Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: M3 GMC

Crosspost on a time-delay from the World of Tanks North America channel, for those who don't follow it. As ever, like the others paid for by WoT, these are marketing videos. If you don't play, (It's free to play, but we don't mind if you throw us some dollars), use this link to associate your support with these videos. It'll encourage creation of more, and you might also find a new fun way to pass the time.
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The M3 GMC is the first of the tank destroyers to enter service with the US Army. This very nice example (Not that there are more than about four out there) is found at the Museum of the American GI in College Station, Texas.
WoT North America KZbin Channel.
/ @worldoftanksnaarchived

[@hiltibrant1976]

When the Chieftain said "Let's take it for a ride" I half expected a shocked museum staffer to run up and try to stop him from just driving off with the M3 :D

[@laurisikio]

He Nicked it, that's why no one got in the way

[@foowashere]

Hey Hilti! 👋

[@АнтонКондратенко-к7ю]

"I need this for my tank destroyer studies"

[@imscary2]

everytime all day long

[@imscary2]

@@laurisikio he had another tank (that he stole) covering the staff

[@tomatoactual1340]

tank destroyers in America during ww2: "You were supposed to destroy the tanks not become them"

[@donjones4719]

Stateside planners: It has a gun and tracks, of course it can be a tank. Just add some Bradley armor.

[@JNF590]

Nice reference fit's the narrative well 😂

[@Romuls753]

Tank destroyers be like "you think large ordinance is your ally? I was born with it, molded by it"

[@stephenrickstrew7237]

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery … The m-18 being it’s ultimate form ….

[@chascuk]

He who fights with tanks might take care lest he thereby become a tank. Not Friedrich Nietzsche.

[@bachelorchownowwithflavor3712]

I am a heavy truck and bus technician and it absolutely tickles me that some of the drivetrain components on this vehicle are the same as on the modern vehicles I work on. Definitely my favorite tank destroyer of the war. Also, WoT has armored cars. I see no legitimate reason why a half-track couldn't be added as well. I think the M3 would make a charming low tier tank destroyer.

[@MakeMeThinkAgain]

I hope you are familiar with the M8 Greyhound and the DUKW. Chieftain has covered both of these truck derived vehicles.

[@88porpoise]

@@MakeMeThinkAgain He also has at least one other M3/M5 variant covered

[@gardenstate732]

Its my favorite low tuer in war thunder

[@cheshire4856]

It is amazing in War Thunder.

[@Dr_V]

It'd be a fantastic seal clubbing glass cannon for the more experienced players. I gave up WoT completely in 2019 after years of intense involvement (got over 40k battles on my main account), of which the last 3 years spent as a clan commander. I switched to WoWs then, but pretty much abandoned that as well recently, mostly because of the stupid submarines debacle.

[@kw9849]

I'm so glad their editor finally realized that the background track doesn't need to be blaring the whole time.

[@copter2000]

dududu dududu

[@christophhofland8890]

cant help but feel for the driver and radioman. Having to sit in their seats while a 75 went off right next to their heads repeatedly. I cant imagine many GMC drivers went home with great hearing after all was said and done.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

WHAT?! ;)

[@AlexR2648]

@@SonsOfLorgar HE SAID HE CAN'T IMAGINE THAT MANY GMC DRIVERS WENT HOME WITH GREAT HEARING AFTER THE WAR.

[@AtholAnderson]

@@AlexR2648 A COFFEE WOULD BE GREAT, THANK YOU

[@papaaaaaaa2625]

@@AtholAnderson WHAT DID YOU SAID ABOUT MY MOTHER?

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@AlexR2648 *WHAT! CAN YOU PLEASE SPEAK UP SO I CAN HEAR YOU, AND USE MY RIGHT EAR PLEASE!*

[@Dedfaction]

Comparing this to a German halftrack really illustrates the whole 'German over engineering' point. On one hand you have effectively tank with wheels on the front, complicated angled armour, complicated overlapping wheels, complicated tank suspension and drive system and a complicated steering system. On the other hand you've got a truck with with the wheels swapped out for tracks. That's it.

[@Sturminfantrist]

One point is better cross Country capability And the germans had the Halftrack "Tractor" series in Production so why not use the Chassis for a SPw both the 250 and 251 based on the Tractor Halftrack series Chassis. Not always "overengineerd". The germans did it with the "Maultier" series, on the 3t halftrack Trucks OPEL, Ford they swapped the rear wheel for some sort of Carden Lyod suspension at the rear axle. near wars end they looked for a full tracked replacement "Kätzchen" (?) (AUDI and BMM) for the half tracks.

