M3 Lee

Description
American medium tank.

History
Originally designed as a stopgap model, The M3 Lee was quickly dispatched to the African theater due to an immediate need for a 75mm gun mounted on a mobile platform. The gun was mounted on the side in a sponson due to U.S. tank manufacturers having production issues with proper turret-mounted configuration for the gun. The vehicle underwent modification by the British troops that received the tanks via lend-lease, creating a 'spinoff' version called the 'Grant'.

Usage & Tactics
The M3 Lee is a strange yet intimidating tank that packs an overwhelming collage of firepower into a single platform. The vehicle is blistering with weaponry, including a 75mm howitzer, a 37mm turret-mounted gun, and four .30 Cal machine guns.

Offensive Tactics
The Lee is a mobile fortress capable of single-handedly shattering entire defensive lines when used properly. This being said, the vehicle should be adequately supported during any operation. Although it has many weapons, it is still rather unsuited for anti-tank duties due to the arrangement and falloff of the tank's 75mm gun. Along with sufficient infantry cover, use the Lee's sheer frontal destructive force to eliminate emplacements and light vehicles before closing with the machine guns.

Defensive Tactics
Mid-late game, the vehicle's fairly weak armor and huge profile make it an easy target for any enemy tank or emplacement, thus making effective employment of the Lee rather difficult. Keep the Lee out of direct line of fire (and on 'Hold Fire' to avoid giving your position away) until the time is right to ambush your enemy's assault with the vehicle's full arsenal. Another plausible tactic is to hide the Lee's main hull behind an object, exposing only the secondary turret and machine gun turret. The high armor value and tiny profile of the secondary turret can make it an annoying emplacement, and penetrations to the turret cannot (fully) incapacitate the vehicle.

Oddities / Lore

 * The commander's hatch machine gun turret can never be destroyed, and will still function even if the main turret is damaged.
 * The vehicle cannot be incapacitated by hits to the turret.
 * The M3 Lee had a crew of 7, but in-game only has a crew of 4.