The M2 Light Tank

necessity to have cannon equipped tanks. The year 1935 will bring about the manufacturing of the T2E1 or M2 “Light Tank” it would also be equipped with smaller armaments, but Soldiers would make do with this light tank as America was dealing with the Great Depression back home. The M2 would also bring about the dual turret feature, a new design feature popular at the time. With the introduction of classification levels different variants would be produced with increased armor and armaments. This would give birth to the M2 medium variant which would be a stepping stone for other more prominent light and medium tanks. The M2 would adopt some added designs to accommodate for changes in enemy TTPs. One of them being “deflector plates”, solid metal plates used to ricochet bullets down into trenches as the tanks crossed over them. Only about 18 M2s would be produced, making way for the
Baldwin Locomotive Works would begin manufacturing the M6 but shortly after its production it would be deemed obsolete due to the quickly evolving war in Europe. Because of this none of the 40 produced would see actual combat. They would instead be kept on American soil and used in the other necessary tactics of war, propaganda movies and war bond tours. On the opposite side of the spectrum we have the M3 Stuart (M3 Light Tank). The M3 would take a lot of the positive aspects of the M2 and expand upon them, to the effect that our British allies would request support from America before we had officially entered the war. Over 4500 M3s would be produced with several different variants each having increased performance, armor or other mechanical advancements. Some of the most notable advancements would come with the M3A1 Stuart III which would bring about a gyro stabilized main gun and powered traversal of the main turret. But for all the advancements the M3 had it was still a “light” tank. “They had