Six Spoke Grant Wheels

[Pete Nash]

Practically every image of Grants and Lees show them with 5 spoke wheels.
These two images show Grants with 6 spoke wheels. can anyone give a clue as to the date and location tghe images were taken, and when the change from 5 to six spokes took place

OR.... were six spokes specific to a particular M3A?

[Chris Hall]

Pete -

I think it's a pretty complex question ......

I've just looked through Chamberlain / Ellis, Gander, and the Zaloga Osprey. The pictures are low-res, but they seem to show a confusion of 5 spokes, 6 spokes and 6 spoke solids across the whole range M3 to M3A5. Of course the Grant turret was only used on the 'basic' M3, although the Osprey has a picture of an M3A2 (of which only 12 were made) with a Grant turret.

I suspect it's all tied up with production of early variants of the M4 Sherman, which overlapped the M3 and involved most of the same companies. I doubt there's a single answer but, by looking at monthly build figures, I'd guess the early 5 spokes were eased out of production by mid-1942, probably replaced pretty quickly by 6 spoke solids, which were much easier to cast. This would apply to new tanks only - any survivors (and, as we know, some Grants made it to Burma in 1944/45) might well continue on their original running gear, unless it was changed in the field, possibly from a cannibalised Sherman.

Hope this helps,

Chris
(who is finding the M3 more fascinating the further you dig into it !)