M3 Grant Medium Tank - A Custom LEGO Element Kit from Brickmania

The British Army found themselves urgently in need of replacement tanks for those abandoned in Dunkirk after the fall of France. The United States was able to provide the newly minted M3 in great numbers through the Lend-Lease program. While the British bought large numbers of the original M3 design, they also ordered large numbers with a specially designed turret, which had a large compartment at the rear to house a radio and eliminated the commander's cupola. The British dubbed the original M3 the "Lee" and the modified version was called the "Grant." Both variants of the M3 played a pivotal role in the North Africa campaigns. While mounting of the 75mm gun low in the hull and the over-all high silhouette of the tank had many disadvantages, the M3 proved itself effective and reliable on the battlefield. For a brief time the M3's 75mm gun dominated battlefields verses the German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks. Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery concluded his successful route of the German and Italian armies in North Africa while riding in a M3 Grant (it is preserved today in London's Imperial War Museum). Unfortunately, the M3's battlefield dominance proved short lived as Germany up-gunned their own tanks and developed the more powerful Tiger and Panther tanks. By 1943 the M3 was declared obsolete and was phased out of service in the European theater as the M4 Sherman became available in large numbers. The M3 continued service in the Pacific theatre until the end of World War Two, where it proved effective against infantry and the diminutive Japanese tank forces. M3 Grant Vital Statistics Crew: 6 (driver, 2x gunner, 2x loader & commander) Weight: 30 tons (27 metric tons) Armament: 1x 75mm Gun M2/M3, 1x 37mm M5/M6 1x .30-06 Browning machine gun Road Speed: 26 mph (42 km/h) Range: 119 miles (193 km) Years Produced:1941-42