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The Stuart in Russia

The M3 "General Stuart" light tank was one of the first American tanks that reached Soviet beaches as the part of Lend-Lease agreement.

M3 "General Stuart" in action. Eastern Front. Autumn 1942.

The M3 was considered as one of the best light tanks of World War II. It had excellent characteristics: the "Continental" engine provided it with 250 h.p., so the 12-ton tank was able to move fast. It was a very maneuverable tank. Unfortunately, from 1942 its 37 mm gun wasn't up to matching war conditions. All attempts to upgrade to a more powerful gun failed because it's turret was too small. The 37 mm gun had an ballistic data equal to the Soviet 45 mm AT-gun.

This vehicle was in production until 1943, when the more modern M5 version has introduced. The M3 "General Stuart" served in Africa, Burma, on islands of the Pacific Ocean, in Europe and become the most popular American light tank: 13,859 units were built, including the 711 tanks with the "Giberson" diesel engine.

During 1942-1943 the Red Army received 1,665 of the M3A1 "General Stuart" tanks. This tank was the equivalent of the Soviet T-60 and T-70 light tanks, but some faults were detected: its' engine was too sensitive to the Russian gas (petrol) quality and the tank silhouette was too tall for a light tank. However it was most produced tank of the World War Two: 22,734 units were built.

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

Iraq Homecoming Tips

~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

PDN members and fans. We hope you will consider this simple act of patriotism worth passing on or taking up as a project in your own back yard. In summary:

Who They Are: Operation: Stitches Of Love was started by the Mothers of two United States Marines stationed in Iraq.

What They Are Doing: We are gathering 12.5"x12.5" quilt squares from across the country and assembling the largest quilt ever produced. When completed we will take the quilt from state to state and gather even more squares.

Why They Are Doing This: We are building this quilt to rally support for the Coalition Forces in Iraq and to show the service members that they are not forgotten. We want the world to know Nothing will ever break the stitches that bind us together as a country.

Ideas to start a local project:

Obtain enough Red, White and Blue material (cloth) for a 12.5 x 12.5 quilt square.
If you have someone in your family that sews, make it a weekend project and invite neighbors to join you.

Consider this tribute as a project for your civic group, scouts, church or townhall group.

Locate an elementary school with an after school program in your neighborhood or locate an after school program in your neighborhood not attached to a school and ask if you could volunteer one or two afternoons and create some squares with the kids.

Invite some VFW posts to share your project in honor of their post.

Send us webmaster@patriotwatch.com for digital photos of in progress and finished project for various websites, OIFII.com and the media.

PDN is making this appeal in support of Operation: Stitches Of Love

Your friends at PDN

(916) 448-1636

The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

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"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

New Guinea in 1942, the north coast - "Cape Endaiadere, Buna, Gona and Sanananda" - were very hard. The local National Guard lads here in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula were made into an Army division, the 32nd Infantry, and got into it early. First US Army division to see combat, as I recall.

No artillery, no tanks, no motorized transport, just your feet and a rifle. Food was bad and starvation rations besides. I met some of those guys, all gone now. Pretty tough bunch.

The "Honey" was very popular with British crews in the desert in 1941. Fast and fun to drive in the peacetime way, and with an adequate gun and fair to OK armor for the day.

Looked at one owned by a collector. Amazingly small. He drove it over a scrapped car, and had to be careful not to turn the thing over. The car hardly crushed at all, about 50%. Armor seemed to be just over an inch frontally. The Russian 14.5 mm anti-tank rifles (an actual shoulder fired weapon, carried with ammunition by one man, and used by about one man in eight) would have made swiss cheese out of a Stuart. They made swiss cheese out of a bunch of PanzerKampfWagen IIIs too.

Stuarts are still soldering on in Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Haiti also. This is in accordance with my Jane's 1983.