Set includes five Stuart Honey Light tanks.
In British service, the American Light Tank M3, was officially known as the ‘General Stuart’ after the famous US General ‘Jeb’ Stuart who fought on the Confederate side during the American Civil War. It was the first tank supplied to the British under the lend-lease programme, before the United States entered the war, with the first Stuarts arriving in Egypt in July 1941.
British crews quickly set about testing the new tank, and after putting the vehicle through its paces, including quick turns and manoeuvres that would have easily shed the tracks off any British tank, a Stuart’s driver, describing the tank said ‘It’s a honey, Sir’. The title quickly stuck and was used by most British and Commonwealth tank crews. The ‘Honey Stuart’ quickly developed a reputation for its high speed and reliability.
Fighting alongside Crusader tanks, Stuarts first saw action on 19 November 1941, in Operation Crusader. By the end of the battle only 35 Honey Stuarts remained, mainly as a result of poor tactics and communications. Although British tank doctrine recommended firing on the move, Stuart crews found they got their best result through speedily closing with the enemy, quickly halting and then firing their 37mm gun into the side armour of the panzers.