Was reading Louis Allen's " Burma-the Longest War" when I read about a British tank used in Burma called the Lee . What was this tank and how was it gunned ?
Some info here Medium Tank M3 Lee It was similar to the Grant but had a different turret. In had a hull mounted 75mm gun and a turret mounted 37mm. Some pictures here. Lee Tank Nice painting of a Lee and British Infantry in action in Burma. http://www.interet-general.info/IMG/burma3.jpg
The Lee was a stopgap vehicle put into production while the US created the machine tools and designs they needed for the M4 Sherman. The British and Canadians wanted a lot of changes made but the US insisted on just getting it into production while they worked on the Sherman, which I think was probably the right choice. The Lee continued in service in Burma until the end of the war. While it had become obsolete elsewhere, the Japanese didn't field any very large tanks so the Lee continued to be useful. In Burma I think that locally made grates etc were sometimes added to protect against grenades thrown from trees or to prevent enemy soldiers climbing onto the tanks. Some photos of them in Burma here: Find an object | Imperial War Museums
Just to add: The different versions of M3 Medium Tank - were due to the Lee, the original US design supplied under Lend Lease, having the radio in the hull, and an MG sub-turret for the commander. The Grant version produced for sale to Britain had the radio in the turret and no mg turret. In Burma they could be used in the same units. Lees usually had the MG sub-turret replaced with a split hatch cupola. There were three types of main gun however as these used the same ammunition they were used together. There were other detail changes during production (e.g. welding up then eliminating side doors) again these are seen together.
