Christie M1931
| Christie M1931 T1 Combat Car T3 Medium Tank | |
|---|---|
M2 Browning machine gun (T1 Combat Car) | |
Secondary armament | .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919A4 Browning machine gun |
| Engine | Liberty L-12 12-cylinder gasoline engine 449 hp (335 kW) at 2,000 rpm |
| Suspension | Christie suspension |
| Maximum speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) on wheels 25 mph (40 km/h) on tracks [1] |
The Christie M1931, known as the Combat Car, T1 in US Cavalry use and Medium Tank, Convertible, T3 in Infantry branch, was a wheel-to-track tank designed by
The M1931 was Christie's first tank to be accepted for production by the US Army and was used briefly by experimental tank units. Christie's design had more influence in Europe, with the USSR and the UK developing Christie's ideas in the form of Bystrokhodny (fast) tanks and cruiser tanks respectively.
Development
The Christie M1931 originated as the
In 1930, after protracted negotiations, a contract was signed with Christie's US Wheel Track Layer Corporation to build an improved version of the M1928 at a cost of $55,000.
The prototype M1931, without armament, was delivered in March 1931. An order for seven more was placed in June; these were delivered by 1932. Officially called the "Convertible Medium Tank T3", three went to Company F,
See also
Notes
- ^ on hull front
- ^ The Cavalry were not allowed - by the National Defense Act of 1920 - to possess "tanks" which were defined as limited to the Infantry, so the renaming was a way to circumvent the prohibition
- ^ a b c d Hunnicutt 1978, p. 24.
- ^ Hofmann 2006, pp. 174–175.
- ^ Hunnicutt pp. 23–24
References
- Hofmann, George F. (2006). Through Mobility We Conquer: The Mechanization of U.S. Cavalry. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-2403-2.
- ISBN 978-1-62654-862-6.
- Neal, R. J. (2009). A Technical & Operational History of the Liberty Engine: Tanks, Ships and Aircraft 1917–1960. United States: Specialty Press. ISBN 978-1-58007-149-9.
- Ellis, C.; Chamberlain, P. (1972). Pictorial History of Tanks of the World, 1915–45. United States: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-1261-3.
- ISBN 978-0-8117-1437-2.
External links
- "Christie M1931/ Medium Tank T3/ Combat Car T1" at History of War
- "Christie M1931" at Tank Archives