Light tank or Combat Car? What is this vehicle?

I was uploading some old pictures to my blog, when I spotted something that confused me. I have a picture of a M2A3 light tank from Aberdeen Proving Grounds "Tank Boulevard." The sign in front of the vehicle clearly says "M2A3 Light Tank", but that just does not seem right to me. The thing that has me confused is the rear bogie. According to my copy of Zaloga's "US Light Tanks at War 1941-45", the M2 series of light tanks all had a smaller raised rear bogie. For example, here is a picture of a M2A3 light tank, you can clearly see the smaller rear bogie. The later M2A4 light tank also had the same smaller bogie configuration. The larger lower rear bogie that was seen on the M3 Stuart was adapted from the M2 series of combat cars. So is this actually a picture of a M2 combat car? If so, the dual turrets raise a problem. From what I understand, dual turrets were only found on "light tanks", the cavalry preferred single turret designs for their "combat cars." This vehicle definitely has the same suspension as the M3/M5 series of light tanks, not the M2 Light tank. Is the sign wrong or am I missing some key piece of information? Anyone have some light to shed on this?

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I'm not sure, but I think that is the very unpopular infanrty version of tank called the "Mae West". And the name of the "type" might be explained if it is remembered that due to regulations only the infantry were allowed "tanks" and the cavalry tanks had to be called "Combat Cars" to get by the 1920 Defense Act.

 

I think it's possible there's two letters missing from the sign, and it's an M2a2e3.
Modified suspension & Armour prototype on the M2.

Not certain, as temporarily detached from books, but there's a few web bits out there. And nobody would be surprised at Aberdeen leaving a rare little treasure unidentified and unprotected, they've been doing that for years . (It is good to see the progress they're having on stuff recently though. Maybe this one's in a shed now...)

Good spot, Walter.

~A

 

Here we go; '46 shot, and possible mention of it being in a safer place now:
Com-Central.net › Community Forums › The Discussion Group for George Bradford's AFV News › AFV News Discussion Board › interesting photo-M2A2E3

Ah. - May well have been tarted up now, looking at Mr Baumgardner's photo stream:
M2A2E3Driver2.jpg photo by baumgar | Photobucket

More power to the men with the paintbrushes and a sensible idea of how to spend their time:


~A

 

Nice! Thanks Von Poop! Glad to see it's not sitting outside rotting anymore. I have not been to Aberdeen since I was a kid back in the early 80's. I'll have to take a pilgrimage out there sometime, although I am not entirely clear on what is still in Maryland and what has been moved to Virginia.

 

When you do, Walter - Take a camera!
We had a chap on WW2T recently who strolled there, and from his shots there does seem to be a real effort going on by the volunteers & staff since the move.
Some incredibly rare/interesting vehicles still sat outside, but at least an impression that somebody had decided to finally care for 'em.
(Someone was telling me the WW1 Rhomboid they have had sat on the same Plinth since just after Armistice day, maybe 1920. There is something magnificent about that, but Steel doesn't last forever...)

~A

 

Hopefully I can make it out there and to the Patton Museum in the next year or two. It all depends on what I can talk the wife into. She has already nick named me "tank nerd." Have you seen the Preserved tanks website before? There is lots of good info on this one.

 

Tank Nerd an international term. Wear it as a badge of pride (but always remain self-aware, lest you start licking the things when people are looking...)

I think the whole collection has moved now (give or take a few specifically Ordnance-owned examples), but doubtless local septics would know better.
Some scattered info on these WW2T threads:
Aberdeen - World War 2 Talk
Interesting Aberdeen Proving Ground Tank Photos - World War 2 Talk

Talk of eventual display space at Fort Lee?
Marc on one of those threads hypothesised that the years of neglect were possibly part of a US Army ingrained culture of looking forward, so the History sometimes got a bit neglected.
Whether that's a good or bad thing I really couldn't say, an Army's #1 responsibility isn't exactly to care for hundreds of tons of old Steel, and as the Aberdeen collection seems to have mostly very much belonged to the Army it would possibly be a debatable use of funds. These old dears do seem to have fallen between the funding and conservation cracks though.
Whatever is the case, it's nice to see somebody is now taking more active care of the collection, and at least long-term neglect means most of the stuff has at least survived. Bovington (or at least the putative storage facility that was to become the Tank Museum) had a 'clear-out' in the 50s which meant quite a bit of stuff was completely lost.

Anyway - I fear a trip to Aberdeen would be wasted, Walter. But I'm sure I read somewhere that the new facility was open to a visit with a phone call (this may be nonsense, my memory being what it is).

~A