[@cjwrench07]

@@Sturminfantrist the German Half-Track didn’t have notably better cross county performance in the equivalent US weight vehicles. According to the testing by the Soviets, US, French, and UK during both in-war and post-war testing. They did have a better weight carry capacity and easier steering up to medium thickness mud. But, they somehow had both worse ground clearance and a higher center of gravity making them the worse of both worlds. Also an almost comical inability for the system to automatically clear mud from the running gear, and for the later now caked-in mud to cause damage to integral components (like to the terrible seal designs). If you look specifically for the after-capture debriefing interviews held at the US Library of Congress and the Can. National Archives. Captured German soldiers & officers constantly raved about their happiness after capturing working or repairable US-made Half-Tracks(& trucks), and the basically absurd camouflage techniques they used on them. Not primarily for a battlefield advantage, but to make them look German from a distance. All to keep them from being requisitioned away by higher-ranking officers who also desired the US vehicles over the ones they were issued.

[@RaptorJesus]

@@cjwrench07 I'm not sure I'd compare the M3 and the Sd.kfz 250 or 251. The M3 is a truck with tracks on the back, the 250 and 251 are much closer to flat-out APCs.

[@Rokaize]

@@RaptorJesusThey both serve exactly the same purposes. There’s absolutely no reason not to compare them

[@Fulcrum205]

​@@Sturminfantristthey were also chronically short of half tracks. The US Army in WW2 was just better at understanding that "good enough" is better than double the cost and halving the reliability to get something perfect. I've seen the sdk and their silly interlinked steering and braking systems. The M3 and M5 were just big farm trucks. Any mechanic (and most of the regular GIs) in the Army could fix one and keep it running. It was robust enough that it could serve as an SPG at a much cheaper cost than a tracked vehicle and was much faster. Being able to produce enough trucks and half tracks might have made a real difference for the Germans. Basing your logistics chain on Russian trains and captured French or British trucks is a fools errand.

[@PanzerWeeb3305]

Chieftain: This vehicle is not, and will not be in World of Tanks. Me: *Laughs in War Thunder*.

[@TheTomasio1975]

Me: Cries with 11 sec reload...

[@IvanTre]

@@TheTomasio1975 I think it's been changed a bit. In any case, it's actually pretty good now. Spookston's got a brilliant video on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGXHaqSbl5KomcU

[@osarkthegoat7038]

@@TheTomasio1975 put max points into reloading and it doesn't hurt nearly as bad.

[@Ryne918]

The lend-lease version in the soviet tree with the 57mm is a lot of fun. Or was, havent played in ages.

[@Orinslayer]

@@osarkthegoat7038 Not exactly possible for new players, but we all know WT has no new players.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

I can't explain why but I've always loved half tracks. Not just any half tracks but the American M3. That would be a blast in Florida in the rainy season

[@MarkiusFox]

Or in sugar sand.

[@ethanmac639]

i like German half-tracks

[@c0ldyloxproductions324]

I love both German and American half tracks both of which were used post ww2 too Czechoslovakia used the OT810 which their production run post war of the sdkfz 251 and Israel used the m3 and m5 halftracks post war

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

@@ethanmac639 They have a dead axle up front. no power to the front tires. They do have more of a ballistic shape.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

I used to look at my Caiman+ MRAP every day and think *_If they just slammed it, widened the axles, and half tracked this sucker, it might be useful for something other than my daily 35mph freeway commute through Baghdad_*

[@Colinpark]

Always wanted to see the breech operation of the French 75mm, actually somewhat elegant use of interrupted threads. Thank you

[@colbeausabre8842]

Colin Park - It's called "the Nordenfelt Eccentric Breach"

[@Colinpark]

@@colbeausabre8842 So Nordenfelt patented it? Did it get used on any other guns?

[@colbeausabre8842]

@@Colinpark I'm not sure about others, but it was used on the 75mm M1897 and 37mm M1916 Puteaux Trench Gun. This virtually a 1/2 scale version of the former/ "if ain't broke, don't fix it"

[@fridayray8891]

the Schneider 75

[@MandolinMagi]

Here's a really awesome animation of the whole thing. The channel is all super-detailed animation of complicated military stuff kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKW6ZXqIjM2om5Y

[@deaks25]

I'm pretty sure even a 75mm gun from the 19th century would cause a very significant emotional event to most early WWII tanks, so the idea of the 75mm on the M3 GMC has always seemed sensible to me. I know it was always a fast-tracked (pun intended), stop-gap vehicle but I've always thought the M3 GMC looks really cool. And even today, I'm pretty sure it's a fairly sizeable emotional event to have one of these pull up behind you on the road! There's something special about seeing a 80+ year old veteran vehicle motoring around, enjoying retirement and that particular vehicle looks and sounds like it a very well loved vehicle mechanically.

[@Maniac3020]

Always a joy to see one of those historic vehicles be started up and driven around.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

Watching those maniac yahoos yeeting an OG Jeep with a towed gun is military comedy gold, and an inspiration for all privates and safety briefings today

[@gunnergoz]

A beautiful job of restoration on that halftrack. It looks factory fresh top to bottom. Kudos to whomever did that job!

