See Inside The M3 Grant | Tank Chats Reloaded

With a crew of six and a chaotically crowded interior, the Grant was a US produced WW II tank more used by the British and Indian Armies than anyone else. Join Chris Copson as he explores probably the best preserved example of this rare vehicle - and listen out for the cheese sandwich...
Thank you to Cuneo Trust & Kohima Museum for permission to use 'The Battle of Kohima, April 1944'
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00:00 | Intro
00:34 | Development
05:40 | See Inside
14:33 | Conclusion
#tankmuseum #ChrisCopson #TankChatsReloaded #M3Grant

[@thetankmuseum]

We hope you enjoyed this weeks video - which tank would you like to see inside next?

[@Masada1911]

I would like to see your Sherman that is called Michael. The fact that it is the oldest surviving Sherman is an object of fascination to me.

[@ariebroek2404]

Fire fly or the crocodile would be nice 😊

[@ariebroek2404]

Or the M50/51

[@branojuraj9063]

Pershing

[@RupertBear412]

please do a series on REME recovery and repair variants - particularly important in the desert in 1942 and normandy in 1944

[@xhunter7541x]

The commanders memoir was so amazingly funny that i can't take it off my mind that it came off from a Monty Python bit, perfection!

[@stephenbritton9297]

Very British, that's for sure!

[@Chilly_Billy]

As a native of Pittsburgh, I'm very happy to see one of "our" tanks has been preserved in such great fashion.

[@RichWhiteUM]

I too am a native of Pittsburgh. My great-grandfather worked in that factory for a time. My grandfather had pictures of the M3s being built there. When he mentioned that part in the video, it put a small smile on my face.

[@Chilly_Billy]

​@RichWhiteUM ... my father worked at the Union Switch & Signal plant in Swissvale. He worked on their order for 1911A1 pistols that primarily went to the USAAF as well as bomb fins after the order for .45's was complete. The site was demolished many years ago to make way for the Edgewood Town Centre strip mall.

[@RichWhiteUM]

@@Chilly_Billy My step-father used to work as a sales rep for Regent pop company which was based in Swissvale.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

In the Australian Armor Museum they are presently rebuilding a Grant also, and a hopefully, coming functioning Tiger!!!

[@TaylorLiam87]

Love the workshop Wednesdays!!

[@barrythatcher9349]

The Ausarmour Grant is an original Australian Army tank.

[@MrSaerrock]

The Australian Grants were slightly different from both US & British variants, additional armour added to the glacis to protect the transmission as well as internal differences.

[@discordia013]

@@MrSaerrock Welded Hull M3 is a more recent model. The riveted versions were almost identical, although you could argue that they were all different depending on which US company manufactured them. You can't say AU versions were different. All M3s were different.

[@bordiepenbeek145]

and they did a barnfind with three more Aussi Grants. As a result the marketvalue of Grants dropped instantly ; )

[@Paladin1873]

The Lee/Grant was the P-40 Warhawk of tanks. It was adequate to the immediate task at hand and it was available in sufficient numbers to do the job.

[@stoneylonesome4062]

Do you have Toyota?

[@andrewstubson]

That commander's tale is hilarious and terrifying at the same time!

[@abailey7477]

These stop gap tanks played a decisive role in the 'Battle of the Admin Box' in Burma late on in 1944 - my grandfather fought the Japanese there.

[@williamromine5715]

I am 81, and the first tank movie I remember starred Bogart. It was in North Africa, and the tank was a Grant. As a child, I was very impressed with the Grant, and, of course, Bogart and his crew were very heroic. I have always had a special liking for that tank because of the movie. I'm glad it really did have some good points for its time.

[@williamromine5715]

@@jamesross8992 thanks. Won't see remake. Don't want to ruin memories.

[@davidkermes376]

i saw that movie as a kid and liked it too. did you know it was remade? jim belushi took bogie's role (he was pretty good) but they found another grant tank!

