M2 Light

*For other variants, see Vickers/M2 Family.*

## M2 Light Tank

In-game icon for the M2 Light.

The **M2 Light** (official name **Light Tank, M2**) is a Tier I light tank in the USA tech tree. It is the first tank in the USA tree.

## Description

With a forward speed of 46 km/h and a backward speed of 18 km/h, the M2 Light is the fastest Tier I tank in-game. It is also one of the largest, second only to the Cruiser II.

### Pros

* Fastest Tier I tank
* High accuracy with Tier II turret
* Best reload time with Tier II gun

### Cons

* Poor turret traverse speed
* Poor damage per minute with any gun
* Poor penetration with any gun

## Strategy

### As M2 Light

The M2 Light performs well against lightly armored targets. It performs best in Hit & Run tactics, but also does well in Peek-A-Boo. Your high accuracy perfectly suits you for long range sniping, but beware, your low penetration makes it hard to damage a heavily armored target.

It is best to avoid a 1 vs 1 brawl, especially with anything other than a Tier I light tank. Do not engage in the Circle of Death, as your turret has one of the worst traverse speeds of your tier. Also avoid front line fighting, as you are better suited to providing cover for your allies.

### Against M2 Light

If you are a Tier I tank with a decent gun, you will likely be able to penetrate the M2 Light's armor from most angles. Do not aim for the turret if it is aiming at you unless you have good accuracy, as the M2's side armor will likely ricochet a misplaced shell. Instead, aim for the hull. If the M2 is facing you, aim for the upper part of the hull, as it is the least armored part protecting its critical elements. If you have a change to shoot its rear, take it, as this the least armored part of the main hull.

Try to catch the M2 Light out in the open. Take cover behind a bush or a building and aim for the hull.

## Specifications

The following specifications represent those achieved by the tank without enhancements from consumables or equipment.

### Modules

 **Terrain CrossingCapacity** | Road: 101% Ground: 76%Water: 61%

Note that the radio module is not currently implemented, and that the following specifications have no effect on the tank during gameplay
 Module HP
 Weight Change
 Distance Covered

## History

The Light Tank, M2 started its life in 1933 as the T2 Light. It entered production in 1935, and was built in four major variants, the M2A1, M2A2, M2A3, and M2A4 (most common). A tank destroyer variant, the M2 AT, was also tested, but results were disappointing and the project was canceled.

By 1941, the M2 Light was considered obsolete by the US Army, which had used a majority for training purposes only. The Army intended to replace the M2 with the M3 Stuart in 1940, but instead received the interim M2A4 when the M3 could not be delivered in time. The US Marines also used the M2A4 during the Battle of Guadalcanal, where they fought alongside the newer M3 Stuart.

The M2 was eventually retired from US service. However, the British military ordered 100 M2A4s (though only 36 were delivered before orders were canceled). British M2s are known to have been sent to North Africa, India, and Burma, but they likely never saw combat.

## Historical Accuracy

The most historically accurate configuration of the M2 Light is in fully upgraded form, which closely resembles the M2A4 variant. There are still inaccuracies in this configuration, however:

* The in-game M2 is slightly smaller than the real life M2A4.
* The in-game M2 weighs 9.27 t, while the real life M2A4 weighed 11.6 t.
* The in-game M2 is powered by a Continental W-670-7, while the real life M2A4 was powered by the W-670-9A model.

The in-game Hispano-Suiza Birkigt Gun configuration is fictional. No variant of the M2 was built with this gun, nor is there any evidence that any units were modified with the gun.

## Trivia

* Although the M2 Light is loosely related to the M2 Medium, many overstate the similarities between the tanks and some believe the two to be the same tank. The confusion arose because of the US Army's habit of assigning the same M-number to vehicles of different classes. This habit did not last long, however, leaving the M2 Light and M2 Medium some of the few tanks with the same M-number.

## Changelog

* Update 3.9 - M2 Light was added to the US Tech Tree
* **Changes in Update 4.0, Update 4.3, and in Update 4.9 not archived from Blitzhangar**
* Update 5.1 - All consumables except Multi-Purpose Restoration Pack removed
* Update 5.5

* Moved to Tier I (was Tier II)
* Removed HE and APCR shells
* Many other balancing changes

* Update 5.7

* Dispersion and DPM buffed
* Magazine reload time of Tier I gun buffed
* Rate of fire, reload time, and base aim time of Tier II gun buffed

* Update 5.9 - DPM and damage of Tier II gun buffed
* Update 5.10

* DPM, burst damage, and rate of fire of Tier I gun buffed
* Magazine size of Tier I gun increased to 6 (was 5)

* Update 6.0 - Ammo rack size for Tier I gun increased by 4
* Update 6.2

* DPM, rate of fire, and reload time nerfed
* Magazine size of Tier I gun reduced to 4 (was 6)
* Burst damage with Tier I gun nerfed
* Magazine reload time buffed

* Update 6.4

* Weight nerfed
* Effective power/weight ratio and traverse speed buffed

* Update 7.1

* HP buffed
* DPM and damage with Tier I gun buffed
* DPM and damage with Tier II gun nerfed
* Rate of fire and reload time nerfed

## External Links

* Blitzhangar Page
* Wikipedia Article
* Tankopedia Page
* WBLITZ.net Page