Australian
Army
2/6th Armoured Regiment
C Squadron
10 Troop Command
US Army December 1942
1973 via 2/6th Assoc
Daniel Leahy 2004
Commander Lt.
Grant Curtiss
Disabled December 18, 1942
Wartime History
First arrived in New Guinea at Milne Bay, then transported
to Buna area and used during the Battle of Buna. Seven
M3 Stuarts of the 2/6th Armoured Regiment were supporting troops of the
2/9th Infantry Battalion at Cape Endaiadere. It bellied on a log during
first Allied tank operation in Papua on December 18, 1942 the Buna campaign.
Japanese troops lit
a fire underneath the tank, yet the crew were able to escape unharmed.
Recovery & Display
It was recovered from the Buna battlefield in mid-1973,
and was transported to Port
Moresby by barge, and then to Australia
where it became part of the Australian
War Memorial Second World War Hall.
References
Thanks Douglas Hubbard, Jr. for recovery information. The
book, "The Vital Factor: A History Of 2/6th Australian Armoured
Regiment 1941-1946" has details on the crew and wartime history of this
tank. Thanks to Daniel Leahy for photos.
Stuart
