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  M3 General Stuart Tank Hull Number 2033  
Australian Army
2/6th Armoured Regiment
C Squadron
10 Troop Command

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US Army December 1942
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1973 via 2/6th Assoc
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Daniel Leahy 2004
Commander  Lt. Grant Curtiss (survived)
Disabled  December 18, 1942

Tank History
Built as M3 General Stuart Tank hull number 2033. Shipped across the Pacific to Australia.

Wartime History
Assigned to the Australian Army to the 2/6th Armoured Regiment, C Squadron, 10 Troop Command. No known nickname or markings.

During December 1942 eight M3 Stuart tanks were shipped to Milne Bay then transported by barge to Oro Bay then towed to Hariko. Overnight, the tanks were driven up the north coast with one track in the sea to their jump off position for use in the Buna-Sanananda area. By the middle of the month, the tanks moved into a jump off position on southern Duropa Plantation at the eastern end of Buna New Strip (New Strip).

On December 18, 1942 on the Warren Front at 6:00am an Allied artillery bombardment begin for 30 minutes concluding with ten minutes of heavy fire, followed by Vickers machine gun fire and mortar fire. At 7:00am the tanks started their engine and moved into position for the assault. The tanks would support the advance of Australian Army 2/9th Infantry Battalion advanced northward towards Cape Endaiadere from the east to west: D Coy, A Coy, B Coy and C Coy on the western edge on the eastern end of Buna New Strip (New Strip).

This tank was under the command of Lt. Grant Curtiss and was tasked with supporting the advance of A Company. Early in the attack, the infantry became seporated from the tanks. This tank became stuck on a log or stump in the thick kunai grass. Japanese Army soldiers were able to approach and managed to light a fire below the hull and disable the tank.

The crew were able to escape under covering fire from the infantry. Afterwards, another M3 Stuart under the command of Sgt John Church attempted to recover this tank but once the fire spread the effort was abandoned. Caught in the flames, this the tank burned when the fuel caught fire and ammunition inside cooked off.

Wreckage
Recovered from the Buna battlefield during the middle of 1973, and was transported to Port Moresby by barge. Next, shipped to Australia to the Australian War Memorial Second World War Hall.

References
The Vital Factor: A History Of 2/6th Australian Armoured Regiment 1941-1946 (1999) by Paul Handel as details on the crew and wartime history of this tank
Hell's Battlefield (2012) by Phil Bradley pages 134 (tanks arrive Oro Bay to Hariko) 135 (map), 136-137 (December 18, 1942), 439 (Appendix 1: Casualties 2/6 Armd Regt), 452 (Chapter 9, Footnote 43) 483 (index 2/6 Armd Regt)
Thanks to Douglas Hubbard, Jr. and Daniel Leahy for additional information

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Last Updated
February 4, 2022

 

Tech Info
Stuart

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