August 14th, 1940
Libya (Tripolitania) - The French mechanized forces, which have repaired some of their early mechanized equipment from the beginning of their offensive, are now also putting on the front line a hundred American combat vehicles, Combat Cars, Scout Cars, Armored Cars and M2A2 "Mae West" delivered in July.
"Following the desperate messages sent by Paul Reynaud to F.D. Roosevelt, the United States Government had agreed to sell to France some of the equipment
equipment for its own armed forces at that time. At first reluctant, the American Army finally agreed to some deductions from its stocks, as long as these were compensated by the decision (often impatiently awaited) to produce more advanced equipment. A variety of land weapons were involved, ranging from excellent and relatively modern equipment to nightingales and other bottom-of-the-drawer which the French were nevertheless going to make their profit with joy.
§ Combat Car M1
It was in reality an M2 tank chassis with a two-seater turret armed with a 12.7 mm and a 7.62 mm (+ a 7,62 on AA mount at the top of the turret). This vehicle made a (very) light, fast, robust and efficient tank, as the 12.7 mm machine gun was sufficient to destroy the Italian L3 tankettes at a combat distance of 500 m.
The first M1s were delivered to the US Army in 1937. During the maneuvers of 1939 and spring 1940, these vehicles were used to test the first American ideas of armored warfare, under the command of Chaffee and and Patton.
The M1 was followed by the M2, identical except for the rear tensioning pulley which, as on the future M3 light tanks, was directly in contact with the ground and contributed to the lengthening of the vehicle's footprint. The M2 were delivered from the beginning of 1939.
The French Army received 30 M1s between 15 July and 5 August 1940.
§ M2A2/A3 "Mae-West" light tank
This was an M2 with two independent turrets (hence the nickname) carrying one 12.7 mm and one 7.62 mm each. The machine, intended for the accompaniment of the infantry, was built from 1937 to the end of 1939 in parallel to the Combat Cars M1 and M2A1. As early as 1939, the Americans considered it as obsolete because it was
badly armed and urgently launched the M2A4 program (an M2 with a machine gun turret and a 37 mm gun).
In July-August 1940, the French Army received 20 M2A2/A3, taken from the units in service with the 68th Infantry Tank Regiment of Colonel Bruce Magruder's Provisional Armored Brigade (this unit received M2A4s in priority).
§ Scout Car M1/M3 (Command Car after 1941)
The US Army had acquired in 1936-38 76 Scout Cars type M1 manufactured by White, armed with a 7.62 machine gun. From 1939, it had purchased a variant with a redesigned body and armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun on a semi-circular in front and a 7.62 on a pivot in the right rear, the M3 Scout Car (which would be known as the Command Car during the war). They too took part in the 1939 maneuvers with the 7th Cavalry Brigade (mechanized) in the Champlain Valley.
In July-August 1940, the French Army received 30 M1/M3 Scout Cars, which were to be used in reconnaissance units.
§ Armored Car M1
This large 4x6 vehicle built on a truck chassis differed little in principle from the AMD White-Laffly in principle. It had a crew of 4 men and an armament composed of a 12.7 mm and a 7.62 mm. The US Army received 22 units (including two prototypes) in 1937/38. However, in 1939/40, the cavalry chose the Scout Cars as reconnaissance vehicles, relegating the Armored Cars to the depot.
The 20 production AC M1s were sold at low cost to the French in early July 1940.
§ "American" Renault FT-17 tanks (M1917 and M1919)
In 1918, the French Army and the US Army ordered from American factories nearly 2,000 units of this first modern armored vehicle, but these were built too late to be delivered. Indeed, the factories had to translate the metric dimensions into American ones beforehand... Finally, the Canadians used some of them as training tanks, but the
but most of them had been slowly rusting away in hangars for twenty years when French buyers showed up. The time to check that the rust had not taken too much of a toll and a batch of 80 units were quickly shipped to North Africa, where they were used for training.
§ Various guns and machine guns
The US Army took without regret from its stocks 200 3-inch AA guns (3-in AA-gun M3 on mount M2A2), considered as obsolete, nearly 300 75 mm guns (copy of the French 75 and firing the same ammunition) and 24 155 mm guns (copy of the French GPF). On the other hand, the 105 mm M2A1 had just entered production (in 1939) and the American gunners refused to get rid of it in July 1940.
Lots of 37 mm M3 anti-tank and M1 anti-aircraft guns were available, as well as 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns, Springfield rifles and Thomson MPs.
In particular, the French Army received in July-August 3,500 machine guns Marlin .30 M1916 and M1917 (7.62 mm), 5,000 Browning M1917 7.62 mm liquid-cooled machine guns and 9,000 BARs (M1918 and M1918-A1). We know the British Army also received thousands of weapons of the same models.
The only less readily available weapon was the much sought after M2HB .50 M1921, an air-cooled version of the famous 12.7 mm M2.
The French forces received only 500 of these weapons in 1940.
.........
Let us recall here that this equipment was in addition to that ordered in a more orthodox manner and which was delivered in June-July: 347 75 mm guns with train and caissons and one million shells, 10,000 Browning M1917 machine guns, 12,500 FM BARs with 500,000 rounds, 1,000 Thompson MPs with one million rounds, 267,500 US-Enfield M1917 rifles and 10,000 Smith & Wesson revolvers."
(Source:
Service Historique des Armées, Fonds Défense Nationale - 1939-1940)
All illustrations courtesy of 1940lafrancecontinue.org
