M2A4 Tank Turret

Intended for 3d print.

Tank turret for the American WW2-era light tank. 6 different variants included:

• Closed hatch, no mounted or coaxial machine gun
• Closed hatch, mounted machine gun
• Closed hatch, no mounted machine gun, 1 coaxial machine gun
• Closed hatch, both mounted and coaxial machine gun
• Open hatch, no mounted or coaxial machine gun
• Open hatch, mounted machine gun

Recommended scale

28mm. The models included in this product are also prescaled to 28mm. The turrets can probably be printed at as small a scale as 15mm, but I make no guarantees for this.

History

The M2 series of light tanks (not to be confused with the contemporary M2 medium tank) started production in 1936. The United States of America did not have a large tank force prior to World War 2, and the M2A2 version became the US Army's main tank despite relatively modest production numbers. The M2A4, produced between 1940-1942, was first conceptualized following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. USA did not participate in the war, but reports from the fighting indicated that a tank armed with only machine guns fared poorly in modern combat. A heavier gun was required to deal with enemy tanks, bunkers et cetera. The M2A4 was thus equipped with a 37mm gun, considered adequate for dealing with most tanks and armored cars of the interwar/early ww2 period. The gun would perform unsatisfactorily against tanks developed later in the war, rendering the M2A4 obsolete. Production largely stopped as early as 1941, switching over to the up-armored and better-known M3 light tank. The M2A4 was mostly used for training purposes throughout its operational history, though it was notably used during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942-1943.

Operational period

1940-1943

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This model kit is part of an ongoing series, tentatively called Tank Turrets Through The Ages. The idea is to design era-defining tank turrets from their first inception up to modern day. The turrets will eventually be compiled into a megapack that provides a comprehensive and historically accurate set of turrets, for you to use in your tabletop miniature wargames. This product description will be updated with links to other turrets in the series as I design and publish them.