[@jamesmcclure6191]

Thank you, Nicholas. A member of My parish was a TD crew member during Operation Torch. I had the great pleasure of speaking with him at a Veteran's Day even My church held. He told Me about his experience in the M3 GMC. He was an amazing man who fought in almost every European front in which Americans served. He spoke about meeting General Patton personally in North Africa. Truly a member of the Greatest Generation. May God rest his soul.

[@dse763]

"As you may know, this vehicle is not in World of Tanks, and, to my best knowledge, it's not planned to be either." Well, it's in War Thunder. It's the first TD you unlock in the American line. Good TD ... if air wasn't a thing in the game.

[@mysss29]

if only it implied the existence of attached AA units as historically ^_^;

[@pablofiasco2]

they do fairly good in "realistic" mode, where you can mount some bushes and hide from Air, make danged good ambushers at thier own tier, and even uptiered

[@dinonuggiesguy4847]

For some reason I feel like I'm doing better in this vehicle than the other ones.

[@pablofiasco2]

@@dinonuggiesguy4847 it's because at lowtier, you get a lot of games with people just starting out, or otherwise fairly new, and if you play smart, you can just run rampant in a round, especially when you have a gun that basically one-taps everything it hits at its tier, or the tier above :)

[@dinonuggiesguy4847]

@@pablofiasco2 well you don't really one tap everything on tier 2 which where I use the m3. I still have it in my 3.7 and it still do well against some tank. But try not to fight head on cause the driver is just staring the enemy's tank barrel.

[@iivin4233]

The music is almost gone. We're winning.

[@steveharris7116]

My unit in Germany B Co 2/36 inf with the 3rd Armored Div had a M3 halftrack outside our barracks. And it worked, Santa used to ride in it for Christmas parades. It was the anti aircraft version so it had the mount for the quad 50 cals. Since we were an infantry company we had 50 cals so we did mount them for displays. Imagine being a mechanic assigned to our unit, your job is to maintain M113's, duece and a half's, jeeps and oh by the way you need to take care of this half track as well. I got to ride in it but I never got to drive it.

[@mrShadowp157]

I read the title as "Inside the Chieftain's M3 GMC" and got way too excited.

[@thomaslockard9686]

Very clean and complete looking track. Kudos to the museum staff for the work. Thanks for the vid Chieftain.

[@k33per03]

Pretty good video; interesting vehicle. Side note; a while back I watched one of these and I hated it because of the frequent cuts and overplayed and overlong transition animation, in this video it's much better and doesn't irritate. Thank you for that, whoever is responsible for the editing...

[@TheSchultinator]

Yeah, the older one are purely advertisements for WoT

[@scruffysstash]

seeing these older vehicles always amazes me. We have changed so much in the automotive world since then. Cool to see where things began.

[@tomhart6568]

Yeah things change. Got a chuckle out of his crack about Americans not knowing how to "double declutching" True today but not in the early '40s. Also liked that this one was built by Autocar in Ardmore PA. My Father in Law worked there from 1921 until 1954 when White bought them out. Think he was in charge of factory service during WWII. As well as half tracks Autocar also built military semi tractors and was allowed to build trucks for the civilian market at some point. I have both the official War Department Operators Manual and the Technical Manual for the M2/3. Now all I need is the vehicle!

[@williamromine5715]

The first vehicle I ever drove was a 1932 Chevy car that had converted to a pickup. I was about 10 or 11( I'm 80 now), and my dad let me drive it home from the dumps. It was a small town in Wyoming, and the road was not paved. I really didn't know how to double clutch a non synchronized 4 speed transmission. I was doing pretty good, considering, but when I had to to make a hard right to get the yard, I found it difficult to double clutch while going from 3rd gear to 2nd gear, while trying to turn the vehicle(no power steering), and before I could complete every thing, I ran into the clothes line(didn't really damage it, just sort of pushed it over. It was a steel pipe with a concrete base). Needless to say, I didn't get to drive again until I was 18, and truck was a 1940 Dodge pickup with a 4 speed transmission( not synchronized), no power steering, but with all my prior experience, I mastered the beast quickly. Sorry for the long winded ramblings of an old fart, but that half track's mechanical mechanisms brought back some fond memories. Thanks a lot.

[@justindunlap1235]

That reminds me of learning to drive in a 60s f100 4 speed. The trans was so beat up the shifter felt like an axe handle sitting in a bucket of water.

[@randymagnum143]

Best to just rev up the engine and match rpm to shift to a lower gear than to double clutch.😁

[@williamromine5715]

@@randymagnum143 You might be right, but I was taught to double clutch. Thankfully, I don't plan having another non synchronized car to worry about which way is the best. And lastly, thanks for the input.

[@randymagnum143]

@@williamromine5715 last one I drove regularly was a 5 speed Clark behind a 534 Ford Super Duty. 1st to 2nd, no clutch, just slap it when it hit the governor, double clutch to 3rd, then 4th, let it run up against the governor and just let it slip into direct as the revs came down and then floor it. 40,000 lb truck and she would perform admirably. Music through dual 3" exhaust. Though a missed shift in a few places meant 2nd gear hill climbs at embarrassingly glacial speeds! Her replacement had a 500hp Detroit and a 6 speed Allison, sooooo.....

