This is a continuation of the very popular 'New Vanguard' series of books and focuses on the first widely used US Medium tank of WWII, the M3 Lee/Grant. It was discovered by the US Army that existing tanks would be no match at all for the German Panzers, so a new tank with proper fire-power was developed that also eliminated the plethora of machine guns that tank designers in the US found so appealing. In their stead, a 75mm gun was placed in a side mount with a 37mm gun in the turret.

This armament arrangement did have a few drawbacks. One was that the tank was tall. The other is that the 75mm gun, having been mounted on the side, had limited traverse, making it difficult to use the tank when it was dug in, as often was the case. However, it did have the benefit of being relatively fast, and the 75mm gun was more than a match for what the Germans were using.

The British were most interested in buying a number of these tanks, though they did require some modifications, including not using the upper machine gun turret and making the 37mm turret larger. These tanks were known as Grants in British service. They were quite successful in most of their engagements during 1941 as they helped to stem and eventually reverse the tide in North Africa.

Steven Zaloga is a well-known tank expert and his books have the distinction of not only being a good read, but are well researched to ensure accuracy of information. This edition covers the design and general operations of the Lee/Grant family of tanks. It also includes information on later variants based on the M3 Medium Tank chassis and running gear. The number of additional uses these vehicles had once they were no longer suitable as front-line tanks is pretty amazing.

Throughout the book are an excellent selection of photos, drawings and color artwork, further enhancing the value of this book to modelers and history buffs alike. It is an excellent primer on the type and is a book that I can highly recommend.

August 2005

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