Editing M3 Stuart (section)

===War in North Africa and Europe===
British and other Commonwealth armies were the first to use the light tank M3, as the "Stuart", in combat.<ref>Hunnicutt (1992) p. 391</ref> From mid-November 1941 to the end of the year, about 170 Stuarts (in a total force of over 700 tanks) took part in [[Operation Crusader]] during the [[North Africa Campaign]], with poor results. This is despite the fact that the M3 was superior or comparable in most regards to most of the tanks used by the Axis forces. The most numerous German tank, the [[Panzer III]] Ausf G, had nearly identical armor and speed to the M3,{{efn|The M3 actually had thicker front and turret armor, while the Panzer III had slightly thicker side armor.}} and both tanks' guns could penetrate the other tank's front armor from beyond {{convert |1,000 |m|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Zaloga| 1999|p=10}} The most numerous Italian tank (and second most numerous Axis tank overall), the [[Fiat M13/40]], was much slower than the Stuart, had slightly weaker armor all around, and could not penetrate the Stuart's front hull or turret armor at 1,000 meters, whereas the Stuart's gun could penetrate any spot on the M13/40. Although the high losses suffered by Stuart-equipped units during the operation had more to do with the better tactics and training of the ''[[Afrika Korps]]'' than the apparent superiority of [[German combat vehicles of World War II|German armored fighting vehicles]] used in the North African campaign,{{sfn|Zaloga| 1999|p=10}} the operation revealed that the M3 had several technical faults. Mentioned in the British complaints were the 37&nbsp;mm M5 gun and poor internal layout. The two-man turret crew was a significant weakness, and some British units tried to fight with three-man turret crews. The Stuart also had a limited range, which was a severe problem in the highly mobile [[desert warfare]] as units often outpaced their supplies and were stranded when they ran out of fuel.
On the positive side, crews liked its relatively high speed and mechanical reliability, especially compared to the [[Crusader tank]],<ref>Zaloga (M3/M5 Stuart) p. 9-12</ref><ref>Hunnicutt (Stuart) p. 391–394</ref> which comprised a large portion of the British tank force in Africa up until 1942. The Crusader had similar armament and armor to the Stuart while being slower, less reliable, and several tons heavier. The Stuart also had the advantage of a gun that could deliver high-explosive shells; HE shells were not available for the 40&nbsp;mm [[Ordnance QF 2-pounder|QF 2-pdr gun]] mounted by most Crusaders, severely limiting their use against emplaced anti-tank guns or infantry.<ref name="Ian Hogg page 138-139">Ian Hogg (1996), ''Tank Killing'', page 138-139, Sidgwick & Jackson {{ISBN|1-885119-40-2}}</ref>{{efn|However, by late 1942, the Crusader received the 57 mm [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder|QF 6-pdr gun]], significantly improving its anti-tank characteristics and giving it HE capability{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} }} The main drawback of the Stuart was its low fuel capacity and range; its operational range was only {{convert|75| mile|abbr=on}} cross country,{{sfn|Zaloga| 1999|p=31}} roughly half that of the Crusader.

In the summer of 1942, the British usually kept Stuarts out of tank-to-tank combat, using them primarily for reconnaissance. The turret was removed from some examples to save weight and improve speed and range. These became known as "Stuart Recce". Some others were converted to [[armored personnel carrier]]s known as the "Stuart [[Kangaroo (armoured personnel carrier)|Kangaroo]]", and some were converted into command vehicles and known as "Stuart Command". M3s, M3A3s, and M5s continued in British service until the end of the war, but British units had a smaller proportion of these light tanks than U.S. units.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

====Eastern Front====
The other major [[Lend-Lease]] recipient of the M3, the [[Soviet Union]], was less happy with the tank, considering it under-gunned, under-armored, likely to catch fire, and too sensitive to fuel quality. The M3's radial aircraft engine required high-octane fuel, which complicated Soviet logistics as most of their tanks used [[Diesel fuel|diesel]] or low-octane fuel. High fuel consumption led to a poor range characteristic, especially sensitive for use as a reconnaissance vehicle. In the letter sent to Franklin Roosevelt (18 July 1942), Stalin wrote: ''"I consider it my duty to warn you that, according to our experts at the front, U.S. tanks catch fire very easily when hit from behind or from the side by anti-tank rifle bullets. The reason is that the high-grade gasoline used forms inside the tank a thick layer of highly inflammable fumes.''"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/correspondence/02/42.htm | title=Correspondence between the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Presidents of the USA and the Prime Ministers of Great Britain during the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - 1945 }}</ref>
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Also, compared to Soviet tanks, the M3's narrower tracks resulted in a higher ground pressure, getting them more easily stuck in the ''[[Rasputitsa]]'' muddy conditions of spring and autumn and [[Russian Winter|winter snow]] conditions on the Eastern Front. In 1943, the [[Red Army]] tried out the M5 and decided that the upgraded design was not much better than the M3. Being less desperate than in 1941, the Soviets turned down an American offer to supply the M5. M3s continued in Red Army service at least until 1944.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

====Italy====
One of the more successful uses of the M5 in combat came during the [[Battle of Anzio]] when breaking through German forces surrounding the beachhead. The tactics called for an initial breakthrough by a medium tank company to destroy the heavier defenses, followed by an infantry battalion who would attack the German troops who were being left behind the medium tanks. Since many hidden fortifications and positions would have survived the initial medium tank assault, the infantry would then be confronted by any remaining fortified German troops. Behind the infantry came the M5s of a light tank company, who would attack these positions when directed to by the Infantry, usually by the use of green [[smoke grenades]].<ref>[http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/p4013coll8/id/4676/rec/50 Training memorandum number 2: lessons from the Italian Campaign] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127213401/http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/p4013coll8/id/4676/rec/50 |date=27 January 2020 }}, page 47 of 162, March 1945</ref>

In the 1944 Liri Valley campaign, the official history of the [[18th Battalion (New Zealand)]] notes that in the campaign (a war of movement) the regiment discovered that the Stuart recce tanks were an enormous advance on scout cars, and could go where not even jeeps could go. They carried commanders and engineers, and medical orderlies, and they could explore flanks while the Shermans forged ahead. They carried mobile wireless links and transported supplies up hilltops; they had a dozen different uses.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-18Ba-c33.html |title= Beyond the Liri (page 491) |publisher=  NZETC |date= 2023}}</ref>