W72032 M3 SUBMACHINE GUN

The M3 was an American 37mm anti-tank gun from the Second World War. Its first prototypes were made in 1938, and serial production was carried out in the period 1940-1943. In total, about 18,500 copies of this weapon were produced. The initial velocity of the anti-tank missile oscillated around 850 m / s, and the rate of fire was up to 25 rounds per minute, with a maximum range of 6900 meters. Until 1937, the US Army's anti-tank units operated mainly with heavy machine guns, the usefulness of which in combat - due to the intensive development of armored weapons at that time - was more and more questionable. This state of affairs led to the commencement of work on the first anti-tank gun in the history of the US armed forces, built from scratch, although in a way modeled on the German PaK 36 cannon. Finally, after a period of trials and modernization, in 1940, the 37 mm M3 cannon was put into production . The new gun was characterized by good ballistic properties and low weight, which allowed it to be towed by a Willys Jeep. The M3 cannon was also small in size, which made it easy to conceal in the field. Moreover, by the turn of 1942/1943, it was able to provide decent anti-tank cover for American troops. Later, however, it began to be withdrawn from units fighting in North Africa and Europe in favor of the British 6-pounder cannon. However, it continued to serve in the Pacific region, actually until 1945. After modernization, it was also installed in such vehicles as the M3 Lee and M5 Stuart tanks and the M8 Greyhound armored car. Significant amounts of these weapons found their way to China under the Lend-and-Lease Act program.