[@brianhuss9184]

Thank you for remembering the US Army fought in the Pacific! It seems that is too often overlooked. Great video as always.

[@justforever96]

Who ever forgets that the US Army fought in the Pacific? It was one of the major theaters of the war. Some of the most famous battles were fought by US Army troops. Not exactly a forgotten backwater that no one ever mentions just because it doesn't quite quite as much coverage as the ETO.

[@squidiz496]

@@justforever96 Some people my age don't even know who the major players of WW2 were.. Never underestimate peoples ignorance.

[@darkwood777]

You would be surprised what people don't know. Many consider the Marines to be the predominant US land force in the Pacific, which of course is nonsense. @@justforever96

[@jeromethiel4323]

I love how the Chieftain knows to keep his thumbs out of the way. Easy way to break a thumb in a vehicle like this is to wrap your fingers and thumb around the wheel. If your grip slips, the wheel spokes will spin and break your thumb(s). Had an old Sgt from the Korean war era tell stories about new truck drivers seemed to always break one or both thumbs until they learned to keep the thumbs out of the way.

[@boydscott1451]

Yeah, broken wrists, too. I drove DUKWs for a tourist park here in Queensland, Australia and you can do some major damage if you don`t think about hand placement.

[@richardsolberg4047]

Having grown up driving a 48 2 ton Chev.truck ,53 ford 3/4 ton and various small tractors with nasty steering , you learned to have a death grip on the steering wheel ,mater of life and death on tractor , no seat belt , or cab . . The 53 started like the M3 the 48 chev started with switch on and then step on a pedal on the floor .. the Dashes of those trucks were almost the same as the M3 , minus a Tachometer ..

[@Mag_Aoidh]

Beautifully restored vehicle, cheers!

[@amerigo88]

I have a GMC Yukon. Did not realize GMC means Gun Motor Carriage. That explains a lot about this truck.

[@cyankirkpatrick5194]

Wow 😳😣

[@killergames391]

If I’m not mistaken, there is something under the truck that you wouldn’t see in most 1930’s -early 140’s trucks: 4 wheel drive. Although it had been a thing since automobiles started rolling around, most 4 wheel drive trucks made up until then had been almost exclusively for government and military. The exceptions being the aged Nash Quads which where made from 1913 to 1928, and Marion Herrington converted model T’s, but these were a drop in a bucket compared to the millions of model T’s that ran on American roads. That being said, to a 16 year old who lied about his age to join military, 4 wheel drive is not a hard concept to teach.

[@allangibson2408]

The US Army used four wheel drive trucks in WW1 - manufactured by the FWD corporation from 1909…

[@danielstickney2400]

The U.S. Army had three four wheel drive trucks in WWI: The FWD Model B, the Nash Quad, and the French Latil. If you look closely at the video you will see a Nash Quad parked in the background in front of the M3. The most advanced was the FWD Model B, which had all wheel drive with lockable center differentials. FWD was the trademark of the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company of Clintonville Wisconsin. Lots of surplus FWD and Nash trucks were used in the huge road building effort after the war. Marmon Herrington wasn't founded until 1931 and didn't start converting Fords until long after the Model T were history. That said the Model T is actually a good cross-country vehicle because it's extremely light and has a lot of ground clearance.

[@billwilson3609]

FWD conversion kits were available before WW1. They were widely used in the logging and mining industries during the 1920's with some using J. Walter Christie's rubber band tracks slipped over the rear wheels for better flotation over muddy roads. Marmon-Harrington began producing FWD kits for Ford's commercial trucks in 1931 with Ford installing that at the factory by special order. I believe GM developed their own FWD system for their commercial trucks.

[@anthonytidey2005]

Hope you do more of these videos. I think whoever thought of this very basic easy to maintain vehicals should have got a medal. Thanks for the great overvue and technical video.

[@keithspillman]

Great video. I restored a 1941 M2A1White half track. Her name is Bertha and we've done several events at schools to teach the kids about WWII and let them get on board to touch some history. She gets driven regularly and thanks to the rubber tracks, she does get driven on the roads. I always enjoy the funny looks we get cruising around backroads. I also have a KZbin channel. Just search "Bertha Half Track" and you'll find us. Thanks for a great channel!!

[@Davros-vi4qg]

Wonderfully maintained and lovingly cared for… thanks to the curators for keeping a little bit of history alive 😀

[@edwardglamuzina3421]

Hello Chieftain, I enjoy your videos. This one especially because l own a M2A1 halftrak,licensed for the street. It's not as pretty as the one in your video but its a runner. The main duty for my halftrack now is giving kids or anyone else rides into the desert. This one is not a parade queen or a museum piece but a faded machine that travels the Mojave desert on a regular basis. When parked in the sand next to a rocky butte it looks like a page of WWll North African history.

