M3A3 Stuart with strange gun

Logan Hartke · Post by **Logan Hartke** » 10 Sep 2002 04:33

What is this gun? Is it fake?

Logan Hartke

admfisher · Post by **admfisher** » 10 Sep 2002 04:37

Let me guess.

A movie Tiger!

Caldric · Post by **Caldric** » 10 Sep 2002 05:35

Unless the Brits or some other Ally did something to it Logan I am going for fake. I never seen a Stuart with that much barrel, most were short barrel 37mm for the early model which is what that looks like.

Then again maybe a prototype with 75mm.

Logan Hartke · Post by **Logan Hartke** » 10 Sep 2002 05:49

I doubt it. I think that it is in a Chinese museum. Does that help anyone?

Logan Hartke

Aristotle · Post by **Aristotle** » 10 Sep 2002 09:14

2 Theories Logan.

1) If it is a Chinese museum it may well be a Chinese modification.

The Americans did supply tans to the Chinese to help in the fight against Japan I believe. So this might be a Stuart originally provided by the US then up gunned at some stage by the Chinese, possibly after WW2 to use against Mao's Communist People's Army.

2) It looks a lot like the 'Tiger' tank from that terrible take on WW2 The Big Red One, in fact if you painted a German cross on the side it would be almost identical.

Not saying that either of these is the only possible answer, but I hope these ideas might jog some else's memory. In the mean time I look around to see if a I can find any info about up gunned Stuarts ever being used by the Chinese.

Daniel.

admfisher · Post by **admfisher** » 10 Sep 2002 17:18

Aristotle wrote:2 Theories Logan.

1) If it is a Chinese museum it may well be a Chinese modification.

The Americans did supply tans to the Chinese to help in the fight against Japan I believe. So this might be a Stuart originally provided by the US then up gunned at some stage by the Chinese, possibly after WW2 to use against Mao's Communist People's Army.

2) It looks a lot like the 'Tiger' tank from that terrible take on WW2 The Big Red One, in fact if you painted a German cross on the side it would be almost identical.

Not saying that either of these is the only possible answer, but I hope these ideas might jog some else's memory. In the mean time I look around to see if a I can find any info about up gunned Stuarts ever being used by the Chinese.

Daniel.

I think it was in the origanal book on The Big Red One that I dropped when they started talk of engaging Nashorns in North Africa.

If this tank is up gunned then it has to be a recoiless. The bloody size of barrel seems to yell flip over on firing!

Logan Hartke · Post by **Logan Hartke** » 10 Sep 2002 17:41

No, the Brazilians put a 90mm gun on one, so that theory is flawed. As for the movie theory, those were Super Shermans, so that isn't right either.

Logan Hartke

Takao · Post by **Takao** » 11 Sep 2002 13:13

I agree with Logan the all the German tanks were Super Shermans.

My theory is that it is a 57mm modification. The barrel diameter looks to small to be a 75mm.

admfisher · Post by **admfisher** » 11 Sep 2002 16:41

If the average Stuart was 15 feet then the barrel on this tank is a fake. The barrel seems to be the length of the tank. That said, then there is no way that it is a standard gun. The turret is to small for a long 75. The long 57 is shorter than what is in the picture.
To sum it up, many muesuem will add a barrel or a part to help complete the look of the item on display.

IF it is a real gun then we must now what it is. The amount of problems involved with mounting a gun this size would make for a one man turret if it is at all possible.

Take a look into the mounting of the guns in the Shermans, Tigers, and other tanks. Up gunning requires the recoil system to be mounted somewhere usually in the turret, but since this has nothing showing out of the turret it leaves me with only one possiblilty, a recoilless maingun.
Even with a recoilless I say the barrel is a fake.

But could it be a flammthrower? Size of barrel is right the length is not.

Logan Hartke · Post by **Logan Hartke** » 11 Sep 2002 17:14

I've got to agree with admfisher on this one. It's too long to be anything that I've ever seen and the barrel diameter could only be 20-40mm. I have to agree and say that I think it is fake. It could be a flamethrower, but I don't know.

Logan Hartke

admfisher · Post by **admfisher** » 11 Sep 2002 17:22

Logan Hartke wrote:I've got to agree with admfisher on this one. It's too long to be anything that I've ever seen and the barrel diameter could only be 20-40mm. I have to agree and say that I think it is fake. It could be a flamethrower, but I don't know.

Logan Hartke

Thanks Logan,

Even being a flamethrower the barrel appears to be to long. The PZIII Fl. didnot have a barrel this length and it was one of the longer barrels. Taking a look at the image, (now it's an image, not a tank

), I would say it's a poor fix up of a tank, even some of the Panzers on display in Germany make me shake my head, they dont always get them right.

But it is better to have than not!

William Wagner · Post by **William Wagner** » 08 Oct 2002 04:31

Could be a crane, could be a decoy, it could not be a gun. how could they fit the ammo and breech in that little turret... could also be a battering ram

Axis History Forum

M3A3 Stuart with strange gun

M3A3 Stuart with strange gun

Let me guess

Super Shermans

main gun