M3 Stuart

The M3 Stuart is an American light tank of the Second World War, first entering British Army service in early 1941 and later used extensively by American forces as well, with an improved M5 version following in 1942 under the same Stuart name. Weighing around 15 tons and armed with a 37mm main gun plus several machine guns, it offered relatively strong armor protection for a light tank of its era and a road speed of roughly 36 miles per hour, and British crews affectionately nicknamed it Honey for its smooth ride. Deployed first by British forces in North Africa from late 1941 and later by American crews across the Pacific theater against Japanese armor, the Stuart's role shifted over the course of the war away from direct tank-versus-tank combat, for which it was increasingly outmatched by heavier enemy vehicles, and toward reconnaissance and screening duties better suited to its speed and light weight. Its service name honors J.E.B. Stuart, a Confederate cavalry general of the American Civil War, chosen by the British Army in keeping with its practice of naming American-supplied tanks after historical military figures.