M3 Scout Car
Encyclopedia
The M3 Scout Car was an armored car in U.S.
service during World War II
. It was also known as the White Scout Car, after its manufacturer, the White Motor Company
. It was used in various roles including patrol, scouting, command vehicle, ambulance
and gun tractor.
, based in Cleveland, in 1937. It had 0.25 in (6.4 mm) face-hardened armor, full-time four-wheel drive (with no way to disengage it), four-speed manual constant-mesh (non-synchromesh) transmission (with one reverse gear) and two-speed transfer case, leaf spring suspension, manual steering, and (unusually for the period) vacuum-assisted (power) brakes. The wheelbase was 131 in (3.3 m), tread 65.25 in (1.7 m). The wheels were 8.5 in (215.9 mm) wide, 20 in (508 mm) diameter, and used standard 12-ply military non-directional tires. Fuel capacity was 30 US gal (113.6 l).
The original order was for 64 units, all of which were given to the 7th Cavalry Brigade
. Eventually the Army decided to adopt an improved version, designated M3A1. The new version had a longer and wider hull. In front of the bumper an unditching roller was mounted. The M3A1 could carry up to seven infantry and provide fire support with three machine guns - one .50 caliber (12.7 mm) and two .30 caliber (7.62 mm) - mounted on a skate rail around the hull.
Production of the M3A1 started in 1940 and lasted until 1944, with 20,918 vehicles built.
The design influenced the later U.S. halftrack designs such as the M3 halftrack
and the post-World War II Soviet BTR-40
. The early M2 halftrack
copied the armor layout as well as the skate rail machine gun mounts.
The M3A1 first saw combat in the Philippines
in 1941-1942, and was also used by the cavalry units of the US Army in the North African Campaign
and the invasion of Sicily. It was used in traditional cavalry roles such as scouting and screening; also as an armored command vehicle. By mid-1943, the drawbacks of the design - its open top, poor off-road mobility, and poor armament - were evident. During 1943 most US Army units replaced the M3A1 with the M8 armored car and similar M20 Utility Car. A small number of M3A1s were retained and employed in Normandy
. A few M3A1s were used by the US Marine Corps in the Pacific theater, but none saw combat.
The M3A1 was also supplied via lend-lease
channels to the Soviet Union
(3,034; these vehicles remained in service until at least 1947) and Britain
, and used to equip Free French Forces
, Belgian
, Czechoslovak
and Polish
units. After the war, many vehicles were sold, mostly to Asia
n and Latin American countries. In Red Army service it was used primarily as a reconnaissance
vehicle, but also as gun tractor for the ZIS-3
76-mm field gun. It remained in wide service throughout the war. In British and French service M3A1s were used as observation vehicles for field artillery observers, as ambulances, and as scout vehicles.
A few vehicles were used by Israel
in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. At least one Israeli M3A1 was modified with top armor and a revolving turret. France
employed its M3A1s in the First Indochina War
and the Algerian War.
By late 1990, the only country to keep the M3A1 in service was the Dominican Republic
.
1949-1959.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was also known as the White Scout Car, after its manufacturer, the White Motor Company
White Motor Company
White Motor Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, and sewing machines. Before World War II, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio.-History:...
. It was used in various roles including patrol, scouting, command vehicle, ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
and gun tractor.
History
Design of the vehicle began at the White Motor CompanyWhite Motor Company
White Motor Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, and sewing machines. Before World War II, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio.-History:...
, based in Cleveland, in 1937. It had 0.25 in (6.4 mm) face-hardened armor, full-time four-wheel drive (with no way to disengage it), four-speed manual constant-mesh (non-synchromesh) transmission (with one reverse gear) and two-speed transfer case, leaf spring suspension, manual steering, and (unusually for the period) vacuum-assisted (power) brakes. The wheelbase was 131 in (3.3 m), tread 65.25 in (1.7 m). The wheels were 8.5 in (215.9 mm) wide, 20 in (508 mm) diameter, and used standard 12-ply military non-directional tires. Fuel capacity was 30 US gal (113.6 l).
