Com-Central.net

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This picture said this T3 Christie was equiped with single pin tracks. I thought this was interesting and I may start doing this on a regular basis. In other words, finding various armor info and posting it for all to read. I learned alot from reading this DG, so maybe someone will learn something from what I post. To most of you though, this will be "obvious" info but just maybe there will be a nugget or two of new info you didn't already know. Below is what was printed below the picture;

The design looks a lot like the suspension of the Soviet BT-5 and the T-34 but that is another story. Christie’s new tank was called the M1928 and was capable of speeds up to 70 mph on the road wheels without tracks. The US Army took notice and contracted Christie to build one of the tanks for them. It was designated the M1931. After tests and modifications Christie was contracted to build 7 of the M1931 which was designated convertible tank T3. The T3 was armed with a 37mm gun mounted coaxially with a .30 caliber M1916 machine gun in a full 360-degree rotational turret.

All of the T3s were delivered by March 1932. They were assigned to 67th infantry division and to the Calvary at Fort Knox. The highly sloped armor was 5/8-1/2 inch thick. The US Army had disputes with Christie as to the light armament and also the thin armor. The ordnance department designed an improved version of the T3, and a contract was issued for five additional improved versions of the T3. This contract was not given to Christie but to the Foamite Corporation. The improved version of the T3 was designated the convertible tank T3E2. The new tank was wider in order to fit a gunner next to the driver to operate the new .30 caliber bow machine gun. The turret was also enlarged to hold three new .30 caliber machine guns, one in the back of the turret and two on the sides.

A new, more powerful engine was also fitted into the T3E2, which raised its horsepower from 338 hp to 435 hp. The max speed of the T3E2 increased to 35 mph with tracks. The higher horsepower engine also caused many breakdowns and resulted in the redesign of over 60 different parts. All five of the T3E2 were refitted with the redesigned parts and designated the convertible tank T3E3.

I'm sure Neil has some recent pictures of the Christie T3 at Aberdeen. It is ssitting in the warehouse next to the cut open T34.

If Neil doesn't I'll dig some of mine out but his are usually much better.

- SFC_Jeff_Button

A new, more powerful engine was also fitted into the T3E2, which raised its horsepower from 338 hp to 435 hp. The max speed of the T3E2 increased to 35 mph with tracks. The higher horsepower engine also caused many breakdowns and resulted in the redesign of over 60 different parts. All five of the T3E2 were refitted with the redesigned parts and designated the convertible tank T3E3.

Hi Jeff...

Yep, the first rule of hot-rodding...if you make a change to one component, especially one that yields significantly more power, you better be prepared to beef up the rest of the drive train to take it.

- bsmart

I'm sure Neil has some recent pictures of the Christie T3 at Aberdeen. It is ssitting in the warehouse next to the cut open T34.

They're still in this thread:

www.com-central.net/in...t=christie

Neil

Viewed from that angle, the close similarities to the BT-5 become even more apparent. Same shape to the hull rear and even the muffler arrangement is pretty much the same.

David

I've got one of the resin conversions for the T3 and Steve Zaloga sent me his article on making the T3. This info will help me, if I ever get around to building one.

[img][/img] I hope this cut an dpaste works the way I'm trying to do it. This is a continuance of the begining of this thread, enjoy.
The last tank to be built using Christie’s convertible track design was the T4. Sixteen of the T4s were built during 1935-1936. These tanks were armed with a .30 caliber bow machine gun, and two machine guns in the turret, a .50 caliber mg and a .30 caliber mg. The T4 and T4E1 were both determined to be under-powered during testing. Both tanks were declined for standardization because of the lack of offensive firepower and high cost. The T4 was twice the cost of the M2 light tank and had less firepower than the M2.[img][/img]

The US Ordnance Committee recommended on May 21, 1936, that a new medium tank be developed. This new tank would eventually become the M4 Sherman. The new tank would be built to pass the Infantry Boards requirements, none of the previous designs, as shown above, had met these standards. The new tank was designated the T5 and its design would be based upon the M2 light tank. The design of the T5 used many of the components from the M2 light tank, but the T5 would have more firepower and armor than the M2.

The armament of the T5 was a 37mm high velocity gun in a 360 degree full traverse turret along with 4 .30 caliber machine guns in sponsons at all four corners. The Phase 1 development of the T5 saw the elimination of the 2 front mg sponsons and the mounting of 2 static .30 caliber machine guns in the front hull.[img][/img]
The medium tank T5. This tank would go on to become the M3 Grant/Lee with some major revisions. Notice that the suspension is the same as the M3/M4 series of medium tanks.

The phase 1, T5 was standardized the medium tank M2 in 1938. Phase 3 developments of the T5 included additional armor and more powerful motor, but the Phase 3 basically remained the same as the phase 1 tank. In 1939, a 75mm M1A1 howitzer was fitted into a T5 phase 3 tank to test the effectiveness of a larger caliber main weapon in the T5 chassis. The 75mm howitzer proved itself very effective against all types of targets. This new tank was designated the T5E2.The newly standardized M2 was produced and sent to the armor divisions in the US. A total of 18 M2s were delivered to the US tank force by early 1940. Then the blitzkrieg of Poland and the sudden collapse of France to the Germans alarmed the US considerably and the mass production of tanks became a major concern. It was determined that the Rock Island Arsenal was far too limited to produce a significant number of tanks in order to rearm the US tank force. Chrysler and other manufacturers were contacted to deduce their ability and willingness to build tanks for the US Army. Chrysler agreed to build tanks and received a contract on August 15, 1940 to build 1,000 M2A1 medium tanks for the US Army. Battlefield intelligence from the European theatre showed that the Germans were using a 75mm gun in the Mark IV medium tank. This new development made the 37mm main armament on the M2A1 obsolete. A new tank was designed that was based upon the M2A1. This new tank design was for the M3 medium tank and Chrysler’s contract was changed to produce 1,000 of the new M3s. The existing M2A1 tanks that had already been built were used for training exercises in the US. The M3 medium tank would be the first US designed medium tank to see combat in World War II.

In theory, the Ordnance Museum has a T4. It is pictured in Tank Data, but if it still exists hasnt seen the light of day in some time...

Neil