[@jiversteve]

Worth popping over to Australian Arms and Artillery KZbin channel with todays offering of a Grant Restoration.

[@JulianBeach]

Lees crewed by the 25th Dragoons played a decisive role at the Battle of the Admin Box in the Arakan campaign in February 1944.

[@stephenduffy5406]

The Lee/Grant was basically an enlarged and improved version of the French Char 1B's configuration, which is, and was, universally praised. The Char 1B's sponson-mounted 75mm had zero side traverse, and its turret held only one man, the overworked commander.

[@admiraltiberius1989]

The M3 doesn't get the credit it deserves. For a short time it was one of the better tanks available. It had flaws yes but it was a reliable machine and had a good gun. It was a bit silly with its different turrets on top and the side mounted 75. But it got the job done till the far superior M4 arrived.

[@gunner678]

@@JayJay-vs5nl of course it's not!

[@gunner678]

Very true. I'm impressed that tge Canadians found a solution to adapt this to a full gun tank with their Ram, in advance of the M4 Sherman.

[@admiraltiberius1989]

@@JayJay-vs5nl the M4 was one of the best tanks in WW2, I'd have picked it over just about anything else.

[@admiraltiberius1989]

@gunner678 then the Ram became the Kangaroo

[@timmeinschein9007]

@@admiraltiberius1989 And the father of the Ram sued the Ob-Gyn for malpractice! (lol)

[@Ngutovi]

Battle of kohima was just plain crazy. I'd always wondered how the m3 ended up where it lies now as there's no path to its present position. It still sits there as a silent sentinel.

[@cmck472]

It's still there? Wow

[@Ngutovi]

@@cmck472 ya. The fighting was so fiercely intense that it's still dangerous to be digging anywhere around that area. One might chance upon live ordnance.

[@pauldaniels8328]

After a naturally nervous start. Chris is well spoken, has a calm cadence when delivering. And is easy to listen to. Keep it up Chris 😎👍

[@niksoncutts]

This is my favorite tank of WW2, love to see it get covered! It's such a weird tank, but that's what makes it so cool.

[@stundardutch5320]

Same! such a interesting tank

[@TheArklyte]

I'm always fascinated by the fact that people understand that M3 Lee/Grant is a mdeium tank, but at the same time don't get that infantry tank like Churchill and battle tank like B1bis are ALSO medium tanks with specialization in their respective roles. It's not ONLY weight and armor that make tank heavy.

[@MasterN64]

There are a lot of people that can't or refuse to attempt to grasp classifications. Granted a lot of them are esoteric and a pain to actually get but you will have a lot of people running around calling Bradleys tanks and artillery pieces tanks. Plenty of people will look at a M113 and call it a tank. Some of it can be chalked up to ignorance or laziness and some even to politics but is a real shame people refuse to educate themselves.

[@TheArklyte]

​@@MasterN64 idk why, but YT decided to hide your comment(if comments are listed by "popularity", whatever Google mean by that, not by time of posting. Makes it really hard to look up replies with needing to scroll down the whole list).

[@ottovonbismarck2443]

Same misunderstanding with German designations. Germans "sorted" their tanks/TDs by gun caliber, not by weight nor armor thickness. That said, during the 1940 Tour de France, Germany had no medium tanks.

[@SlavicCelery]

@@ottovonbismarck2443 Cruisers were divided between light and heavy by gun caliber alone. After the Washington Navel Treaty. People seemingly forget that concept a lot of the time. It's a common issue, still showing up today. People have an idea about what a tank or ship should be based on weight and not doctrine.

[@Lykyk]

@@ottovonbismarck2443 Tanks were sorted by role, not caliber. What a silly thing to say.

[@ray.shoesmith]

@ausarmour is restoring one of these atm and they have a great series showing it week by week. Worth a look, they do superb work.

[@thomaslennon3658]

Always one of my favorite tanks, along with the Stuart, & Sherman! I've lived in the Pittsburgh, Pa. area my whole life, no doubt, our steel mills contributed mightily to the war effort!

