1941 American Armoured Divisions/ M-2 Light Tank

April 1941. British Movietone News. As the Light Tank T2E1, the M2 was developed in 1935 by Rock Island Arsenal for the infantry branch of the U.S. Army. The design coming from the earlier T1 and T2 was somewhat inspired by the famous Vickers 6-ton. Its main weapon was one .50 machine gun, installed in a small one-man turret. After only 10 units were delivered, the Infantry branch decided to switch to a twin turret configuration, with a .30 machine gun in the second turret. These early twin-turret tanks were given the nickname "Mae West" by the troops, after the popular busty movie star. The twin-turret layout was inefficient, but was a common feature of 1930s light tanks derived from the Vickers, such as the Soviet T-26 and Polish 7TP.

Following the Spanish Civil War, the U.S. Army understood it needed better arms and better armored vehicles. The Cavalry branch had already opted for a single, larger turret on its nearly identical M1 Combat Car. By 1940 the twin machine gun turrets were replaced by one larger turret with a 37 mm gun, and armor reached 25 mm. Other upgrades included improved suspension, improved transmission, and better engine cooling.

The Battle of France gave momentum to the US tank program, and in July 1940 work began on a new light tank based on the M2 series. By adding heavier armor and a slightly longer hull, the M3 was created. The early M3 closely resembled the M2A4 and indeed the two types occasionally served in the same units; the easiest recognition feature is the idler wheel. On the M2A4, the idler is raised; on the M3 it trails on the ground, increasing the flotation of the heavier vehicle. In March 1941 light tank production switched to the M3 series.

The M2's importance lies in the sound basis it provided for US M3-series light tanks early in WW2. The M3's high speed and mechanical reliability were legacies of the M2 program

Category:

News & Politics

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• M2
• Light
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• American
• United
• States
• Armour
• Armor
• M2A4
• M3
• T2E1
• 1941
• Armoured
• Division

[SkibaFelix]

@SkibaFelix I am forced to correct myself:

24 were left with twin--turret tanks and 13 single--turret tanks were fitted with better engine, more armor protection and provided the crew with more space. The so-called "9TP's" were at dead even with the German Panzer 3's of 1939.

[SkibaFelix]

@SkibaFelix Not 3000, I meant to write 3,000,000!

[SkibaFelix]

@SkibaFelix When Mr. Professor Hunczak said that 3,000 Soviets gave up to the Germans within the 1st year of war and sometimes the Germans would by pass the Soviet colums trying to withdraw and wave at them! A decendant of Russian colonists from Eastern Ukraine got mad! He claimed that his grandfather and his 5 friends used 1 rifle to shoot at Germans.When asked why 1 rifle for 5!? He said that only 2 out of 5 worked from the day that they were issued to them, and after a couple weeks, only 1!

[SkibaFelix]

My sincere opinion is that when the Soviets in spite of poor tactics had enough armor to halt the German advance in 1939 or at least turn the quick German blitz into a slow bloody grind, the Soviet infantry was so poorly equiped that it could not evev as little as slow down the German tanks driving around the Soviet tanks and cutting off their supply lines. This needs to be researched, however! In 1939 the Poles observed that the Soviet infantry is underfed and all rifles are on strings!

[SkibaFelix]

In fact both the Poles and the Soviets gave up on the twin turret designs for light and medium tanks as early as 1938. Out of 132 Polish 7--Ton tanks (in reality 10 tons) that fought in 1939 (primarly concentrated in two brigades each of 50 tanks) only 11 were of the obsolete twin turret design, the rest was armed with improved Bofors 37 mm cannon (Polish version 1937). As to the Soviet T-26 only the 1st circa 2,200, and none after 1934, out of circa 11,000 were of twin turret design. T

[scarlebloke]

The tank going through the wooden building is an M2 Medium. It was pretty much obsolete as soon as it appeared so only just over 100 were made. The M3 Lee/Grant vehicle was developed from it.

[ghamdi070]

they make it sound 100 more funner to fight in a tank in this propaganda.

[DonMeaker]

@dividednation44 The M-2 was produced in response to a specification. After that, available assets are assigned. You confuse application with design. The Great Depression occurred due to Government intervention in the economy, mostly led by the Fed Reserve (1927 money creation to 'help out' the Bank of England) but continued by Hoover and FDR, whose vigorous actions made it impossible to start a business, or to adapt business to changed conditions. FDR made the depression great

[dividednation44]

@DonMeaker oh yeah right, and would you explain the great deppression? M2 tanks were daily patrolling around the white house to thwart off any pissed off people, infact theres even a picture of it as physical proof

[DonMeaker]

@dividednation44 Actually the machine guns were to provide bands of interlocking and overlapping fire to protect against infantry attacks while defending. Other machine guns were to hit a 'deflection plate' and bounce bullets into the bottom of trenches that they crossed, a WWI tactic that ended up not being used in WWII.

And US Citizens are not revolting. I rather like most of them.