Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military
From: scameron@blake.acs.washington.edu (Scott Cameron)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: German Weapons in WW2
Summary: The South has risen
Message-ID: <7018@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 1 Jun 89 03:09:03 GMT
References: <6864@cbnews.ATT.COM> <6998@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: Univ of Washington, Seattle
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Approved: military@att.att.com



From: scameron@blake.acs.washington.edu (Scott Cameron)

In article <6998@cbnews.ATT.COM>, adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK (Adrian Hurt) writes:
> 
> Don't forget the US Lee tank, with a 75mm gun in the hull, a 37mm gun in a
> turret, and a machinegun in a cupola on top of the turret.

Which accurately describes the U.S. WW2 GRANT tank.  Interestingly enough,
(if I remember correctly) both the 37mm and the 75mm were rather effective
against Axis armor.  

Other than the M3 Stuart and Ft. Bragg, what has the US military named after
Confederates?

SD Cameron                |
Univ of WA              --+--
Bioengineering  _________(*)_________
Seattle                !     !
--I have full and sole right to the opinions expressed herein, as long as I
  cannot be fitted with a detachable magazine holding more than 20 opinions.


[mod.note:  Well, let's put those danged rebels back in their place 8-)
Adrian has correctly described the General Lee, used by the US Army.
The British turned up their noses at this design, but were hard-pressed
for tanks, and so accepted it with modifications.  Notably, a different,
somewhat larger turret was fitted, with room in the rear for the radio
set, which the British wanted in the turret, near the commander.  They
also deleted the machinegun cupola, and named the resulting vehicle the
General Grant.

BTW, the US never named any of their tanks until after the Sherman; the names
Lee, Grant, Stuart, and Sherman were all applied by the British.
Southerners may take offense from the fact that the British chose to
name their "improved" version of the M3 Medium the "General Grant",
and its inferior US cousin the "General Lee". 

The British names stuck, and were used by the US on a semi-official basis.
Other British names for US equipment were less well-accepted; for example,
the M-10 Tank Destroyer (Wolverine) and the M-36 TD (Jackson).

The Soviets had, perhaps, the least catchy name for the M3 Mediums
we sent them.  With an eye toward their rather large crew, the Russians
knicknamed them the "Coffin for Seven Brothers."

- Bill ]