The M3 Medium Tank: A "Mass Grave for Six"

Knocked out Lend-Lease Soviet M3 tanks. (Author's Collection)

     Following the fall of France in 1940, the U.S. saw that the new M2 Medium Tank that had been ordered for production was woefully inadequate in terms of armament and design when compared to the German PzKpfw III and IV. Thus, on June 5, 1940, it was decided that a new medium tank had to be developed to succeed the M2 even before any metal was cut on the M2 order. The M2 used a M6 37mm gun in its turret and the new design had to have at least a 75mm gun. Since the M2 turret was much too small to house a larger gun, a completely new turret had to be designed that would not be ready quickly. So, a compromise to field a medium tank with a heavier hitting gun resulted in the T5E2. The T5E2 was a modification of the T5 Phase III tank which was the prototype for the M2. A 75mm gun was mounted in a sponson that was fitted in the T5's modified hull and in time, this would evolve into the the M3 medium tank. The M3 is sometimes derided as being an inferior tank but one must keep in mind it was meant as an interim tank until the new, turreted medium tank could be put into service (this would be the M4 Sherman). The M3 was not without faults and it retained the tall profile of the M2, the hull position of the 75mm gun meant the entire tank had to move in order to bring the gun to bear on targets which were outside the limited traverse, and the riveted armor plating was prone to spalling when hit. Still, the firepower was respected by those facing the M3, especially in the North African theater. 

     The same, however, wasn't the case on the Eastern Front. 22% of all the M3 tanks built were sent to Russia under Lend-Lease and of the 1,386 sent, only 969 made it to Russia due to shipping interception by the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. The main models sent were the M3A3 and M3A5 and they were deployed into combat in 1942, mainly with the 13th. Corps under the 1st. Tank Army. The Soviets had no love for the M3, stating that its armor was inadequate against the more potent anti-tank guns fielded by the Germans, its cross-country performance was poor due to its narrow tracks (in comparison to the wider T-34 tracks), its high profile and hull mounted main gun made going hull down impossible (a tactic to hide the tank's chassis with only the turret exposed), and the need to turn the tank to aim the 75mm gun resulted in longer engagement times. Soviet tankers gave the M3 the grim nickname "Bratskoy Mogiloy na Shesterykh" which meant "Mass Grave for Six". 

     Despite the faults, the Soviets used the M3 to fill gaps in their forces until T-34 production could replace them. The M3 was used in the Battle of Kursk, the largest armor battle of World War 2, and was deployed with three units: the 200th. Tank Brigade (6th. Tank Corps), the 237th. Tank Brigade (31st. Tank Corps) and the 242nd. Tank Brigade (also 31st. Tank Corps). These brigades ran into elements of the II SS Panzer Corps during the opening engagements at Kursk along the Voronezh Front and were decimated as these two tanks attest. The only other user of the M3 was the 120th. Tank Brigade but it was held in reserves until early 1944 when it was deployed in support of the Belorussian Front before being disbanded in June 1944. Those M3 tanks which remained after Kursk were often redeployed to fronts where resistance was expected to be minimal or put into reserves or used for training. Returning to the M2, the original order of 1,000 M2A1 tanks was reduced to 126 and of that, 94 were received by the U.S. Army between November 1940 and August 1941. These tanks were utilized for training and for testing purposes within the U.S. and were never used in combat. 

     As a note, the object on the end of the M3's main gun in the front of the photograph is a counterweight that balanced the M2 75mm gun with its gyro-stabilizer. The longer barreled M3 75mm gun used in later M3 models eliminated the need for the counterweight. Not all of the short barrel guns had the counterweight fitted.

Unteroffizieranwärter: Panzer-Division Hermann Göring

     An interesting studio portrait of a Unteroffizieranwärter (NCO Aspirant) of either a Sturmartillerie (assault artillery) or Sturmgeschütz (assault gun) unit belonging to the Luftwaffe's elite Hermann Göring Division. That he is a NCO candidate is indicated by the single loop of tress around his uniform's shoulderboards (Schulterstücke). That he belongs to either an assault artillery or assault gun unit is based on his uniform which is typical of those worn by such crews. It is a field grey version of the all-black uniform as worn by tank crews. This particular jacket is a pre-1944 version as it retains the white piping around the collars. After 1944, this was left off the uniform to simplify manufacture. A more telling indication of a possible early dating of the photograph is due to the white collartabs. There appears to be no piping around the collartabs and this was indicative of uniform changes after June 1943. Before this time, the collartabs would have had a pink piping. The totenkopf (death's head) pinned through the collartabs are the standard Heer (Army) model as used by Heer panzer troops. Another indicator of a 1943 date is that in January 1944, men were ordered to remove the white collartabs due to their conspicuousness and the totenkopf would be pinned directly to the collars. The shoulderboards were piped in pink in keeping with Waffenfarbe (Corps Colors) standards. The unit's cufftitle (seen on his right sleeve), for enlisted men, was a mid- to dark blue band with block capital letters spelling out HERMANN GÖRING. 

     His only decoration is the Hitler Jugend Leistungsabzeichen (Hitler Youth Proficiency Badge) which was awarded to a Hitler Youth member who excelled in physical fitness/sports as well as ideological proficiency all of which was measured by means of numerous tests. He appears to be wearing a white service shirt with a black tie. It is likely this choice was done for his portrait as in the field, the regular blue or field grey colored service shirts were the usual fare for such crews.