[@16v8vFMG]

I remember a veterans recollections of receiving these, and the greatest advantage being the greater space and easier access compared to previous British tanks.

[@thekinginyellow1744]

As a total Avalon Hill geek starting in the mid '70s, I can tell you that the M3/Lee/Grant was the queen of the desert in their "Tobruk" board game. Despite it's impracticality is one of my favorite tanks. It was Steampunk before Steampunk.

[@mrcroob8563]

People call anything with rivets steampunk

[@thekinginyellow1744]

@@mrcroob8563 Nah, it needs to be something that seems cool but is actually fairly impractical as well. That's why airships are so popular in steampunk. :)

[@jon9021]

I’ve always loved the Grant, since I watched “Sahara” with the great Humphrey Bogart when I was a boy.

[@bebo4374]

Except the tank in the movie is a Lee.

[@jon9021]

@@bebo4374 I know, just very similar.

[@NAACat81]

I’ve watched all Workshop Wednesdays and look forward to each one. Great compliment to the weekly updates.

[@corgi_dad]

Playing Allied General, when the Grant became available it was a huge improvement over the previous British tanks.

[@derekmcmanus8615]

Thanks for this...I was planning on building a 1/35 model of the Grant! 👍

[@sadwingsraging3044]

That restoration is immaculate.😳 Always one of my favorites. The stopgap it filled ment a lot of lives were saved by its introduction wherever it was fielded.

[@shakeypudding6563]

Absolute pleasure to visit the tank museum on Sept 6th and met Mr. Copson in person. What a class act and everyone should visit the Bovington Tank Museum!

[@FINNIUSORION]

those Australian guys seem to be getting close to completion with theirs. the weekly updates are something I'm always looking forward to.

[@SmedleyDouwright]

Ya, I learned that the British Army liked the US 75mm gun so much that they took the gun out of destroyed Sherman tanks to install on some of their Churchill tanks in Africa. They loved that 75mm high explosive round.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

The 75mm HE round was liked because apparently it gave 20-25% more fragmentation than the 105mm round, making it a very effective anti-personnel round when used against anti-tank guns, machine gun positions etc.

[@kyle857]

​@@Kevin-mx1viIt also didn't crater the roads as badly as the 105.

[@CharlesYuditsky]

Holy schniet, if true I could have given the armorers 2 cases of good beer each and a recommendation for Army Commendation medal

[@TheArklyte]

Makes one wonder why wasn't it done BEFORE M4 had arrived(ie september 1942), but M3 and Churchill III(ie august 1942) were already available? It would have resulted in Churchill NA75 in late 1942, not in mid 1944.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

@@TheArklyte Maybe just the logistics ? Armies don't like to introduce a new thing into their supply chain until they really need it.

[@paulosborne6517]

Such a good video. Well done Chris, on such an engaging and insightful commentary. I rather like the M3 myself, the layout - by design / expediency / desperation - has a strong 'inter-war' flavour to it. A period when a lot of radical design theory was tested and truly bizarre vehicles prototyped by various nations. The M3 in its 'Grant' guise is one of those great unloved tanks that got given a second chance and really found its true calling in the Far East, as did the Matilda, and - I think - is all the more interesting because of it. Grants, some even refitted with M4 trailing arm VVS suspension units, later road wheels and alternate cleated tracks, did great service right through to the end of the war.

[@dulio12385]

Ever since I saw this in Jim Belushi's remake of Sahara its been my favorite Allied tank for its quirky appearance. Imagine though if they just shaved off the 37mm turret and replaced with dual .50 cal machine guns on a ring mount to tear up infantry while keeping the 75mm gun. It'd make for one heck of an assault gun.

[@admiraltiberius1989]

The 37mm could fire canister rounds which could be absolutely lethal to infantry and light vehicles.

[@Shinzon23]

Amusingly they tried something similar to that in the prototype phase. The Americans loved the machine gun so much on tanks it became known as the cult of the machine gun among some.

