Bradford George - Allied armored fighting vehicles: 1/72 scale

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By May 1940, the M2A4 Light Tank was finally into production. The eventual output was a mere 365 vehicles and ended around March 1941. An additional ten were assembled about a year later, bringing the total to 375.

Most of these were pressed into service as training vehicles by the U.S. Army during the 194042 period. However, 36 were also shipped to England as part of Lend-Lease.

The U.S. Marine Corps also employed the M2A4 as part of its light tank force on Guadalcanal.

During World War II, the White Motor Company was producing M3A1 Scout Cars. They were the prewar M3 Scout Car but with a wider hull and the sprung roller on the front. A total of 20,856 were built during the war to serve as anything from armored personnel carriers to command vehicles and ambulances. They came with a removeable tarpaulin top, sometimes referred to as a tilt.

The M3A1 Scout Cars were supplied to many countries during the war, including Russia and Canada, and also soldiered on in lesser nations well after the war.

In 1939, the American tank arsenal was among the smallest in the world, rated just below Portugal. The M2 Medium Tank and then M2A1 got the ball rolling, and by 1940, the M3 Medium, with its 75mm main gun, upped the ante again. An order was placed for 1,000 of the M2A1 Mediums, but events in Europe dictated that the M2A1 was far from adequate, and production ended after 126 vehicles, and these were used for training. The M3 Medium with its sponson-mounted 75mm gun would be the workhorse for the early part of World War II.

This early American half-track, which evolved from the T14, was produced from early 1941 to mid-1943. Powered by a White 160AX engine, it proved relatively simple to produce, and a total of 11,415 came off the line before it was phased out in favor of later models. It was built by both White and Autocar facilities. A characteristic feature of the M2 was the skate rail which ran all the way around its interior rim. The main problem with the M2 seems to be the lack of rear access.

Test vehicle built by Autocar

In an attempt to improve the M2 half-track car, the T16, with its extended frame and much larger suspension, was developed. The track width increased from 12 to 14 and the bogies enlarged accordingly. The armored roof was one innovation that was eventually deemed impractical. Any further work on the T16 was stopped in early 1942.

Among the more obscure American tanks were the Marmon-Herrington Company designs. Most of their orders were for export to Persia, China, and the Netherlands. Included in a 600-tank order from the Netherlands in 1941 was their heavier CTMS-1TB1, which was a 3-man light tank commonly referred to as the Dutch Three-Man Tank. However, the Japanese swept through the Dutch East Indies before the first deliveries could be made. With America now drawn into World War II, the U.S. Army took control of the M-H series of tanks. They were not impressed, but a few of the CTLS-4TAC light tanks were shipped to Alaska for patrol duty.