[@fearthehoneybadger]

Tank you for the video, Chieftain.

[@karlyo6937]

Thank you for upload chieftain

[@nomar5spaulding]

That rotating breech block thing is cool as hell.

[@colbeausabre8842]

Captain Dorja Nordfenfelt Eccentric Breech

[@williamhesprich9040]

Thank you for a trip down memory lane. My father was too young for WW2 and too old for Korea, however, he had bought two vehicles war surplus. One was the M3 halftrack he used for different things like hauling gravel on his property to dump for the driveway, and he had mounted a Bantam backhoe. It operated with cables, not hydraulic like the more modern pieces of construction. He also mounted the backhoe on a 2 1/2 ton GMC 6x6 later removing the second rear axle to shorten the turning radius. Both were eventually scrapped when they simply wore out. Restoration never entered the picture. He was born 5/3/1923 and died 12/27/2002. He was the youngest of the children.

[@cheesenoodles8316]

This American can operate any clutch vehicle. Thanks for the video on an important stepping stone

[@jayg1438]

New video! Last time I was this early Poland was still putting up a dogged defense.

It is nice that the old music is gone. Interesting vehicle. Nice Video.

[@ironseabeelost1140]

My father landed in the Torch operations. My sister found that he recieved a Purple Heart and a bronze w/V. In another engagement the Germans were handing the Americans their butts. Again my sister discovered that our father received another Purple Heart and a Sliver Star while defending a position in a M3. I'm glad he survived, but that's not so much of my point. It's how fast the United States military had advance shortly after that fight. Oh, my Pop was retired in 1944. My mother passed in 2008 and was still receiving $109.00 a month from the VA.

[@GeneralJackRipper]

Now I thought the "windshield" formed part of the travel lock. Now I know better.

[@johnsowerby7182]

Those gauges for the driver are a thing of their time, and a thing of beauty...

[@billwilson3609]

Those were stock gauges that were used on GM's civilian trucks and cars.

[@GTFORDMAN]

when you started the M3 up i fully expected it to sound like an old tractor! but a lot of modern vehicles would struggle to start and idle that smoothly!

[@sidwhelan6918]

So cool to learn that we used the venerable French 75 in this platform. I never knew that before.

[@anumeon]

And now i have the beginning of Kellys heroes in my head. Cowboy and his tank destroyer.. "Well thats what we was thinking of doing"

[@keithlothery4067]

Thank you

[@shrek9703]

And here I thought I was going to sleep. May as well get the whisky and watch a few more once again

[@jeffralston8946]

I worked with an all terrain drill rig with single piece rubber track, gave me a whole new appreciation for halftrack crewmen, dealing with the track is nowhere near as easy as described. After dealing with a broken final drive it became forevermore known as the demon machine

[@shooter2055]

Transmission/transfer case, hand throttle, choke, etc remind me of my much loved 1977 Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser.

[@KarltheKrazyone]

Oddly enough, I'm pretty sure someone's bolted a french 75 into the back of one of those too.

[@shooter2055]

@@KarltheKrazyone I suppose so. Although the fun usually stops at something Russian in 12.7mm.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

TC chewing out Driver Private: "Granny shifting, not double clutching like you should...." He lived his enlistment a quarter mile at a time

[@randymagnum143]

Gee, wonder where they got the idea [sarcasm off]

[@bigblue6917]

I remember the first time I saw an M-3. I had to look twice when I saw that the track was made of rubber. I had made the model which naturally had a rubber track but I had not expected it on the M-3.

[@cpt.mirones5109]

there is a new company or atleast a company teamed up with some museum guys that basicly reproduce the tracks for the M3 Halftrack because you couldnt get them and if you want to drive it around well you gota get some from somewhere. but couldnt find any so fk it we do it ourself. so if you want to build some kind of vintage replica you can do so now.

[@MediocreHexPeddler]

I don't play World of Tanks, but in War Thunder, the M3 GMC is my favorite low-tier tank destroyer. It punches way above its weight class, it's reasonably fast, and it can reverse and pivot quickly enough that the limited traverse is rarely a problem.

[@diehard2705]

The video of the GIs jumping the jeep towing an AT gun is one of the most American things I’ve seen in a while

[@SibbTigre]

I have a question: Having produced your video talks on US Tank Destroyer doctrine and tanks, has your view been affected in any small ways by experience with the vehicles themselves since? That out of the way, I continue to be impressed with how the USA, before direct involvement, began problem solving its various deficiencies. The 75mm GMC M3 may be inelegant, but it was an effective solution - and I bet the marines loved it on the beaches and during the rains.

[@davidcox3076]

Very true. The US military wasn't sitting by idly after the war started. Lots of interim vehicles like this and the M3 tank. Not perfect, but they got the job done until better weapons were fielded.

[@donjones4719]

14:00 Armor for these lightly armored vehicles is given as thickness, naturally. But I'd love to hear what bullets it could stop at given ranges, as is often done with tank guns. This is especially needed since all 0.5" plates of steel are not equal. Just need the info for the nearly identical .30/.303 cal/7.92mm, and then .50 cal.

