M3 Stuart The M3 Stuart , formally Light Tank M3 , was an American light tank of World War II . The M3 Stuarts were the first " American manned ( US ) tanks in WWII " to engage the enemy in " tank versus tank " combat . M3s were supplied to British and Commonwealth forces under lend - lease prior to the entry of the USA into the war , and used thereafter by US and Allied forces until the end of the war . The name General Stuart or Stuart given by the British comes from the American Civil War Confederate General J . E . B . Stuart and was used for both the M3 and the derivative M5 Light Tank ; in British service it also had the unofficial nickname of Honey ; named when a tank driver remarked " She ' s a honey " . To the United States Army the tanks were officially known only as " Light Tank M3 " and " Light Tank M5 " . Development . Observing events in Europe , American tank designers realized that the Light Tank M2 was becoming obsolete and set about improving it . The upgraded design , with thicker armor , modified suspension and new gun recoil system was called " Light Tank M3 " . Production of the vehicle started in March 1941 and continued until October 1943 . Like its direct predecessor , the M2A4 , the M3 was armed with a 37 mm M5 gun and five . 30 - 06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns : coaxial with the gun , on top of the turret in an M20 AA mount , in a ball mount in right bow , in the right and left hull sponsons . To relieve the demand for the radial aero - engines used in the M3 , a new version was developed using twin Cadillac V - 8 automobile engines . The new model ( initially called M4 but redesignated M5 to avoid confusion with the M4 Sherman ) also featured a redesigned hull with sloped glacis plate and driver ' s hatches moved to the top . Although the main criticism from the units using it was that the Stuarts lacked firepower , the improved M5 series kept the same 37 mm gun . The M5 gradually replaced the M3 in production from 1942 and was in turn succeeded by the Light Tank M24 in 1944 . Combat history . War in North Africa and Europe . The British Army was the first to use the Light Tank M3 as the " General Stuart " in combat . 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 . Although the high losses suffered by Stuart - equipped units during the operation had more to do with better tactics and training of the " Afrika Korps " than the apparent superiority of German armoured fighting vehicles used in the North African , the operation revealed that the M3 had several technical faults . Mentioned in the British complaints were the 37 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 . The high reliability distinguished the Stuart from cruiser tank s of the period , in particular the Crusader , which composed a large portion of the British tank force in Africa up until 1942 . From the summer of 1942 , when enough US medium tanks had been received , 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 and were known as " Stuart Kangaroo " , and some were converted 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 US units . The other major Lend - Lease recipient of the M3 , the Soviet Union , was even less happy with the tank , considering it undergunned , underarmored , likely to catch fire , and too sensitive to fuel quality . The narrow tracks were highly unsuited to operation in winter conditions , as they resulted in high ground pressures under which the tank sank into the snow . Further , the M3 ' s radial aircraft engine required high - octane fuel , which complicated Soviet logistics as most of their tanks used diesel . However , the M3 was superior ḛto early - war Soviet light tanks such as the T - 60 , which were often underpowered and possessed even lighter armament than the Stuart . 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 . War in the Far East - CBI and Pacific . The US Army initially deployed 108 Stuart light tanks to the Philippines in September 1941 , equipping the US Army ' s 194th and 192nd Tank Battalion s . The first US tank verses tank combat to occur in WWII , began on 22 December 1941 , when a platoon of five M3s led by Lieutenant Morin engaged Type 95s north of Damaris . LT Morin maneuvered his " Stuart " off the road , but took a direct hit while doing so , and his tank began to burn . The other four " Stuarts " 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 verses 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 , 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 US M3 light tank proved to be an effective armored vehicle for fighting in jungle environments . With the IJA ' s drive toward India within the China - Burma - India Theater of Operations ( CBI ) , the United Kingdom hastily withdrew their 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 . Although the US light tanks had proven effective in jungle warfare , by late 1943 , US Marine Corps tank battalions