This tank was used by Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal Lord) BI Montgomery during the Battle of El Alamein
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The American M3 Medium Tank won fame in the desert during the battles of 1942 when its arrival gave British armoured forces their first chance to out-range, out-fire and out-number their German counterparts. Designed and produced in haste, the vehicle, named Grant by the British, was instantly recognizable as its main 75mm gun was mounted in the hull and not in the turret. Unfortunately this ment the whole tank had to be aimed at the target when firing. 6.258 M3s were built between August 1941 and December 1942, including 322 of the M3A3 variant.
Montgomery used this tank for forward observation on the battlefields of North Africa in 1942-43, including the Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, and during the campaign in Sicily and Italy until the end of 1943. To make room for extra communucations equipment inside the tank, the 37mm gun barrel is a wooden dummy.
To fulfil Montgomery’s wishes, the tank was returned to his old regiment, the Royal Warwickshire, in 1948. It was later displayed at the Bassingbourn depot of the Queen’s Division, wich the Royal Warwickshire Regiment joined in 1968. The tank was completely restored at the Army’s Armoured Vehicle Depot, Ludgershall, Hampshire in 1985-8. It was handed over to the Museum, on loan from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (formerly the Royal Warwickshire Regiment) in June 1988.
Technical specifications:
CREW: Six: Commander, driver, two gunners, two loaders
ENGINE: Twin General Motors 6-7l diesel 375hp
SPEED: 28mph(47 kph) max
RANGE: 160 miles (275 km)
DIMENSIONS:
Length: 18ft 6 in (5,6m)
Width: 8ft 11in ( 2,7 m)
Height: 10ft 3in (3,1m)
WEIGHT: 28 tons 2 cwt (28,577 kg)
ARMOUR: 1,5 inches maximum (3,8 cm)
ARMAMENT: 75 mm gun, 37 mm gun