[@Shaun_Jones]

Steel-core .50 AP would go through that 0.5” plate at 200m; so it will, possibly, stop anything less.

[@brucelee3388]

30.06 just puts a nasty mark on the paintwork of 0.5" plate (test by Parker O. Ackley), I'm not so confident about the 0.25".

[@stanislavczebinski994]

Basically, rifle bullets. Axis forces did not use a lot .50 equivalent weapons. Even without penetration, .50 would cause nasty splintering - no spall liner whatsoever...

[@luksweam]

Very interesting video, thank you! Thanks too, for keeping the WG "muzik" at lower level. :) Pity it is completely covering the engine's sound in the last part. Who doesn't like an old engine's growl?

[@Yogasefski]

The M3 with the 75mm is easily my favorite tracked vehicle.

[@russell4718]

I remember the caricature Cowboy driving one of these through the barn wall in Kelly's Heroes

[@guiltyofbias8818]

I'd totally use the sign on bonus if I hadn't already gotten into the game thanks to one of your videos in the distant past. Your videos keep me coming back to the game.

[@Lightman0359]

I just finished building and painting a 1/56 scale model of that from Bolt Action

[@Lightman0359]

Mine is the basic apc version. I was wondering what that can on front was, I put the tow winch on mine instead.

[@bwilliams463]

I heard an interview with a man who served as a halftrack driver with Patton's army in Africa. He reported (not surprisingly) that sitting next to the 75mm caused him permanent hearing damage.

[@hedgeearthridge6807]

No syncros, no power steering, and a range selector. Just like an old tractor! Makes me think, today driving a tractor from the 70's or earlier (like a Ford 3000 or whatever) is a very unique thing to do and takes some practice, but back then it was probably almost no different from driving a regular truck, particularly for the folks who grew up in the 30's and 40's. Only difference would probably be the lack of suspension But that rotating breach on the gun is super cool! I love it

[@STEPHENDANERD]

Sad to hear it's not planned, halftracks have always looked fantastic and were actually very important in the grand scale of things.

[@myfavoritemartian1]

About 1961, an M3 was in a local scrap yard with an "A" frame boom on the back. It was used to load crushed cars on to a 40" flatbed truck/trailer . When the owner died sometime in the 1970's it disappeared. I only hope it went to a good home. Some were also used at the Japanese flower gardens as a tillage tractor. (As surplus after the war like crates of 1710 Allison engines were given to farmers to be Natural gas converted and used on irrigation pumps.)

[@ferrofilos]

That half-track is on war thunder. Thx Nicolas for keep shearing all this stuff, im a mechanical inclined guy that loves these machines and works to keep anything that i can running!

[@robertcolbourne386]

Ahhhhh a new video from the Chieftain!!!

[@carlnewman7096]

Always been a fan of the M3 half track. Some units in the British army kept the international harvester version in service in to the 60s as "breakdown gantries" , thats recovery trucks to you & me. Stunning restoration.

[@garrettknox5266]

Very cool. I didn't know any still existed. Gotta love the Marine Corps. They hold on to everything!

[@johngaither9263]

They didn't have a choice. It was hand me downs from the army or nothing.

[@paulrward]

Hello Chieftain You stated that about " three score M3 's made it to the Philippines " . Actually, it was only about a dozen, with another roughly three dozen of the original T-12 Gun Motor Carriages to make up the numbers. When they went into combat, they discovered that the T-12 could NOT depress it's gun below about 10 degrees, which meant that 1) they could NOT engage enemies while on a reverse slope, with their hulls down and their guns depressed, and 2) when they tried to engage Japanese tanks at close range, it was impossible to depress the gun in order to get on target. In other words, they could NOT use point blank range and knock out an enemy tank with direct fire, instead, they had to engage at medium ranges, and try to score hits with indirect fire - They quickly found out that trying to hit a small, moving tank with indirect fire was virtually impossible, which meant that, in the Philippines, the Tank Destroyer Tactics proved to be a failure. Just another one of the many reasons that the U.S. Army was defeated in the Phillippines in 1942. This problem with the T-12s had never come up in the Lousiana and Carolina War Games, because, when they engaged an enemy force tank, they simply pointed their gun at the enemy tank, yelled " BANG ! " , and the referee would wave his flag at the M1 Combat Car and tell the crew of the tank that they were dead.... Regrettably, in the Philippines, the Japanese Referees refused to cooperate in this manner.....

[@heinrichwonders8861]

I am always surprised how small and actually "light" these old light vehicles are.

[@keitholding8541]

Great video of a beautifully restored vehicle. Travelling at speed in it looks as though it would be massively unpleasant, though, and the gun is so old I was half-expecting you to explain how the cannoneer put the lighted fuse to the touch-hole! According to the subtitles, Operation Torch involved landings in Iran - a problem with a Second Lieutenant with a map and a radio who wasn't afraid to use them?

