Stuart VI Recce (was: Stuart Recce replacement)

[Alex van de Wetering]

Couple more............details and markings blurry, as usual!

First one might be an M3A3 Recce (normandy)....other 4 stills show 2 different M5A1 Recce's in Belgium 1944.

source: Britishpathe.com (stills can be found there)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbmTTtQKf4o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNnYyJ4dc00

I am still looking for more pics/footage of the Canadian Recce in Bergen op Zoom, but sadly the city archive has moved to a new web address and somehow removed a lot of the interesting pics!

Alex

[Alex van de Wetering]

And an M3A1 Recce for good measure....

Roosendaal 1944
source: https://westbrabantsarchief.nl/

[Hanno Spoelstra]

This makes for interesting reading: http://overlord-wot.blogspot.com/202...pping.html?m=1

In September 1944 the British forces in the Mediterranean received a M5A1 Stuart (Stuart VI in British terminology), on loan from US forces, to see if it would be suitable for mass issue. They proceeded to run it on a 2,500 mile trial run after modifying it to the British standard. Obviously, they felt that returning the Stuart half worn out was not sporting or particularly neighbourly. Luckily, they were able to source some twenty-three Stuart VI that had been converted to British recce versions. Thus, one of these vehicles was returned to the workshop to be reconverted back to a US standard, and then returned in place of the one that was worn out. A list of modifications required to convert it back was included, and this gives us a good idea of what was needed to convert between British and US standards. The modifications required are:

40EB62E7-887C-43CD-87DB-45E1DD490C47.jpeg

[Stefan Leegwater]

Hanno,

Thanks for this information, interesting!

Stefan

[maple_leaf_eh]

http://overlord-wot.blogspot.com/202...pping.html?m=1

Who wanted to see overheads? Here you go! https://i.imgur.com/GbYcrLr.jpg

WRT the posted page for how to restore a Stuart to American standard, where would the cast off turrets have been stored? Seems unnecessary when the tanks were declared obsolete.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Who wanted to see overheads? Here you go! https://i.imgur.com/GbYcrLr.jpg

As far as I know, those pictures show the US prototype vehicle, which is different from the Commonwealth RECCE Stuarts. Also note that the one on the right has widened fenders and tracks.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

Who wanted to see overheads? Here you go! https://i.imgur.com/GbYcrLr.jpg

Like Alex noted, and see the caption on that webpage, that is a T8 / T8E1 Recce version as trialled by US Ordnance. These were never used operationally.

A number of collectors have fitted a ring mount to their Stuart Recces, presumably inspired by the American T8E1 Recce vehicle. One of them told me he added the ring because it “looked better”.
To date I have not found any evidence of Canadian Stuart VIs Recce tanks with a ring mount. Machine guns were fitted, but not on a ring mount.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Thanks for the clarifications. It caught my eye, and sometimes clues are missed.