[@butchs.4239]

Sounds a lot like an M7 Priest. Only one .50 cal on the ring mount, though it had a 105mm howitzer instead of the 75mm of the M3.

[@dulio12385]

@@butchs.4239 Yeah, though the Priest was open topped and meant purely for indirect fire.

[@Robb1977]

@@Shinzon23 if im not mistaken, the M2 medium could accommodate 7 .30 cal brownings.

[@196cupcake]

This is the kind of video I tune in for from The Tank Museum. I didn't know that this tank exists. The history as a transitional tank adds helpful context, connecting pre-war and WWII tanks. You guys should put a link to this video - QR code(?) - on a sign next to this tank in your museum, and do the same for others. Maybe you already do that? Since you already have the video, it would add a lot to the museum experience to be able to listen to this video on my phone while I stand in front of the same tank featured in your video and in your museum. Adding a little sign would be pretty cheap too, right?

[@ficklefingeroffate]

I really enjoy Chris Copson as a presenter.

[@bill_heywood]

Thanks Chris, the Grant is my favourite American tank 👍

[@robertmehling9766]

Great Video on the M3. My Father crewed a M3 CDL TANK. was the Light Operator

[@DONALDSON51]

Love these new more in depth chats.. Keep them coming 😊

[@luvtruckin]

I just watched a series from Aussamour in Australia where they completely rebuilt an Australian version, that added to your Tank Chat is so informative thanks so much. BTW they found four in a storage yard that were almost complete and at the very least a lot of spare parts.

[@russwoodward8251]

Thanks Chris! The research and supporting film is really interesting and much appreciated.

[@xed5204]

Another fantastic job by Chris. Thank you and the rest of the crew for such wonderful history lessons, and the preservation of said history.

[@HarduntheRanger]

I hope that the cheese sandwich was good at least...

[@FinsburyPhil]

Another excellent, engaging presentation. Thank you.

[@danielduffy4134]

And why aren’t we still using those but just upgraded? Thank you, you guys make the best videos on the Internet...

[@kevinbrennan-ji1so]

Great video and detailed information. Well done.

[@johnharrison6745]

Unsung hero of WWII, far as I'm concerned.

[@robertsantamaria6857]

I'm not sure how I feel about a cheese sandwich in the desert, perhaps that was more dangerous than the 12 panzers approaching. Perhaps they can invite Squire down to have Olly and Bill re-enact that scene inside the Grant.

[@davidsandeman9837]

Really excellent no nonsense and informative presentation. Thank you.

[@Richman0815]

I love Tank Chats Reloaded! Please keep doing it! Thank you very much. And when i come to England someday, I will visit this fantastic museum, promised!

[@kenjohnston8173]

Most excellent info, grant really was most useful, leading to the sherman and stopgap absolutely necessary. This will help in my eventual build of a model.

[@M4ve12ick0]

Great video once again. Chris has become an excellent presenter.

[@R.Sole88109]

Hearing Sgt. Waterhouse's actions, would making a YT video of actions like his be popular. Bring kudos and recognition to these legends that the authorities didn't and no doubt the soldiers were too humble to want or demand.

[@RubberToeYT]

Great video, enjoying the reloaded series

[@richardscovell6620]

Brilliant presentation, many thanks

[@jirihamersky6152]

Many thanks, a lot of new information for me.

[@c.j.1089]

What a great video to cover the history and contribution this quirky tank made to WW2. Often times this tank is unfairly viewed against it's contemporaries, but the truth is it was a damn good tank that took many Italian and German lives during the war.

[@RJN82]

Very nice presentation - thanks!

[@miked8227]

I can’t explain what continues to draw me towards this tank. Seems to be one of my favorites.

[@robinbrowne5419]

The M3 Grant in the museum has one of the best looking paint jobs ever. Probably making it as difficult as possible for Rommel's panzers to spot as it lay in wait in a desert pass.

