M1 combat car
| M1 Combat Car Light Tank M1 | |
|---|---|
 M1 Combat Car | |
| Type | Light tank |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1937–1943 |
| Used by | United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Rock Island Arsenal |
| Produced | 1935–? |
| No. built | 113 |
| Specifications (M1) | |
| Mass | ~10 short tons (9.1 t)[1] |
| Length | 4.14 m (13 ft 7 in) |
| Width | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in) |
| Crew | 4 |
| Armor | 6–16 mm |
Main armament | .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine gun .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine gun |
Secondary armament | .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine gun |
| Engine | Continental R-670 7-cylinder air-cooled radial gasoline 250 hp (190 kW) |
| Suspension | Vertical volute spring |
Operational range | 161 km (100 mi) on roads |
| Maximum speed | 72 km/h (45 mph) on roads |
The M1 Combat Car was a light tank used by the U.S. Cavalry in the late 1930s[2] and developed at the same time as the infantry's very similar M2 light tank. After the Spanish Civil War, most armies, including the U.S. Army, realized that they needed tanks armed with cannons, not merely vehicles armed with machine guns,[3] and so the M1 became obsolete.
History and development
The National Defense Act of 1920 set tanks as the responsibility of the infantry and the General Staff defined the purpose of tanks as the support of infantry units.[4] Light tanks were defined as weight 5 tons or less – so they could be carried by truck – and medium tanks no greater than 15 tons to meet bridge weight limits. With very tight restrictions on spending, tank development in the US was limited to a couple of test vehicles a year. The mechanization of the army was promoted by General Douglas MacArthur (Chief of Staff of the US Army) who believed that the cavalry should have tanks for an exploiting role rather than act in support of the infantry. [4] To allow U.S. Army cavalry units to be equipped with armored fighting vehicles, the tanks developed for the cavalry were designated "combat cars".[note 1]
In the mid 1930s, the Rock Island Arsenal built three experimental T2 light tanks inspired by the British Vickers 6-Ton tank. At the same time they built a light tank similar to the T2 for the cavalry – the T5 Combat Car. The only major difference between the two was that the T5 used vertical volute suspension while the T2 had leaf springs as on the Vickers. The T5 was developed further and the T5E2 was accepted for production as the M1 Combat Car.[4]
The M1 entered service in 1937. A change to the suspension so that the idler wheel rested on the ground ("trailing") increased the length of track in contact with the ground and improved the ride. Together with a different engine and improved turret, this gave the M2 Combat Car.[4] In 1940, the distinction between infantry and cavalry tank units disappeared with the establishment of the Armored Force to manage all tanks in the US Army. The 'Combat Car' name was superfluous, and the cavalry unit tanks redesignated: M1 Combat Car as the Light Tank M1A1 and M2 Combat Car as Light Tank M1A2.[5][4]
Service
The M1 and M2 Combat Cars were not used in combat by the US Army during World War II; some were used for training purposes.[4]
Variants
- M1 – The original variant. 89 built.[2]
- M1E2 – prototype for M1A1
- M1A1 – New octagonal turret instead of a D-shaped one; increased distance between the wheel bogies. Constant mesh gears. 17 built in 1938.[4]
- M1A1E1 – Prototype of M2 Combat Car. Engine was replaced by Guiberson T-1020 diesel.[4]
- M2 – New Guiberson diesel engine and trailing idler. 34 built.[6]
See also
- SCR-189
- List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog designation
- List of U.S. military vehicles by model number
- M2 Light Tank
- T7 Combat Car
References
- Notes
- ^ The same legal sleight of hand was used for Japan's Type 92 Heavy Armoured Car, a light tank for the cavalry.
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Chamberlain, Peter; Ellis, Chris (1969). British and American Tanks of World War II. New York: Arco Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-668-01867-4.
- Hunnicutt, R.P. (1992). Stuart, A History of the American Light Tank. Vol. Volume 1. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. ISBN 978-0-8914-1462-9.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - Ogorkiewicz, Richard (2015). Tanks: 100 Years of Evolution. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781472806703.
- Yeide, Harry (2006). Weapons of the Tankers: American Armor in World War II. Zenith Press: St Paul, MN. ISBN 9781610607780.
- Zaloga, Steven (2008). Armored Thunderbolt. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0424-3.
Further reading
- Foss, Christopher F., ed. (2002). The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles – The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day. San Diego, CA: Thunder Bay Press. ISBN 9781571458063.
External links
- WWII vehicles
- "Mobile Machine-Gun Nest Carries Five Guns" Popular Mechanics, September 1937
- Tanks Encyclopedia article.
