Ford 3-Ton M1918

Ford 3-Ton
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	United States
Specifications
Weight	3 Tons
Length	14 ft
Width	6 ft
Height	6 ft
Crew	2 (Driver and gunner)
Main armament	.30 caliber Browning machine-gun
Secondary armament	none
Engine	Two Ford Model T engines 45 hp
Power/weight	10.4 hp/t
Operational range	55 km
Speed	12.8km/h (8 mph)

The Ford 3-Ton M1918 was one of the first light tank designs by the U.S. It was a small two-man, one-gun tank. It was armed with a M1919 Browning machine gun and could reach a maximum speed of 8mph. The 3-Ton had a 17 gallon tank that gave it a maximum range of 34 miles.

History

Design on the 3-ton tank started in mid-1918, before which American tank forces had been largely equipped with British or French examples. The 3-Ton was a two man tank designed so that American forces could use another tank besides the Renault FT in battle, and was in fact designed around the FT but as a cheaper alternative. Its two Model T ford engines were controlled from the driver- seated at the front- with a gunner beside him who had control of a .30/06 machine gun (either a M-1917 Marlin or M-1919) on a limited-traverse mount with approximately 550 rounds of ammunition. The initial production run of the 3-ton was of fifteen vehicles, one of these was sent to France for testing. A contract for 15,000 of these vehicles was awarded; however, the U.S tank corps felt it did not meet the requirements they wanted. The contract for the 15,000 tanks was ended by the Armistice, leaving only the fifteen original vehicles produced. ^[1]

Survivors

• There are two known survivors with the Georgia, second is with the Ordnance Collection at Fort Lee, VA.

See also

• Renault FT
• Tank Mark VIII
• History of the tank
• History of Ford Motor Company
• List of Ford vehicles

References

1. ^ Forty, George (2012). A complete Guide to Tanks and armored fighting vehicles. Leicestershire: Arness publishing. p. 81.