[@2paulcoyle]

One of the pluses of a big crew was maintenance, repairs

[@no1noone34]

I'm starting to like this guy, the serious and informative way he speaks is really exhilarating!

[@mrmeowmeow710]

Outstanding video loved it from a old Cav trooper 👍👍

[@lzappa9109]

Really excellent, thank you.

[@shockwave6213]

The M3s ended up being the very best tank for jungle warfare in the pacific imo. That 75mm gun was fantastic against bunkers. The 37mm canister round was essentially a big shotgun that could stop Banzai charges dead in their tracks, along with the cupola mounted machine gun equipped versions I'm sure and the 37mm AP was quite sufficient for dealing with the vast majority of Japanese armor.

[@allangibson8494]

The Australian forces preferred the lighter Matilda II - powerful enough to take out anything the Japanese deployed but light enough to get over a Bailey bridge.

[@JessWLStuart]

Well presented!

[@joepipito7431]

Always informative great video

[@scockery]

It's a brilliant design, combining tank destroyer and tank in one package. LOL. The odder designs are more interesting than "it's a hull with a turret on it". The Australian's had similar experiences with the Grant but someone was usually handing out a Vegemite sandwich.

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

Lieutenant Ken Giles description is most British explanation of a tank battle ever .

[@MCMLXXXIV1984]

Great video, great work! Who would have thought that this tank had his fair share of succes?

[@timothyhouse1622]

"The machinegun was considered unnecessary." ::Confused USA noises::

[@gunner678]

I have always found the Ram an impressive achievement. The Canadians found the means of adapting this design to accomodate a proper gun turret, albeit a 6pdr not the 75mm.

[@Sturminfantrist]

found the Kangaroo impressive and good looking and the Infantry got a ride under Armor Protection.

[@johnfisk811]

And the mounting would have also taken the ROF QF75mm.

[@williamharvey8895]

It has always been one of my favorites

[@Paulnikon]

That paint job is really well done.

[@michaelguerin56]

Thank you.

[@Zakalwe-01]

Cheese sandwich….that’s as British as tea 😂

[@sierravortec2494]

Man I love this channel !

[@juliusdream2683]

Great video.

[@bikenavbm1229]

Always an education thank you.

[@thcdreams654]

Another banger. Thanks.

[@Pau_Pau9]

Tank You! Happy 4th of July!! 🎇🎇🎆🎆

[@paulflux5892]

What doesn't seem to have been mentioned is that it was a minimum development of the M2 medium, which had machine gun sponsonr on each corner of the hull, and a turret similar to the Lee with a 37mm on top. Basically they replaced the 4 mg sponsons with the 75mm sponson as the quickest way to make a tank with the 75mm gun.

[@Robb1977]

the M2 medium, while officially a medium tank, is much more in line with the ww1 era designs, with its machine gun sponsons, stuart turret. In fact, the M2 medium is effectively a built-up m2 light. the M3 Medium is purpose built medium tank, with a proper anti-armor gun, and unique structure. while the m2 medium was created as a stopgap as well, it was not sent into combat, and instead, served as a training vehicle.

[@generalbanastretarleton6578]

My Grandfather was a Tank Commander in a Grant/Lee in Burma at Kohima.

[@johnanon6938]

Fascinating vehicle made as a stop gap until Sherman designs were finalized, those dual 30 cal driver MG's are odd, yet interesting. Also been learning about the later variant (welded hull diesel engine) M3 Grant that the Austrailians modified over on an equally good channel (imo) The Australian Armour & Artillery Museum.

[@jm9371]

Fascinating video, I love this stuff. I like how the Brits refer to a '30 cal' as a 'point 30 caliber'; so overly precise!

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

M3 Grant: the best tank of the inter-war years…

[@CaymanIslandsCatWalks]

This is coolest tank I’ve seen

[@Shadooe]

10:40 that's one of my favourite quotes ever... full stop.

[@ryleeculla5570]

The Australian tank museum has three M3 Lee and grants one of them even had a 17 pounder

[@jonprince3237]

They double that now, if you've watched a couple of their recent videos.