[@M4A3Sherman]

The M3 GMC is a neat vehicle. I was able to drive an M16/21 half track and really enjoyed it. Have you done a video on the T26-E4 or plan to in the future? I always enjoy your videos and learn a lot from them.

[@strawberyyicecreamdream216]

I really did not expect that to start and just drive off. Neat!

[@explodingonc2782]

M3 half-track is more like a truck with back tracks, but Sd.Kfz.251 is more like a tank with front wheels

[@RoyOrbisonsElvisTape]

Ian from Frogotten Weapons heard the word French, and is currently on his way to the muesum.

[@bigbritgaming930]

it is a testament to the Americans that this could have been a really simple, throw-away vehicle and yet its still put together brilliantly. They really would not let anything be under engineered.

[@frankgulla2335]

Great video of an iconic piece of US WW2 hardware. And as El Guitar showed they did work. Thanks

[@bullettube9863]

I should also remind people that America made many of the guns for the British and French armies in WW1 plus millions of rounds for them as well. The French 75 was an advanced design when it was introduced and the basic design is still seen in modern guns today. One of my grand-fathers was in the artillery in WW1 and spent a year test firing guns before they were sent to Europe, then when his unit was sent to France they had to wait three months before they got their own guns in October of 1918! Just like our infantry didn't get the Vickers 303 machine gun but were given the lousy MG made by the French, despite the fact that America was making the guns for the allies.

[@MrDgwphotos]

I'm guessing you're referencing the notorious Chauchat, but that doesn't fill the same role as the Vickers. In that role, the US largely used the Hotchkiss, a decent gun, if not quite capable of the kind of sustained fire as the Vickers. The M1917 Browning did see some service, but not in the same kind of numbers as the Hotchkiss.

[@bullettube9863]

@@MrDgwphotos I believe the Chauchat was the one that used a rigid magazine?

[@davefellhoelter1343]

"I know" Double Clutching AND Synchro Shifting, with floor button foot starters and manual chokes, With Out Power steering or power breaks. And this was trucks I drove in the 80's!

[@nateweter4012]

The most aesthetically pleasing instruments/gauges of any AFV I know of. Art Deco on full display. A lot of Raymond Loewy influence.

[@justforever96]

He was the cannonier because it was his job to operate and maintain the gun, to set it up, to ensure that it was clean, to keep the buffers adjusted and tuned, etc. The gunner was trained to send shells to the suitable spot. The commander kept track of the situation and selected targets. The other guy got ammo ready to load, when he was available.

[@strydyrhellzrydyr1345]

Always good to know the torque numbers. Instead of HP... For diesels especially

[@theduke5180]

Yeah, Torque is the most important for diesels to visualize its pulling power and effectiveness. HP is just a nice bonus on top of the torque number for diesel engines

[@randymagnum143]

Hp = torque x rpm/5252

[@LJCyrus1]

The placement of the travel lock explain clip made me wonder for a second whether you'd drove off with it disengaged and were about to have the gun slewing around unexpectedly.

[@ganave]

I imagine the driver appreciated having control of the travel lock so he wouldn’t get hit in the head.

[@elarr8733]

Totally didn't expect this to be just as interesting as the tank videos.

[@gravesclayton3604]

Transmission and transfer case are nearly identical to my 1974 Chevy K-10 4WD, including the shifter knobs, lol! And yes, in 4WD-low and 1st gear, you can walk alongside it at rotor-tiller speed, lol! In 1974 my father ran a small oil recovery outfit in PA. & had a vintage M3 (without armament) outfitted with a gas-drilling rig.

[@townsville69]

Wow I didn't know they were so effective on the battlefield.

[@gardenstate732]

A good gun and a good crews all ya need

[@screamingcactus1753]

It's a reasonably big gun that can reliably and quickly get to where it needs to be. That's often more than enough.

[@ajl1430]

Ah finally they did away with the background music. Great video 👍

[@moss8448]

reminds me of Kellys Heroes when the M3 driver came bustin' back in the barn they were in

[@gordonwallin2368]

Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

[@benlewis4241]

I can imagine the unarmoured driver controlling the guns travel lock could lead to problems in a meeting engagement or a frontal ambush- the nightmare scenario would be someone having to get out behind the gun shield to disengage it! Obviously the doctrine had imagined them firing from ambush positions themselves but the fog of war did not always oblige. Thanks for keeping the background music lower than some of the other WoT videos! Although I felt some of the transitions were a bit awkward- some of them lingered a bit to long, like the Chieftain had just delivered a punchline. Really enjoyed the video though! Curious to know whether the marines ended up using them as indirect artillery on occasion like the army did. (The AT corps was made up of ex-artillerymen, and when the expected German tank horde did not immediately materialise AT commanders kicking their heels at the rear quickly realised that the 75mm AT guns still functioned as artillery pieces with a little ingenuity)

[@HereticalKitsune]

I love half tracks, so cool.

