Soviet Lend Lease M3 Lee Grant And German Soldiers
The M3 medium tank (known as the M3 Lee in American and British service) was the first of its type to be delivered to the Soviet Union in early 1942 as part of the Lend-Lease program. It was designated the M3S in Soviet service to differentiate it from the M3 light tank. The combination of a 75mm sponson-mounted gun and a 37mm turreted gun made the M3S’s design unusual, a point of confusion for both Soviet and American tankers alike.
First Deployments and Soviet Reactions
The 114th Tank Brigade was the first known Soviet unit to deploy the M3S in combat on May 20, 1942, alongside Matilda tanks and T-60 light tanks on the Southern Front.
In February 1942, one of the first M3S tanks sent to the Soviet Union was tested at the Kubinka proving grounds. The resulting report criticized the M3S for being too tall, and its vertical armor plates (except for the front) were deemed inadequate for modern combat, offering poor protection against enemy fire. However, Soviet testers appreciated the technical aspects of the tank, including the gun layout, engine, and tracks. One odd recommendation from the Kubinka trials was that the large hull could carry up to ten sub-machine gunners in addition to the normal crew of seven, and these soldiers could disembark through large side doors within 25–30 seconds.
Combat Performance
While inferior to the T-34 in terms of armor, the M3S was more reliable and durable, particularly since the T-34 suffered from declining production quality in 1942, leading to frequent mechanical failures. Initially, the 75mm gun of the M3S was hampered by poor-quality ammunition, but once this issue was resolved, the tank’s firepower improved. In terms of armament, the M3S was arguably better armed than the T-34, due to its variety of weapons, though this array was seen as excessive and cumbersome.
One feature that baffled Soviet crews was the twin machine guns mounted in the front hull, which were aimed by the driver. Although this feature was mocked in 1942, it is noteworthy that a similar design was adopted by the Red Army in 1944–46 on the T-44 and T-54 tanks.
The M3S’s rubber-block tracks also posed problems, particularly in winter conditions when they were prone to skidding on frozen ground. To counter this, Soviet crews added bolts to the rubber blocks, a common expedient. This problem was also faced by British and American Sherman crews, who solved it using track grousers or specialized metal tracks with built-in grousers.
Variants and Continuing Use
Although some speculation suggested that the Soviets received diesel-powered variants of the M3S, recent documents confirm that all of the M3 medium tanks delivered to the Soviet Union were powered by the Continental radial engine. Additionally, a small number of M31 tank recovery vehicles were also delivered, some of which were diesel-powered M31B1 models.
Despite complaints about the M3S, deliveries continued into the first half of 1943. While the Red Army considered the M3S obsolete by 1943, it was still in use by the US Army, particularly during the North African campaign. The M3S played a key role in early battles in Tunisia (late 1942–early 1943), and after the Kasserine Pass defeat in February 1943, the 1st Armored Division was resupplied with M3 medium tanks as many Shermans had been sent to Britain. Separate U.S. tank battalions in Tunisia also operated the M3.
Interestingly, the last known American use of the M3 medium tank was in the Pacific theater in 1944. In the Soviet Union, a single M3S was still in service during the Operation August Storm campaign against Japan in August 1945.
Soviet Criticism and Legacy
Soviet propaganda dubbed the M3S the “Grave for Seven Brothers”, referring to its seven-man crew and its perceived vulnerability. While the M3S was inferior to the T-34, it was superior to many other Soviet tanks of the time, particularly the T-60 and T-70 light tanks, which remained in service in large numbers even in the summer of 1943.