M3 Lee of the 1st Armored Division near Kasserine Pass Tunisia 1943
The M3 medium tank was deployed to U.S. Army units in the summer of 1941, first arriving in the 1st Armored Division. These tanks participated in significant pre-war exercises, such as the Louisiana Maneuvers in August 1941 and the Carolina Maneuvers in November 1941, where they received mixed reactions. Major General Jacob Devers, the head of the Armored Force, criticized the tank’s unconventional design, preferring a tank with the main gun mounted in the turret. Meanwhile, the 1st Armored Division, which had previously been equipped with M3 light tanks armed with only a 37mm “squirrel rifle,” welcomed the new M3 medium tanks despite their unusual configuration. Some soldiers, however, found the tank’s appearance odd, likening it to “a damned cathedral coming down the road.”
Operation Torch and North African Campaign
The first large-scale deployment of U.S. tanks after the Philippines’ defeat occurred during Operation Torch in November 1942, along the French North African coast. The 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions were involved, but only the Combat Command B (CCB) of the 1st Armored Division saw extensive combat between November and December 1942. The 1st Armored Division’s medium tank battalions were equipped with M3 and a few M4 and M4A1 medium tanks.
The medium tanks did not participate in the initial engagements with Vichy French forces because they couldn’t be easily disembarked. Consequently, the 2/13th Armored Battalion within the CCB didn’t see significant action until the 1st Armored Division reached Tunisia in late November 1942 as part of the race for Tunis. The first major engagement involving the M3 medium tanks occurred on November 28, 1942, when the 2/13th Armored Regiment supported the 5th Northamptonshire Regiment in an attack on Djedeida. The attack failed due to heavy anti-tank gunfire, which was a recurring problem in the early December skirmishes.
Battle Performance and Criticism
The M3 medium tanks suffered heavy losses during the campaign, particularly on December 6, 1942, near Terbourba, where the 2/13th Armored lost 40 M3 medium tanks to German anti-tank guns. The CCB’s losses were severe, with 84 M3 light tanks and 40 M3 medium tanks destroyed. Replacement M3s were sourced from the 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. The deputy commander of the CCB noted that the M3 medium tanks were no match for the German Mark IV tanks and that the M3 light tanks were obsolete.
When Major General Jacob Devers arrived for an inspection, he was surprised to find that the CCB was still using outdated armor-piercing ammunition, typically reserved for training, which contributed to the poor performance of the tanks in December. However, the inexperience of U.S. units and poor coordination between infantry and armor also played a significant role in their struggles.
Transition to M4 Shermans and Later Combat
As the campaign progressed, the 1st Armored Division began re-equipping with the M4 and M4A1 medium tanks while stationed in the UK. By December 1942, most of the division’s medium tank battalions had transitioned to Shermans, except for the 2/13th Armored, which remained with the battle-hardened but depleted M3s. Despite the losses, the 2/13th Armored proved effective during the Ousseltia Valley campaign in January 1943 and during the battle near Sbeitla in February 1943. Under Lieutenant Colonel Henry Gardiner, the battalion successfully engaged and temporarily blunted the attack of the 21st Panzer Division. Although the CCB eventually had to withdraw, Gardiner’s leadership earned him the Distinguished Service Cross.
End of the M3 in U.S. Service
During the final stages of the Tunisia Campaign, the 1st Armored Division continued to use M3 medium tanks due to shortages of M4s. By the campaign’s end, the division had 51 M3s and 178 M4s and M4A1s. The surviving M3 medium tanks were left behind at Oran for use by Free French forces in training. After the Tunisia Campaign, the M3 medium tank saw no further combat in the European and Mediterranean theaters, marking the end of its service with the U.S. Army in these regions. The last significant combat action involving the M3 medium tank in U.S. service was with the 751st Tank Battalion during the advance on Bizerte in March 1943.