Com-Central.net

Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Folks!

I just got home from a model club meeting and I have a question about the inside of a M3 Medium tank. One the right side of the crew compartment is a rack for main gun ammo (75mm or possible 37mm). On top of that ammo rack is a tray with discs in it. Would any of you know if those discs are magazines for a Tommy gun?

Thanks Guys!
Sgt, Scouts out!

Doug_Kibbey

Amplify report, Sgt.....approximately how many disks?

I have doubts about drum magazines being made available in any quantity to the military, and particularly to an esteemed ally. 50 and 100 round Thompson drums were and are considerably more expensive than stick mags and making them available for contingency use as an auxiliary arm for tankers seems even more unlikely. But that's not to say it wasn't planned for originally or even done. Never say never, and all that. I'd be very surprised, though.

toadmanstankpictures · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 704

- Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Folks!

I just got home from a model club meeting and I have a question about the inside of a M3 Medium tank. One the right side of the crew compartment is a rack for main gun ammo (75mm or possible 37mm). On top of that ammo rack is a tray with discs in it. Would any of you know if those discs are magazines for a Tommy gun?

Thanks Guys!
Sgt, Scouts out!

Affirmative on them being for Tommy gun ammo drums. There's a pic on pg 62 of Hunnicutt's Sherman book showing 20 of them. Mounted on the fighting compartment wall, above the drums, is the Thompson itself and a tripod for a M1919A4 .30 cal. Another 4 drums were stowed to the left of the driver on the lower left of the fighting compartment wall, below an additional Thompson. Ammo load for a M3 Lee included 1200 rounds of .45 cal.

binder001 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 25, 2006 Posts: 363

- Doug_Kibbey

I have doubts about drum magazines being made available in any quantity to the military, and particularly to an esteemed ally. 50 and 100 round Thompson drums were and are considerably more expensive than stick mags and making them available for contingency use as an auxiliary arm for tankers seems even more unlikely. But that's not to say it wasn't planned for originally or even done. Never say never, and all that. I'd be very surprised, though.

Doug, The early Armored Force DID issue a bunch of the 50-round drum magazines for the M1928A1 SMGs. They show up in a number of PR photos of M3 mediums, M3 lights and halftracks at Ft. Knox. One doesn't see a lot of them overseas (at least with the Army - occasionally with Marines on Guadalcanal). There was one old book touting the Armored Force that I read in the public library that showed a lot of tankers training with M1917 .45 revolvers. Interesting times for small arms.

Gary B.

Doug_Kibbey

Thanks, Guys.

I'd guess they didn't keep that up for very long, given the expense, awkwardness and weight of drum mags. They went into the war with a substantial surplus of M1921 and M1928A1's as Thompson sales pre-war had never lived up to expectations (for a while, there were even periodical magazine ads extolling the virtues of having them around on farms and such as "ranch guns", as official sales had been so disappointing). Those early guns (and mags) were extremely expensive to produce (hence the cheapy wartime M1 & M1A1 versions, which did not even accept drum mags, so you can be sure wartime supply dried up on those quickly). Drum mags are not and were not nearly as reliable as the stick magazines in practice, based on reports and personal experience.

Roy_A_Lingle

Super Thanks Guys!

I knew you guys where the ones to ask!

Sgt, Scouts Out!

Com-Central.net

Select Language

Login

`±`Recent Visitors

`±`User Info-big

Com-Central.net

Select Language

Login

±Recent Visitors

±User Info-big

`±`Recent Visitors

`±`User Info-big