were transitioning their M3 / M5 light tanks to M4 medium tanks . For the IJA , even though the US 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 US Marine M4 Sherman medium tanks , with armor that had been designed and fielded in the 1930s . Overview . When the American army joined the North African Campaign in late 1942 , Stuart units still formed a large part of its armor strength . After the disastrous Battle of the Kasserine Pass the US quickly followed the British in disbanding most of their light tank battalion s and subordinating the Stuarts to medium tank battalions performing the traditional cavalry missions of scouting and screening . For the rest of the war , most US tank battalions had three companies of M4 Shermans and one company of M3s or M5 / M5A1s . In Europe , Allied light tanks had to be given cavalry and infantry fire support roles since their main cannon armament could not compete with heavier enemy AFVs . However , the Stuart was still effective in combat in the Pacific Theater , as Japanese tanks were both relatively rare and were lighter in armor than even Allied light tanks . Japanese infantrymen were not well equipped with anti - tank weapons , and as such had to use close - assault tactics . In this environment , the Stuart was only moderately more vulnerable than medium tanks . In addition , the poor terrain and roads common to the theatre were unsuitable for the much heavier M4 medium tanks , and so initially , for both sides , it was advantageous to deploy light armor . Heavier M4s were eventually brought to overcome heavily entrenched positions , though the Stuart continued to serve in a combat capacity until the end of the war . Though the Stuart was to be completely replaced by the newer M24 Chaffee , the number of M3s / M5s produced was so great ( over 25 , 000 including the 75 mm HMC M8 ) that the tank remained in service until the end of the war and well after . In addition to the United States , United Kingdom and Soviet Union , who were the primary users , it was also used by France , China ( M3A3s and , immediately post - war , M5A1s ) and Tito ' s partisans in Yugoslavia ( M3A3s and few M3A1 ) . After the war , some countries chose to equip their armies with cheap and reliable Stuarts . The Republic of China Army , having suffered great attrition as a result of the ensuing civil war , rebuilt their armored forces by acquiring surplus vehicles left behind in the area by the US forces , including 22 M5A1s to equip two tank companies . They would have their finest hours during the Battle of Kuningtou , for which the tank came to be known as the " Bear of Kinmen " ( 金門之熊 ) . The M5 played a significant role in the First Kashmir War ( 1947 ) between India and Pakistan , including the battle of Zoji - la pass fought at an altitude of nearly 12 , 000 ft . The vehicle remained in service in several South American countries at least until 1996 . During the 60s and 70s , the Portuguese Army also used some in the war in Angola , where its all terrain capability ( compared to wheeled vehicles ) was greatly appreciated . The Portuguese Army in 1967 deployed three M5A1 Light Tanks – nicknamed ‘ Milocas ’ , ‘ Licas ’ and ‘ Gina ’ by their crews – in northern Angola , which served with the 1927th Cavalry Battalion stationed at Nambuangongo . The vehicles were employed mostly for convoy escort and recovery duties , and limited counterinsurgency operations against FNLA guerrillas , who dubbed them “ Elefante Dundum ” . ‘ Milocas ’ was destroyed by an accidental fire in 1969 whilst ‘ Gina ’ and ‘ Licas ’ were withdrawn from active service in 1972 , the former being sent to Luanda and the latter ended up in 1973 as an airfield security pillbox in the Portuguese Air Force ’ Zala airfield . Period photographs show some modifications in the basic design , namely the omission of the bow machine gun , re - installed on a pintle mount in the roof of the turret and a small searchlight fitted in front of the commander ’ s copula . The M3 Stuart is still on the active list in the Armed Forces of Paraguay where those elderly survivors are the only tracked armour used by that country . Variants . Brazilian variants . In 1970s Brazilian company Bernardini developed a series of radical Stuart upgrades for the Brazilian Army . In the media . A heavily modified M5A1 Stuart was featured in the movie " Tank Girl " as the eponymous heroine ' s tank . Modified Stuarts were used in the movie " Attack ! " as German tanks . " The Haunted Tank " was a DC Comics feature that appeared in " GI Combat " starring an M3 Stuart scout tank commanded by Lieutenant Jeb Stuart , a direct descendant and namesake of the Civil War cavalry general J . E . B . Stuart . The tank was haunted by the Confederate officer , who would appear to warn his kinsman of impending danger or offer usually cryptic advice on how to handle a combat action . The original series ran from 1961 to 1987 .