Almost a Sherman....

[nfafan]

Can anyone please provide a clue as to what an M3 Lee in USArmy service would have been marked like when used in the PTO? (IIRC, they were used in the Marshall Islands??)
I have Sqaudron's M3 Lee in Action - and can not find any pic of what a Lee would have looked like in the PTO.
Thanks!
Steve

[Mike the Toad]

I 've few pics of the M3A5 " Lee " used by the 193rd Tk B at Butaritari ( Makin atoll, Gilberts Ils...Not Marshall Ils), and from what could be seen, they seem to look rather drab: OD paint, white stars, and not much more ( the driver' s vision port seems to have been covered with some kind of " sealin' tape "... ) !
Btw, the M3 " Lee " ( in fact, M3A5...) was only used, in PTO, for the capture of Makin ( 20-24 November 1943 )...

[nfafan]

Thanks Mike! Wonder why the Army didn't find more use for the Lee in the PTO, given thatthey were already "in theater", and more than a match for IJA armor.

Oh well, beats the same-ol same-ol Tunisian build.

[ED GILBERT]

The 193rd Tank Bn reinforced the Army's 27th Division that seized Makin, in the Marshalls.

The 193rd had both light and medium tanks, including a company of M3 Lees.

I have seen two types of tactical markings on these vehicles.

One type had the battalion symbol as a solid yellow triangle with a small red square in the center, on the left side as you face the tank (vehicle left rear, right front); the other was TK>193 in yellow (>=solid triangle). I think the latter was uncomon.

The right side was the company symbol in white stencil, as I recall the company letter for the mediums was B, over a two-digit vehicle number indicating platoon and vehicle (Line Platoons = 1 through 3, HQ Plt = 4), followed by a vehicle number.

Army is not my specialty, so I'm running from memory here.