Soviet T-35 Heavy Tank: Not Going Down Without a Fight

    Of all the T-35 tanks to be photographed by the Germans, T-35A (Chassis 0200-0) was the most popular. In part, this was due to it being along a major route. The tank was part of the Soviet 68th. Tank Regiment and was one of the few T-35 tanks which actually saw combat. On June 30, 1941, four T-35 tanks (including 0200-0) comprised the main force of an ad-hoc tank group assembled to participate in the Battle of Verba which was the last significant engagement in the larger Battle of Brody which ran from June 23 to June 30, 1941. The group consisted of the four T-35s, one KV-1 heavy tank (from the 34th. Tank Division), two T-26 light tanks (also from the 34th. Tank Division), and two BT-7 fast tanks. Verba Road was a two-lane road with the lanes separated by a ditch. The group split up with two T-35s (including 0200-0), the KV-1, and the T-26 tanks in one unit while the remaining T-35s were paired with the BT-7 tanks and each moved out down one of the lanes towards the German held town of Verba. There, elements of the 16th. Panzer Division and the XXXXVIII Motorized Division were situated to repel the Soviet attack. 

     0200-0 was struck by anti-tank fire which caused it to veer off the road into the ditch. It is believed either track damage or a hit to the driver’s position was the reason for the crash. The tank continued to give battle by means of its 45mm gun armed secondary turret before a German anti-tank round struck the barrel (visible in the picture as a whitish spot on the barrel). This finally rendered the tank silent. Overall, the Soviet attack, devoid of any kind of support, was easily repulsed with every one of the Soviet tanks being put out of action though the Germans suffered the loss of two PzKpfw III tanks and three trucks in the process. 

     0200-0 would be photographed by passing soldiers well into 1942 by which time the tank had completely slid into the ditch. Soviet tanks were usually devoid of extensive markings and the Red Star can just be made out next to the soldier closest to the tank and on the central, main turret can be seen two white lines which denoted the tank belonging to the 68th. Tank Regiment.

Schütze: 32. Infanterie-Division

(Author's Collection)

     A studio portrait of a schütze (private) belonging to the 32. Infanterie-Division. He is wearing the waffenrock (“uniform tunic”) which was a non-combat uniform that was worn for taking part in parades, more formal walking-out dress, and for other military or civil ceremonies and ceremonial duty when formal dress was required. His unit is denoted by the “32” stitched to his schulterklappen (shoulder boards) and what company he was assigned to was given as a number or Roman numeral on the button that secures the shoulder boards to the waffenrock. Unfortunately, this cannot be made out in this photograph. He is wearing the standard enlisted rank schirmmütze (“uniform cap”) which was proscribed for wear in much the same situations as the waffenrock. 

     The 32. Infanterie-Division was formed on October 1, 1936 and took part in the invasion of Poland, France, and Russia. The division was also tasked for the aborted Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelöwe), the invasion of the United Kingdom. The division was part of the Courland Pocket and ceased to exist on May 10, 1945 when it and other remnants of various German forces trapped in the Courland Pocket surrendered to the Russians.
 

The Republic XF-84H: The USAF's "Mighty Ear Banger"

The first XF-84H prototype in flight. (USAF; Author's Collection)

     In the early 1950s, the U.S. Navy was seeking a fighter that was capable of launching from an aircraft carrier without the assistance of a catapult. Republic Project 3347 was initiated and the Navy asked for three prototypes but the Navy elected to cancel the contract but not after two prototypes were already nearing completion. Not wanting to waste the effort, the two aircraft, designated XF-84H, were used by the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) Wright Air Development Center to conduct testing on supersonic propellers. Republic derived the XF-84H from their F-84F Thunderstreak which was already in service with the USAF and fitted a 5,850hp Allison XT40-A-1 turboprop engine into the rear of the fuselage and via an extension shaft, drove a 12ft. diameter Aeroproducts propeller. The engine’s exhaust was shunted out through an afterburner in the tail. A novel feature was an extendable ram air turbine which could power both hydraulic and electrical systems in case of engine failure. 

     The propeller, at speed, created tremendous torque and the outer portion of the blades spun at supersonic speeds which produced continuous sonic booms even when the engine was idling. So loud was the aircraft that it could be heard some 25 miles away. This made being around the XF-84H hazardous as the concussion from the shock waves from the sonic booms could literally blow unwary ground crew away and the din not only caused nausea and headaches in personnel (even with ear protection), it also disrupted sensitive components due to vibrations in nearby electronics. So loud was the aircraft that radio communication was impossible and signal lights had to be used by ground crew to talk to the pilot. This earned the XF-84H the name “Thunderscreech” (most commonly associated with the plane) but also the “Mighty Ear Banger.” The USAF never put pilots in the seat of the XF-84H and all test flights were carried out by Republic with the first occurring on July 22, 1955. Besides the noise, in the air, the XF-84H suffered from propeller induced vibrations, blade pitch gear failures, hydraulic failures, engine failures, longitudal instability, and that it took nearly a half hour to get the engine warmed up. So bad was the aircraft that after one flight, Republic test pilot Lin Hendrix was quoted as saying to the project’s lead engineer, "You aren't big enough and there aren't enough of you to get me in that thing again". 

     Ultimately, despite the design’s impressive acceleration, the XF-84H’s numerous problems which could not be easily resolved and the inability for the plane to reach its performance metrics, the USAF canceled the project in September 1956. The second prototype (51-17060 [FS-060]) was scrapped while the first (51-17059 [FS-059]) was mounted on a post at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California where an electric motor mounted inside the fuselage turned the propeller. In 1992, it became the gate guardian for the Ohio Air National Guard’s 178th. Wing based at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Springfield, Ohio. Today, it is now housed in the collection at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio on the grounds of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

     The photograph is of the first prototype and the ram air turbine is not deployed. It is situated just forward of the black marking on the vertical stabilizer. Both prototypes featured the “Stars and Bars” inside the cockpit, behind the pilot’s seat.