[@martentrudeau6948]

Very interesting, thanks Chieftain.

[@breembo]

So glad chieftan released a tank destroyers book. It was such a fun read on a neglected subject.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

"Oh my God, the carriage is on fire?"

[@Jay-ln1co]

You can always think of the elevation and traverse difference as not moving the muzzle up and down, left to right, but moving the breech up and down, left to right. How in video games it's the difference between moving your reticle up (push mouse/stick forward) or tilting your character's head back (pull mouse/stick back) to achieve the same end result.

[@Hybris51129]

I always feel bad with these videos. I have been playing (more casually I will admit) WoT for nearly 10 years now so the marketing side of these is lost on me but I still love these sorts of videos. On the subject matter I have always had a soft spot for Half-Tracks in general since I first saw one in a Disney movie as a child. So naturally a 75mm Half-Track is second only to a quad .50 cal variant. Basically two tax stamps plus one per a round of ammo if you could find any vs four tax stamps for four machine guns but more readily available ammo.

[@Perfusionist01]

Everytime I see the M3 GMC I harken back to a Bill Mauldin cartoon of an M3 in training. The gun crew is obviously preparing, the driver is dismounting and talking to his buddy "here, you've been asking to drive for a while..." After being superseded in the TD role after North Africa the M3s not re-converted were used as assault guns. Reportedly Darby's Rangers had a section of M3s for support. Some British armoured car regiments also used the M3 GMC as an assault gun and, as you stated, a number went to the USMC. The Marines called them "Self Propelled Mounts" (SPM) and the served from Guadalcanal through Iwo Jima. The Marines liked them and they were only replaced later because the guns were shot out and no replacements were available.

[@colbeausabre8842]

Gay Binder - The British M3's were more employed as self propelled artillery than assault guns (which was how the Jarheads used them) See this shot of a Britsh M3 conducing an indirect fire shoot in 1945 i.redd.it/nyn2a6vqe8871.jpg They were assigned to the Heavy Troop of Cavalry Squadrons

[@markyoung950]

Mr. Moran: The KV-1 was introduced in 1939, the T-34 a year later. Both tank designs were very successful. Following the design changes both tanks underwent during the Second World War. The T-44 had a torsion suspension. The IS-3 had a hemispherical turret. So did the T-54/55. Soviet tank design was a process of integrating what was successful on 2 designs, not making just improvements on one. The T-62 is a product of both lineages. Absent from Western tank collections and museums is the T-64. As of 1970 there were 1,200 to 1,600 in service. These unreliable tanks outclassed NATO tanks and were totally unknown to the West. Arguably, the armor and firepower of this tank may have had the same kind of edge the Tiger/Pkw VI had over the T-34 76. The Nazis never fielded all 1,300 Tigers in the Battle of Kursk. I have no idea if NATO armies were using pop-up anti-tank missiles at that time. Then in 1973 the Soviets began fielding the T-72. By 1978 there was a real tank gap between the East and West. Something not reported by historians. As can be seen in 2022, there are many ways to deal with armor. I would imagine that NATO in the 70s would have fared at least as well as Ukraine is in 2022. The War between Russia and Ukraine. The history of today's Russian Army and Armed Forces can be traced back to the Soviet Union, no further. The battle doctrine that is being implemented reminds me of the Soviet Army in WWII. Pummel and destruction, with lots of heavy artillery. Putin is not a Marxist, but he is the product of the KGB and following that doctrine (playbook) as well. Alexander Dugin is the reactionary political scientist that has outlined the foreign policy that Putin has been following since 1999. The Union without the Soviet. What I have noticed is Russian vehicles turning around when confronted by unarmed Ukrainian civilians. That would have never happened in WWII. The international media is not showing the military equipment the Ukrainians do have. They are firing back at the Russians. All governments are aware of the armaments of the Ukraine Armed Forces. What the public is being shown by the media is shaping opinion. There is an interesting video by Mark Felton on the Ukrainian Azov Battalion, with their Nazi symbols.

[@edward9674]

It's nice that there isn't loud music in the background like in the ole days.

[@rb67mustang]

I can't believe how quiet this M3 was compared to the Diesel converted M8 that sold at Rock Island 5 years ago for just under 100 Grand.

[@SonemTypen]

Damn, i thought my screen developed a dead pixel... but it's one of your cameras! @ 23:24 next to your left ear. Good video, as always. ;D

[@carlclink9993]

Another great video, beautiful restoration.

[@thomasknobbe4472]

Ventilated disc hand brake? Fancy! In viewing this tour, I am made very aware of how similar the mechanical components of these vehicles are to those my father and older uncles would have been familiar with as they were growing up in rural America in the 1930's, driving Model T's and A's to school and operating the early tractors (such as the Farmall Regular and John Deere Model A) that were taking the place of horses in the field. Simple, rugged and purely functional. This is stuff that they went into war already knowing how to operate, maintain and fix on the fly. The advantage this gave to the Allies over the Axis powers cannot be underestimated.