M3 Stuarts or M3 Lees in Latvia?

[Lend-Lease guy]

I recently found a damaged U.S. 37MM M3 AT gun shell casing while metal detecting on a field by my country house and i'm only 14 years old and find this amazing that tanks were somewhere by my house. The damaged 37MM casing had it's primer in it which means it hasn't been fired suggesting that it came from ta blown up tank. So my grandpa said the previous owner of the house said that near the autumn of 1944 a couple U.S. tanks rolled up on to the field from a forest right next to the field and got shelled by defending German artillery about 2km away. It's quite strange to find military equipment from a place 3000km away in your yard . It's known that one of the tanks took a direct hit from the artillery because the previous owner found a badly damaged tank generator on the field and I also knew the tanks were U.S. because the owner said that the plate with all the information about it was in English. When my grandpa's parents bought the house from that guy (around the 1950's) the house was a little bit damaged. A German artillery shell actually hit the house ,but didn't explode so they had to get it out.

The location of where i found this is Latvia (former Eastern Front during WW2) ,the only possible way that a U.S. tank would be here would be because of the American Lend-Lease program that gave the Soviets quite a lot of tanks including M3 Stuarts, Lees and M4 Shermans. The only way that the Soviets would be this close to Riga (40 km south from my country house) was if they were trying to retake Riga from the Germans in the Baltic Offensive. The Soviet fronts that were operating in Latvia were the 1st Baltic front and the 2nd one if i'm not mistaken. Because this is a 37MM gun ,the only way that the Soviets would have it here was if they came from a M3 Stuart or M3 Lee. The closest large city to my village is the city of Ogre (lol) ,but i haven't found any information of the Soviet recapturing of Ogre ,or any Soviet forces close to my village during the Baltic Offesive. If you guys could also help me out in finding what divison these U.S. tanks operated in Latvia that would be amazing!

Here are the pictures:

http://imgur.com/a/owSf1

http://imgur.com/a/ieZDh

Here's a piece of paper where i've written the headstamps on the casing. The manufacturer of this casing is the Guide Lamp Division of General Motors indicated by the GL stamp.

http://imgur.com/a/66Jgm

[Art]

By all appearance there were only single (literally) M3 tanks in the area.
For example, on 26 July 1944 1 M3 light (Stuart) and 1 M3 medium (Lee) were reported belonging to 39 Tank Brigade/1 Baltic Front, both not in operational condition
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/dou/?docID=131264583
On 20 August 1944 1 operational M3 Lee in 10 Tank Brigade/2 Belorussian Front:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/dou/?docID=131264606
Quite a large number of Lend-Lease Shermans and Valentines saw action in the region around Baldone, see an old topic here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... &p=1408092

[Art]

Actually I should check docs for later dates. Among units that advanced to Ogre from the east in early October 1944 was 5 Tank Corps with a considerable number of M3 Lee and M3 Stuart tanks. In particular on the evening of 6 October there was the following number of operational tank in sub-units:
41 Tank Brigade - 10 T-34, 4 T-70, 5 M-3 medium, 1 M-3 light, 3 SU-76
24 Tank Brigade - 9 T-34, 9 M-3 medium, 4 T-70, 4 SU-76
70 Tank Brigade - 5 T-34, 2 M3 medium, 3 M3 light, 2 SU-76
Situation report from 6.10.44
70 Tank Bde advanced directly to Ogre according to docs. The town of Ogre was taken on 8 October 1944 as far as I can see.

[Art]

An addition: 249 Separate Tank Regiment was directly engaged in combat for the town of Ogre itself in cooperation with Soviet infantry. See the scheme below:

The unit had 8 operational M3 medium and 1 in need of repair on 1 October 1944.

[Lend-Lease guy]

Thank you so much! I wouldn't have ever found these maps! Thee village that i live in and found the tank shell is Turkalne.

Regards,

Kārlis.

[Lend-Lease guy]

Here's a Google maps screenshot where you can see my village Turkalne. My grandpa said that the tanks got shelled by german artillery in Turkalnes Muiža thats about 1.5km from my house. I'll mark it on the map.

TM is Turkalnes Muiža and F is the field where I found the 37mm shell. Turkalne is about 10km NE from Ogre.

http://imgur.com/a/wvfNU

http://imgur.com/a/uxLex

Here is a picture of the road the tanks were advancing from onto the field. The red circle is the field where i found the 37mm. There are '?' because i don't know if they advanced to Turkalnes Muiža like that.

http://imgur.com/a/r6ewh

Here's a picture of the field and Turkalnes Muiža ,where the german artillery was firing on the tanks.

http://imgur.com/a/zsnQ4

Regards,

Kārlis.

