Does anyone know about M3 Stuarts used on Guadalcanal? I am considering building one for the Guadalcanal campaign. I looked in Zbiegniewski's "M3 and M4 Tanks in Pacific Combat 1942-1945" and came across these:


They are labeled Solomon Islands 1943 and appear to be from the New Georgia campaign and are labeled 1st USMC Armored Battalion. The text talks about the 9th USMC Defense Battalion still having 8 light tanks from the previous campaign (Guadacanal?). My question is this, "Could the tank in the photo have previously been at Guadacanal?"
I find it interesting that it is a M3A1 but it still has .30 MGs located on the sides. I thought these were deleted on the later M3A1 model?
Tanks,
Don "Lakota"

Hey Don, as far as my studying of the S.P., they were used on the cannal. It wasn't called opperation shoe string for nothing. The forces were not even properly trained for jungle warfare at that time and the equipment was stuff the army didn't want or was talked out of. The Navy could be very persasive at times. So as far as them being used there, I will say yes. They were the only armour that was available to the Marine Corps then. I will have to check my books as they are currently in my garage for storage as my house is under repair. In time, they were provided with Shermans, some m-io's and the half tracks mounting a 75m.m. and 105m.m. gun and or 20m.m. Bofors. Notice the second pic. with the tanker holdind the Thompson, it has the drum magazine with would also date it twords the very early S.P. campaigns. Hope this helps. bob d.

The marines used the M3A1 at Guadalcanal. There are a few photos available of the tanks. They also used the earlier M2A4.
http://mcvthf.org/History/Evolution_of_Marine_Tanks.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Guadalcanal/img/USA-P-Guadalcanal-58.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/94248014@N02/8622091786/
Some sources list this as Emirau island.

There was a transitional period when the new M3A1 turret shell was available, but internally, the tank was still configured as an M3 (i.e., without the new turret basket). These tanks retained the sponson machine gun mounts (though some USMC units deleted them, because spent shell casings rolling around on the floor could jam the control rods that also ran along the floor). On the M3A1, the guns were deleted, and the ports were plugged or deleted. Most M3A1 upper hulls also had a revised rear section, with the two flat engine access panels replaced by a single curved panel.

Howdy Y'all
Thank you for the information. I think I will build the Academy M3A1 with the Kagero decals to represent the pic. I'll have to figure out how to install the side .30's but it shouldn't be too hard, I hope.
Take care,
Don "Lakota"

The Academy M3A1 kit _is_ a late M3 on the outside, but it's an M3A1 on the inside with the turret basket, ammo and floor. Don't use any of the interior in the kit if making a Canal late M3.

Also, note that the .30s in the sponsons were not centrally located, but offset and handed to accommodate the fixed ammo feed of the .30 cal.

It is a very simplified kit so if you want something super accurate, be prepared to do a lot of work on it. The main parts of the hull are copied from the Tamiya kit so have many of the same inaccuracy issues with softer detail to boot!

Those kits were super disappointing when they showed up.

Paul