Product description
+ 6 battle cards
The outbreak of World War II in Europe caused the U.S. Army to realize that it lacked an effective armored force. Design of the M3 medium tank began in July 1940, production began in December, and the first units entered service in late 1941. Experiments were carried out with special conversions, including the T16 prime mover, which was chosen as the basis. These tests eventually led to the T2, of which around 805 units were converted by December 1943. These vehicles became known as the M31 Tank Recovery Vehicle and were the first vehicle of this type ever standardized in the US Army.
The M31 was based on the M3 medium tank. To maintain the appearance of a main battle tank, the sponson-mounted 75mm gun was replaced with a hinged entrance door with a dummy gun, and the 37mm gun in the turret was replaced with a crane. The turret was rotated rearward when not in use and a 37mm dummy was attached to the rear of the turret. The machine gun's turret cupola was replaced with the Grant's British hatch arrangement. The crane could lift 10,000 lbs (4,500 kg) without the outriggers extended, 12,000 lbs (5,400 kg) with the outriggers attached to the front of the fuselage, or 30,000 lbs (14,000 kg) with the outriggers on the ground. A 60,000 lb (27,000 kg) capacity Gar Wood winch was installed in the fighting compartment, with the cable wound out of the tower and over the crane boom or out the back of the TRV. Tool boxes were also installed on the tail sponsons and above the dummy 75mm cannon.