[@tribalismsucks7784]

I've always liked this tank. My dad and I built a model one when I was a kid. I built a Sherman also, but I liked the style of the Lee better.

[@rgriffinRETIRED_SHEEPDOG]

Very interesting

[@davidgoodnow269]

Thank you, I appreciate this new video. I do wonder why the crew, at least commander, driver, and both gunners, were not linked by intercom. The gunners can signal an attentive loader what round by hand signs, since scurrying around the hull for ammunition while having one's head tethered could be a bit of bother during battle. Height is no stark disadvantage in the desert; there's a reason people build lookout towers. It simply is an embodiment of one of Murphy's Laws. I like an abundance of ammunition, but I like the later Sherman's water storage racks that better the chance of escaping before it catches fire and blows; a lesson learned the T-72 seems to have skipped, which surprises me given their prior experiences. I keep hearing this, "A grave for seven brothers", line on this channel; but my own knowledge records the phrase, "This thing is Cadillac," referring to both its internal volume versus the T-34 and its internal heater and water heater, appreciated by Soviet crews during winter.

[@TallDude73]

Tank you ;)

[@timengineman2nd714]

In the M3 Lee, the Radio Operator was to the driver's left, basically just behind the twin Medium Machine-Guns (and put of his duty was to reload them!) even though they were basically useless!!

[@joegoetz8884]

Regarding the 37mm cannon… My dad crewed an M8 armored car at Falaise Gap. The M8 carried the same 37mm gun. Dad said the canister round was very effective taking out German positions in the hedgerows.

[@curiousentertainment3008]

After seeing how packed the shell was with ball bearings you can see why.

[@conorduggan6682]

It saw service up until the end of the war in Burma where it remained effective against the Japanese armour. The Australian Armour museum just recently rebuit one and got it in running order.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

All I can think of when I hear about an absurd number of crewmen, is what a mess it must have been inside when one of these things was penetrated.

[@allangibson8494]

Unlike German tanks with only a single hatch - exiting the tanks was much easier through the four crew hatches. There were many more Grant crews left to complain at the end war than the opposition German, Italian and Japanese forces.

[@philipinchina]

I like the paint scheme.

[@TheIvanNewb]

My grandfather in Shanghai happened to have Sahara, starring Humphrey Bogart, on DVD when I visited in December 2019. I watched during the holidays and loved it. I gained an appreciation for the M3 Lee then c: If one hasn't seen it, it's a fairly presictable war movie with good acting all-around, and also an interesting look at how the Allies tried to split the Italians and Germans apart in 1942 (when the movie came out) since the Italians aren't baddies, but the Nazis are, in the movie.

[@aaronleverton4221]

Never seen the original, but have a copy of the remake starring Jim Belushi and Jerome Ehlers.

[@bebo4374]

The original is 5478 times better than the remake. You will throw away the Belushi version after seeing the original.

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@bebo4374 Perhaps and no.

[@TheIvanNewb]

@@aaronleverton4221 Either way it's worth a watch, if for nothing else because it shows how Hollywood was trying to approach the situation in 1942 by setting up the Italians as reluctant, but good-hearted, helpers to the evil Nazis. Also just all-around good acting c:

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@TheIvanNewb Oh, I want it, to add to Forty Thousand Horsemen, The Rats of Tobruk and The Way Ahead.

[@MrGeorocks]

I said this in another video about this tank today but while I don't think the Grant/Lee could have carried the war on it's own, I do think that it would have been much tougher without it.

[@jammiedodger629]

I think an appeal to posthumously award Sgt Waterhouse his well deserved DCM should be undertaken, if the blessing of the Family is given.

[@michaelhorning6014]

Avalon Hill's classic game Tobruk featured the Grant prominently as the best tank in the Allied OB.

[@MsJoao101]

Weird looking box thing... Kinda fun to play in WoT...

[@BorisZech]

10:33 just lovely