[Lend-Lease guy]

Oh and any reported losses amongst the M3 Lees and M3 Stuarts? The tank probably blew up because the 37mm shell is almost completely destroyed and it still has the primer in it which indicates it wasn't fired and probably flew out of the tank.

Regards,

Kārlis.

[Art]

Looks like some elements of 5 Tank Corps on 7 or 8 October. I can't really locate most village names from situation reports on modern maps, so can't trace the movement in details. At least I don't see Turkalne mentioned anywhere.
Yes, it certain that some M3 tanks were lost on 6-8 October 1944, but again I can't understand where it was exactly right now.

[Lend-Lease guy]

Hey,

Thanks for your reply Art. There's only one more question I need to ask you. Do you know what roads and the route the Soviet tank brigades and infantry advanced to Ogre? I could probably make some sence from those and probably track down the closest brigade located to my village.

The road that i marked on the map leads to my village of Turkalne ,literally the next residential place when riding from that road from Ogre is Turkalne. Do you know of any brigades or regiments that advanced from that road into Ogre?

http://imgur.com/a/17gFu

Regards,

Kārlis.

[Art]

Ok, for example, the situation report from 7 October 1944 reads:
- 41 Tank Brigade pursued along the route Mezhmali, Saulgozhi, Lepkalii, Brezi and then stopped on the edge of a forest 1 km east of Marsilos
- 24 Tank Brigade followed a route Inguzhtulki, Mezhmales, Pauluki, stopped at Stradini
- 70 Tank Brigade followed behind the 24 Tank Brigade, at 7.00 concentrated at Purmali. After 12.00 advanced to Indrani, Muk., Vinupes, Karli, at 18.00 at Staldati in readiness to advance to Ogre in cooperation with 92 Motorcycle Battalion. The forward detachment crossed the Ogre Reiver at Yaundupani and reached Merneki by 19.00 where it was stopped by artillery fire.
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/dou/?docID=1005020
As I said, I just can find most places on a map, you probably know it better.

[Lend-Lease guy]

Thanks alot Art!

I think it was the 24th brigade that was near my country house. This is truly amazing! Did they report to get shelled by artillery in the area of Pauluki? And do you know if one of their M3 tanks was destroyed? Again thanks alot!

Cheers

Kārlis.

[Art]

To quote the report word by word "24 TBr with a forward detachment reached Maza-Jugla River at Stradini by 7.00 7 October. Further advance was checked by an absence of a bridge over Maza Jugla and direct fire of guns from the southern edge of forest north of Kashchuki, southern edge of Godyni, point 51.6 and two self-propelled guns from Kashchuki. After suffering losses in personnel and materiel the forward detachment retreated to Sturishi, Jaunsturishi and together with the brigade's main forces started a firefight with enemy. During the day the brigade conducted a firefight and reconnaissance.
Losses [from evening 6.10.44 to evening 7.10.44] - 7 M3 medium destroyed, 2 T-34 and 1 T-70 damaged. 10 men killed and 28 wounded, including brigade's deputy commander lieutenant colonel Galant.
Operational tanks: 7 T-34, 1 T-70, 2 M3 medium, 4 SU-76"
Again without a good map I don't understand where all these places were exactly.

[Lend-Lease guy]

Hey,

Either the 24th brigade or the 41st was in my area. I know most of the names of the places and Marsilos is about 2km from my house. I know some Russian ,so I read the report of the 41st brigade but couldn't read some of the words because they're faded. Could you please help me?

Cheers

Karlis.

[Lend-Lease guy]

Hey,

I just found a map of my area and I think i have everything figured out! It is definitely the 24th TBr that was in my area! I'll take a photo of my map with the roads they took and post it. Thanks alot!

Cheers

Karlis.

[Lend-Lease guy]

Hey,

By ''direct fire of guns from the southern edge of forest north of Kashchuki, southern edge of Godyni, point 51.6 and two self-propelled guns from Kashchuki'' ,do you mean that there were 4 firing positions of the Germans? I've found point 51.6 and Godiņi on my 1949 Soviet military map ,but haven't found Kaščuki.

Cheers

Karlis.