Mirage Hobby 726075 U.S. M3A1 STUART TANK "Late" Pacific 1943

U.S. M3A1 STUART TANK "Late" Pacific 1943

The U.S.Army initially deployed 108 Stuart light tanks to the Philippines in September 1941, equipping the U.S. Army's 194th and 192nd Tank Battalions. The first U.S. tank versus tank combat to occur in World War II, began on 22 December 1941, when a platoon of five M3s led by Lieutenant Ben R. Morin engaged Type 95 Ha-Go north of Damaris. Lt. Morin maneuvered his M3 off the road, but took a direct hit while doing so, and his tank began to burn. The other four M3s were also hit, but managed to leave the field under their own power. Lt. Morin was wounded, and he and his crew were captured by the enemy. M3s of the 194th and 192nd Tank Battalions continued to skirmish with the 4th Tank Regiment's Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks as they continued their retreat down the Bataan Peninsula, with the last tank versus tank combat occurring on 7 April 1942.

Due to the naval nature of the Pacific campaign, steel for warship production took precedence over tanks for the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), creating by default an IJA light tank which performed admirably in the jungle terrain of the South Pacific. By the same measure, although the US was not hampered by industrial restrictions, the U.S. M3 light tank proved to be an effective armored vehicle for fighting in jungle environments. At least one was captured in the Philippines.

With the IJA's drive toward India within the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations (CBI), the United Kingdom hastily withdrew thei 2nd Royal Tank Regiment and  7th Hussars Stuart tank units (which also contained some M2 A4 light tanks from North Africa, and deployed them against the Japanese 14th Tank Regiment. By the time the Japanese had been stopped at Imphal, only one British Stuart remained operational. Upon U.S entry into the war in 1941, it had began to supply China with AFVs including the M3 Stuarts, and later M4 Shermans, and M18 Hellcats which trickled in through Burma and formed part of the several well-equipped, well-trained armies that the Chinese Nationalists could deploy. These units were responsible for stopping numerous Japanese attacks during the later phases of the war.

Although the U.S. light tanks had proven effective in jungle warfare, by late 1943, U.S. Marine Corps tank battalions were transitioning their M3/M5 light tanks to M4 medium tanks. For the IJA, even though the U.S. Marines had exchanged their light tanks for M4 medium tanks, they could not; and with the less common supplement of their Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tanks, the IJA was left to do battle against U.S. Marine M4 Sherman medium tanks, with armor that had been designed and fielded in the 1930s.

Drie verschillende uitvoeringen;

• M3A1 of 3rd Marine Tank Bn., U.S. 3rd Marine Division, Bougainville Island, November 1943.
• M3A1 of 3rd Marine Tank Bn., U.S. 3rd Marine Division, Bougainville Island, November 1943.
• M3A1 of 3rd Marine Tank Bn., U.S. 3rd Marine Division, Bougainville Island, November 1943.

Vallejo verf kleur nr.'s; 011 / 077 / 863 / 864 / 908 / 950 / 951 / 974 / 997.