Could a M-3 Stuart defeat a Tiger Tank?

Mark Conley

Mark Conley

Active member
When I was young, one of my favorite Comic Books G.I. Combat had a story line called "The Haunted Tank". It starred a WW II crew in a M-3 Stuart tank that was watched over by the ghost of civil war general JEB Stuart... and really had some very interesting story lines.

One such story line involved the M-3 Stuart against a...German Tiger Tank. Which it defeated. which is kinda really weird. It wasnt an honest fight by the way. Not nose to nose...but kinda sneaky.

So the question i pose to the forum is...could a M-3 Stuart really defeat a German Tiger Tank? :tank:
 
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Only if the M3 got caught in the Tigers tracks as it was run over, it may then disable the Tiger but outside that looking at the penetration capabilities of both vehicles I am going with NO.
 
A Stuart was a very light weight tank, it was made more for fast resonance than for battlefield work
 
A shell from a Stewart might scratch the paint of a Tiger, or possibly annoy the crew, but defeat a Tiger I very much doubt it.
 
gee i liked the tank getting caught in the tread answer....lol. crunch crunch (Vos wegard thaten thingum hans?)

as a standard M-3 only had a 37 mm gun (the M-5 was a little bigger) id say the irritation aspect could come into play as well. was there any such thing as a 37 mm HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) round that could do the nasty on the Tiger?
 
:mrgreen:Totally off topic. But wasn't the Commander of the Haunted Tank supposed to be related to JEB Stuart? Seem to remember he was JEB also. Yeah I read that comic, and Sgt Rock and Sgt Fury.:mrgreen:
 
Hmmmm.

Well, if the Stuart had the best gunner in the world and he would shoot a round into the Tiger commanders head, maybe:).

But...this stuart could do the job:
M5Stuart_X1A2.jpg
 
03USMC said:
:mrgreen:Totally off topic. But wasn't the Commander of the Haunted Tank supposed to be related to JEB Stuart? Seem to remember he was JEB also. Yeah I read that comic, and Sgt Rock and Sgt Fury.:mrgreen:
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yep..except he was a northerner if i recollect. the rest of the crew was southerners...and at first resent him for having that name.

yeah..i especially liked the unknown soldier...and the DD Stevens features (about the destroyer) :type:
 
Mark Conley and USMC03

Correct, you are talking about D.C Comic G.I COMBAT, "The Haunted Tank" was one of the mini-stories in it. His name is 2LT. Jeb Stuart and he is regularly visited by his ancestor in CSA Uniform and horseback who gives him combat tactical advice in each story.

As to the question, a 37mm gun could disable a tank if it knocked out the treads. The Soviets used the 13mm BOYS AT-Rifle to do this. A 37mm could also disable or jam the gun if it could hit the barrel or breach. Could the round have penetrated the breach? Maybe. It would have to be one hell of a good shot though even to hit it. Then again, the first Tiger ever captured (North Africa) was because a round from a British Crusader landed right in the narrow space where the hull meets the turret, jamming the turret. A second shell blew out a track, and the crew abandoned it. So lucky hits do happen...

The Tiger like all tanks did have one area that was weak besides the rear. The underneath. If you remember in Band of Brothers, a 101st is able to destroy a Tiger with a Bazooka as it reached the Apex of a large hill (its underbelly is exposed for a few seconds), the rocket hits underneath the tank and penetrates. That scene was a true story, and I suspect a 37mm has better penetration than a 57mm rocket due to the increased velocity.

Other than that...I just don't see how.
 
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I doubt it could take a tiger down..

But it usually comes down to the conditions of engagement.

If you got the Tiger in the middle of a large mudpile, a hailstorm and freezing fuel, and you have the Stuart sitting in a bush, damp conditions, perfect view of the Panzers rear..

Different story.
 
There's an old Stuart outside the local MOTH (Members Of Tin Hat which is a vets club) hall, I must remember to take a picture and post. Its in pretty grim condition.
 
mmarsh said:
Mark Conley and USMC03

Correct, you are talking about D.C Comic G.I COMBAT, "The Haunted Tank" was one of the mini-stories in it. His name is 2LT. Jeb Stuart and he is regularly visited by his ancestor in CSA Uniform and horseback who gives him combat tactical advice in each story.

As to the question, a 37mm gun could disable a tank if it knocked out the treads. The Soviets used the 13mm BOYS AT-Rifle to do this. A 37mm could also disable or jam the gun if it could hit the barrel or breach. Could the round have penetrated the breach? Maybe. It would have to be one hell of a good shot though even to hit it. Then again, the first Tiger ever captured (North Africa) was because a round from a British Crusader landed right in the narrow space where the hull meets the turret, jamming the turret. A second shell blew out a track, and the crew abandoned it. So lucky hits do happen...

The Tiger like all tanks did have one area that was weak besides the rear. The underneath. If you remember in Band of Brothers, a 101st is able to destroy a Tiger with a Bazooka as it reached the Apex of a large hill (its underbelly is exposed for a few seconds), the rocket hits underneath the tank and penetrates. That scene was a true story, and I suspect a 37mm has better penetration than a 57mm rocket due to the increased velocity.

Other than that...I just don't see how.
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I loved that comic, along with Enemy Ace and Sgt. Rock. The ghost of J.E.B. Stuart helped out his namesakes by effecting the trajectory of enemy shells off a little and by directing the Stuarts 37mm to be a little more accurate. I remember the writers of the comic talking about that in one issue. The art in them was very good also.
 
I once read an anecdote about British tank crew that stated that the only way they could beat a Tiger was by trying to shoot through the driver's periscope. The shot had to bounce via the underside of the turret.... But this had never been done before. I don't know if it ever happened after, and this story was in August '44.
 
i bet it could run fast if it had to! its way too cool!

thanks sherman. where did you find that picture?
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Its a Brazilian upgrade of the M3 made in the 70s or 80s...Called X1A2. Its preetey wild considering what humble origins it has...
 
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