The original order was for 64 units, all of which were given to the 7th Cavalry Brigade
7th Sustainment Brigade (United States)
The 7th Sustainment Brigade is a sustainment brigade of the United States Army. It is known and referred to as "the most deployed unit in the Army" because of its continuous mission to provide logistical support to all branches of the service for both training and war-time activities.-Units:* 7th...
. Eventually the Army decided to adopt an improved version, designated M3A1. The new version had a longer and wider hull. In front of the bumper an unditching roller was mounted. The M3A1 could carry up to seven infantry and provide fire support with three machine guns - one .50 caliber (12.7 mm) and two .30 caliber (7.62 mm) - mounted on a skate rail around the hull.
Production of the M3A1 started in 1940 and lasted until 1944, with 20,918 vehicles built.
The design influenced the later U.S. halftrack designs such as the M3 halftrack
M3 Half-track
The Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...
and the post-World War II Soviet BTR-40
BTR-40
The BTR-40 is a Soviet non-amphibious, wheeled armoured personnel carrier and reconnaissance vehicle. It is often referred to as the Sorokovka in Soviet service. It is also the first mass-produced Soviet APC...
. The early M2 halftrack
M2 Half Track Car
The M-2 Half Track was an armored vehicle used by the United States during World War II.-History:The half-track design had been evaluated by the US Ordnance department using Citroën-Kégresse vehicles...
copied the armor layout as well as the skate rail machine gun mounts.
Combat history
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 1941-1942, and was also used by the cavalry units of the US Army in the North African Campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
and the invasion of Sicily. It was used in traditional cavalry roles such as scouting and screening; also as an armored command vehicle. By mid-1943, the drawbacks of the design - its open top, poor off-road mobility, and poor armament - were evident. During 1943 most US Army units replaced the M3A1 with the M8 armored car and similar M20 Utility Car. A small number of M3A1s were retained and employed in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. A few M3A1s were used by the US Marine Corps in the Pacific theater, but none saw combat.
The M3A1 was also supplied via lend-lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
channels to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(3,034; these vehicles remained in service until at least 1947) and Britain
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, and used to equip Free French Forces
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
, Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Czechoslovak
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
units. After the war, many vehicles were sold, mostly to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n and Latin American countries. In Red Army service it was used primarily as a reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
vehicle, but also as gun tractor for the ZIS-3
ZiS-3
The 76-mm divisional gun M1942 was a Soviet 76.2 mm divisional field gun used during World War II. ZiS was a factory designation and stood for Zavod imeni Stalina , the honorific title of Artillery Factory No...
76-mm field gun. It remained in wide service throughout the war. In British and French service M3A1s were used as observation vehicles for field artillery observers, as ambulances, and as scout vehicles.
A few vehicles were used by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. At least one Israeli M3A1 was modified with top armor and a revolving turret. France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
employed its M3A1s in the First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
and the Algerian War.
By late 1990, the only country to keep the M3A1 in service was the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.
Former operators
- 100 M3-A1 - Used captured vehicles in the west front during World War II. - Regional Gendarmerie and Lebanese Air ForceLebanese Air Force
The Lebanese Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The seal of the air force is constituted of a Roundel with two wings and a Lebanese Cedar tree, surrounded by two laurel leaves on a blue background.-History:...
1949-1959.
Variants
- M3 (1938) - original variant. 64 units built.
- M3A1 (1941) - bigger hull.
- M3A1E1 - had Buda diesel engineDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
. 100 units built. - M3A1E2 - had armored roof.
- M3A1E3 - was fitted with 37 mm Gun M3 on mount T6 / M25. Never reached serial production.
- M3A1 Command Car (1943) - thicker armor, armed with .50 cal MG.
External links
- The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles, Amber Books, 2002
- M. Baryatinskiy - US APCs of World War II, Modelist-Konstruktor, Bronekollektsiya 05-2004 (М.Барятинский - Американские бронетранспортеры Второй мировой войны, Mоделист-Конструктор, Бронеколлекция 05-2004).
- WWII vehicles
- Photo gallery at OldCMP
- M3A1 Scout Car Photos at Prime Portal