M3 half-track

Carrier, Personnel, Half-track, M3
Three M3 half-tracks at Fort Knox
TypeHalf-track armored personnel carrier
Place of originUnited States
Service history
WarsWorld War II
Chinese Civil War
1948 Arab–Israeli War
Greek Civil War
Korean War
First Indochina War
Costa Rican Civil War
Vietnam War
Laotian Civil War
Algerian War[1]
Cambodian Civil War
Suez Crisis
1958 Lebanon crisis
Six-Day War
1973 Arab–Israeli War
Lebanese Civil War
Salvadoran Civil War
Nicaraguan Revolution
Production history
Designed1940–1941
ManufacturerAutocar
Diamond T
White Motor Company
Unit cost$10,310[2]
Produced1941-1945
No. built53,000 (including variants)
Specifications
Mass17,650 pounds (8.01 t) (M3),
18,425 pounds (8.357 t) (M3A1)
Length20 ft 3 in (6.17 m) with roller
Width7 ft 3.5 in (2.223 m)
Height7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
Crew1
Passengers12

Armor6–12 mm (0.25–0.50 in)
Main
armament
.30 caliber Browning M1919A4 machine gun (M3, M3A1),
.50 caliber Browning M2HB machine gun (M3A1)
EngineWhite 160AX
148 hp (110 kW) at 3,000 rpm
Power/weight18.5 hp/metric ton (M3),
17.7 hp/metric ton (M3A1)
TransmissionSpicer 3461 constant mesh
SuspensionFront: semi-elliptic longitudinal leaf spring
Rear: Vertical volute spring
Fuel capacity60 US gallons (230 litres)
Operational
range
200 mi (320 km)
Maximum speed 45 mph (72 km/h) on road

The M3 half-track was an American armored personnel carrier half-track widely used by the Allies during World War II and in the Cold War. Derived from the M2 half-track car, the M3 was extensively produced, with about 15,000 standard M3s and more than 38,000 variant units manufactured.

The M3 was extensively modified with several dozen variant designs produced for different purposes. During World War II, the M3 and its variants were supplied to the U.S. Army and Marines, as well as British Commonwealth and Soviet Red Army forces, serving on all major fronts throughout the war. The M3 and its variants were produced by many manufacturers including Diamond T, White Motor Company, and Autocar. They were adapted for a wide variety of uses, such as a self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon or self-propelled artillery. Although initially unpopular due to its lack of significant armor or a roof to protect the passengers and crew from shrapnel, it was used by most of the Allies during the war.

In the Cold War era, the vehicle was used by a variety of state and non-state operators in conflicts in South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, remaining in service until as late as the mid-1990s.

  1. ^ Windrow (1997), p. 33.
  2. ^ Zaloga, Stephen J. M3 Infantry Half-Track 1940–73. Osprey Publishing