Comments by "Sar Jim" (@sarjim4381) on "PeriscopeFilm" channel.

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  22. The M3 37mm antitank gun was brand new in 1940. These guns were also the main armament the M2A4 "medium" tanks shown in the film. This antitank gun was already obsolescent in June, 1940, as German tanks already had armor that was proof against a 37mm round. The M2A4 only saw combat with the Marines in Guadalcanal for only a few months, thereafter only being used for training. The M2/M3/M5 would be reclassified as light tanks by 1942 since they couldn't fight against heavier German tanks. The M2A4 was the only semi-modern tank available at the time of these maneuvers. The first M3 Grant medium tank that had a decent chance against German armor entered service in late 1940, but even the Grant was obsolescent, with its high silhouette and sponson mounted main gun. The 1940 maneuvers, which were happening at the same time as the Fall of France, should have been a warning about how ill prepared we were for war. We had less than 300 tanks of any type available in 1940, with only about fifty 37mm and seventy 90mm antiaircraft guns. The sound detectors were almost worthless, and the M5 director units were only useful in daylight. Instead of alarm bells going off about the war in Europe, these maneuvers gave us a false sense of security of how well our new "mechanized army" could fight, even though 70% of all transport was still by horse and mules. The 7,000 Dodge trucks of all types were less than what Dodge was turning out per day by October, 1942. Except for a few scattered after action reports by soldiers like Patton, the Army assured the public we were ready for war if it came. The Battle of Kasserine Pass in February, 1943 showed how badly prepared we really were.
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