M3 Half-track

A real-life M3 Half-track.

The M3 Half-track was an armored personnel carrier used by the United States, British Empire and other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced and supplied to the US Army and USMC, as well as British Commonwealth and Soviet Red Army forces serving on all fronts throughout the war.

Battlefield 1942

The M3A1 is the Allies APC featured in Battlefield 1942 and is typically utilized as a transport vehicle. It has a capacity of six players holding the driver, the gunner and four passengers. The gunner mans the mounted Browning machine gun, which helps in keeping off enemy infantry or as an anti-aircraft weapon.

The M3A1 constantly resupplies all crew members, and also heals the four passengers. This can turn the vehicle into an "ambulance", which can be taken along when assaulting bases to heal wounded players. Its ammo replenishing ability also gives a practically infinite supply of ammo to the machine gun.

Despite its advantages, the M3A1 is only lightly armored. It is immune to rifle and pistol rounds, but takes damage from machine guns and all weapons of the Assault class. It will be destroyed by two to three tank shells, one to two artillery shells or one to two Engineer ExpPacks. It is also a large target and poor maneuverability.

An upgraded variant, the M3 GMC, is a vehicle featured in the Battlefield 1942 expansion.

Gallery

The front of a US Armed forces M3.

The rear of a US Armed forces M3.

The front of a British Army M3.

The rear of a British Army M3.

The front of a Royal Air force M3.

The rear of a Royal Air force M3.

The front of a Canadian Army M3.

The rear of a Canadian Army M3.

The front of a Red Army M3.

The rear of a Red Army M3.

Battlefield V

M3
Used by	United Kingdom USA Free French Forces (SP)
Crew	• 1 driver • 3 gunners (4 total)
Speed	Fast
Armor type	Light
Gunner weapons
Primary weapon	1x Bren Gun (Seat 2, 3 and 4)
Fire mode	Fully automatic
Reload time	None (Overheat cooldown only)
Ammunition	None (Unlimited ammo belt)

"The M3 was neither a tank nor a truck. This half-breed of a troop transport was used by most Allies at some point during the war. It was easy to maintain due to it using mostly commercial components."

— In-game description

The M3 is a vehicle featured in Battlefield V.

Singleplayer

The M3 appears at the beginning of the war story Tirailleur. The vehicles are seen unloading casualties from a previous failed attack on the German defenses, with Deme and the Senegalese forces immediately reembarking the blood soaked crew compartment. In transit to the frontlines, Stukas dive bomb the convoy destroying several M3s, forcing the Tirailleurs to advance to contact on foot. The variant used by the French is unique as it is unarmed and has no canvas cover over the rear compartment.

Multiplayer

It serves as both the United Kingdom's and USA's halftrack, equivalent to the German Sd. Kfz 251.

The halftrack can hold one driver and three gunners. The first and second gunners each operate a Bren Gun from a pedestal mount to cover the front and rear of the vehicle, respectively. The gunners are exposed in these positions. The third gunner has a forward-facing hull machine gun and, like the driver, cannot be killed by small arms. The vehicle itself is impervious to small arms, and has a similar amount of health and armor as a Staghound, and can tow stationary weapons. The primary difference between this vehicle and the German halftrack is the that the M3's top gunner can rotate 360°.

A variant armed with a 6 Pounder, the T48 GMC, is available as a Reinforcement for the United Kingdom, as well as the USA on European/North African maps.

Firestorm

The M3 appears in Firestorm as either randomly spawned on the map Halvøy or able to be airdropped in using a looted Flare Gun - Vehicle. It is largely unchanged from its multiplayer rendition, with the Firestorm-specific limitations of fuel, inability to be repaired, and finite ammunition for the on board machine guns at 150 rounds each.

Gallery

The M3 in the first act of Tirailleur.

1st seat/Drivers view

2nd seat/Front gunner

3rd seat/Passenger

4th seat/rear gunner