a matilda a-12 hull

m3 grant/lee

m3 grant/lee possibley in the t5e2 configuration.
Baz.

really need a front on shot of the turret to identify it properly.

Frank Boyce of Brisbane started a business after WW2 based on buying Matilda tanks for their engines and using one engine at a time in surplus Fairmiles, workboats, and other military small craft converting them into diesel powered pleasure cruisers. These craft usually had two or three Packard or Hall & Scott avgas fueled V12's. Whilst many folk had flower pots or giant clam shells at the foot of their front stairs, Frank had a pair of V12's.