Berezov Bound - first-ever AAR in Russian

[plloyd1010]

The Grant/Lee was not well liked much more a command tank. It had better success in the Burmese jungle, but was not so good against a serious European power. The M3 Grant/Lee was an expediency after the fall of France. The army planners decided that 75mm gun was the minimum requirement for a battle tank. They also insisted on a higher hp-wt ratio than the current M3 medium design had. The guys, at Dodge I think, managed to meld 5 diesel to make the M3 Lee engine. The proposed M3 tank gun was cut down to 32 calibers. The whole thing was put under the original M3 design, which was then put on the M4 Sherman suspension. The tank was only intended to be used until the M4 Sherman became generally available.

The M3 Lee was the U.S Army version. The M3 Grant was the British lend-lease version. For those of you who may not have noticed, especially non-Americans, U.S. tanks are normally named after generals. General Robert E. Lee was the most notable general for the Confederacy during the American Civil War, general Ulysses S. Grant was the primary general for the Union in the war.

The M3 Lee/Grant was superior to medium German tanks when introduced. That said, the PzKw IVf2 is right around the corner. The Grants first appeared in the Gazala battles. It did quite well against even the PzKw IIIj, the best German tank in operation at the time. When Tobruch fell, the PzKw IVf2 had reached the field. I think the M3 Lee/Grant is an excellent example of American ingenuity, but it is an expedient kluge, not a design.