M3 Grant Studio Max 3D model

The Medium Tank M3 was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called "General Lee" named after General Robert E. Lee, and its modified version built to British specification, with a new turret, was called "General Grant" named after General Ulysses S. Grant.

As a rush job intended to be brought from design to production in a short period, the M3 was well armed and armored for the period, but due to various shortcomings (high silhouette, archaic sponson mounting of the main gun, below average off-road performance) it was not competitive and was withdrawn from front line duty as soon as the M4 Sherman became available in large numbers.

The Medium Tank M3 first saw action in 1942 during the North African Campaign. British Lees and Grants were in action against Rommel's forces at the disastrous Battle of Gazala on May 27th that year. They continued to serve in North Africa until the end of that campaign. A regiment of M3 Lees was also used by the U.S. 1st Armored Division in North Africa. In the North African campaign, the M3 was generally appreciated for its mechanical reliability, good armor, and heavy firepower. In all three areas it outclassed the available British tanks, and was able to fight German tanks and towed anti-tank guns. The tall silhouette and low, hull-mounted 75 mm were severe tactical drawbacks since they prevented the tank from fighting from hull-down firing positions. Riveted armour also gave limited problems, as upon impact the rivets could break off and become projectiles inside the tank, a shared problem with other riveted tanks.

In the Pacific, a very small number were used by the U.S. Army in the Makin Atoll in 1943. None were supplied to the U.S. Marine Corps. Australian forces received several hundred, but none saw combat. British M3s were used in the China-Burma-India theatre, mainly with Indian crews, until the end of the war; their flaws were less important compared to the Japanese tanks that were both poor and rarely encountered. In the Far East the main role was one of infantry support. They played a pivotal role during the Battle of Imphal, and despite their lower-than-average off-road performance they served well on the steep hillsides around Imphal.

Over 1,300 diesel engined M3A3 and M3A5s were supplied to the USSR via lend-lease in 1942–43. All were the Lee variant although they are sometimes referred to as Grants. The M3 was very unpopular in the Red Army, where its faults were shown up in the most intense tank combat environment of the war. The M3 earned the nickname of the "Coffin for seven brothers". Few were seen in combat after about mid-1943. M3s were used on the Arctic front in the Red Army's offensive on the Litsa front towards Kirkenes in October 1944. The Germans had no tanks on this front so the M3's inferior tank-to-tank capabilities compared with the latest German models must have been of limited importance.