Honey tanks

Belville · 02-09-2006, 11:20 PM

What was a Honey tank? Where can I find a picture of one?

Belville

von Poop · 03-09-2006, 12:41 AM

British nickname for:
M3 or M5 Stuart.
Whack it into google image.

Cheers.
Adam.

handtohand22 · 03-09-2006, 12:52 AM

In "Brazen Chariots" the author describes how the US Stewart M3 tank was given that nickname. It was accredited to the first British driver who stepped out of the tank exclaiming "She's a honey!"
Try this site:
http://www.trackpads.net/tanks/sosfindlay/usm5s.htm

kfz · 03-09-2006, 01:57 PM

look here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M5_Stuart

Quote:

Originally Posted by handtohand22

In "Brazen Chariots" the author describes how the US Stewart M3 tank was given that nickname. It was accredited to the first British driver who stepped out of the tank exclaiming "She's a honey!"
Try this site:
http://www.trackpads.net/tanks/sosfindlay/usm5s.htm

I thought the name came from service in the Western Desert and was related to its easy to live with nature (they had auto boxes??) and its superb reliability.

Kev

Belville · 03-09-2006, 03:48 PM

Many thanks, These links have given full information and photographs. I am researching a man who was killed while commanding a troop of Honey tanks on reconnaissance in Germany in April, 1945.
Belville

MikB · 03-09-2006, 09:28 PM

A friend of my father's told me he'd been in one of these knocked out by a Tiger - it shot the engine right out of the tank. He ran the fastest 1/4 mile of his life to get back to safety, with alleged Tiger in pursuit. Amazingly, no crewman was injured.

By the time he told me the story it was more than 20 years later, and he was a chubby little lecturer, so it made an incongruous tale - but I had no doubt he was describing a true incident.

Regards,
MikB

Kiwiwriter · 04-09-2006, 01:48 AM

The M5 version had fewer machine-guns than the M3, but fewer rivets. The rivets had a cute trick in battle of being knocked out by shells and flying around the inside of the tank, smacking crewmembers, with grave results.

A speedy machine, but its 37mm gun was inferior to German and Italian weapons. On the other hand, the US Marines won the Battle of the Tenaru-Ilu-Alligator Creek at Guadalcanal when their five M3 Stuart tanks charged the Japanese defenders, who lacked anti-tank weapons, crushing the Japanese attack force...literally.

A good reconnaissance machine, speedy, mobile, it was not a main battle tank.

jagdtiger · 10-12-2006, 04:01 PM

Were the m5 stuarts the ones that reputidly 'brewed up' as the brits described whenever they were hit by enemy fire? This was cos the ammuntiion racks were to high similar to the shermans.

Ron Goldstein · 09-01-2007, 01:38 PM

Hi all

In March 1945 I joined the 4th Queen's Own Hussars, then in the line in Italy.

I had spent the previous three months training on Sherman MK IVs and had always been happy to have a bit of armour between me and the outside world.

When I was eventually shown my new tank I was horrified to find it was a "Honey" and, as the turret had been taken off, there was no protection whatsoever from enemy fire.

If you want to read the rest of the story, have a look at:
BBC - WW2 People's War - The Day I Should Have Died: 4th Queen's Own Hussars in Italy

Cheers

Ron

Owen · 09-01-2007, 02:01 PM

Good story Ron, thanks.
It's all well and good us younger ones looking at photos of these tanks and examples in Museums but it's the men like you that had to fight and sometimes die in them.
Cheers.

02-09-2006, 11:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
Belville Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Dublin Posts: 45	Honey tanks What was a Honey tank? Where can I find a picture of one? Belville __________________ "Let those who come after see to it that their names be not forgotten" Irish war memorials

03-09-2006, 03:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
Belville Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Dublin Posts: 45	Many thanks, These links have given full information and photographs. I am researching a man who was killed while commanding a troop of Honey tanks on reconnaissance in Germany in April, 1945. Belville __________________ "Let those who come after see to it that their names be not forgotten" Irish war memorials

04-09-2006, 01:48 AM	#7 (permalink)
Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Newark, NJ, and Christchurch, NZ Posts: 2,431	Honey tanks The M5 version had fewer machine-guns than the M3, but fewer rivets. The rivets had a cute trick in battle of being knocked out by shells and flying around the inside of the tank, smacking crewmembers, with grave results. A speedy machine, but its 37mm gun was inferior to German and Italian weapons. On the other hand, the US Marines won the Battle of the Tenaru-Ilu-Alligator Creek at Guadalcanal when their five M3 Stuart tanks charged the Japanese defenders, who lacked anti-tank weapons, crushing the Japanese attack force...literally. A good reconnaissance machine, speedy, mobile, it was not a main battle tank. __________________ "My intensity is intense." -- Roger Clemens "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." -- Winston Churchill. "I am not a hero. The heroes are all dead. I am a survivor." -- Sgt. William Guarnere, Easy Company, 506th Parachute Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Check out my little contributions to World War II history at my web pages: World War II Plus 55 or http://davidhlippman.wildbillguarnere.com

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03-09-2006, 12:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
von Poop I Like Tanks Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Perfidious Albion. Posts: 8,357	British nickname for: M3 or M5 Stuart. Whack it into google image. Cheers. Adam.

03-09-2006, 12:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
handtohand22 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Coleraine Co. Londonderry NI Posts: 309	In "Brazen Chariots" the author describes how the US Stewart M3 tank was given that nickname. It was accredited to the first British driver who stepped out of the tank exclaiming "She's a honey!" Try this site: http://www.trackpads.net/tanks/sosfindlay/usm5s.htm

03-09-2006, 09:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
MikB Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 170	A friend of my father's told me he'd been in one of these knocked out by a Tiger - it shot the engine right out of the tank. He ran the fastest 1/4 mile of his life to get back to safety, with alleged Tiger in pursuit. Amazingly, no crewman was injured. By the time he told me the story it was more than 20 years later, and he was a chubby little lecturer, so it made an incongruous tale - but I had no doubt he was describing a true incident. Regards, MikB

10-12-2006, 04:01 PM	#8 (permalink)
jagdtiger Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 4	Were the m5 stuarts the ones that reputidly 'brewed up' as the brits described whenever they were hit by enemy fire? This was cos the ammuntiion racks were to high similar to the shermans.

09-01-2007, 01:38 PM	#9 (permalink)
Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: London, England Posts: 813	Hi all In March 1945 I joined the 4th Queen's Own Hussars, then in the line in Italy. I had spent the previous three months training on Sherman MK IVs and had always been happy to have a bit of armour between me and the outside world. When I was eventually shown my new tank I was horrified to find it was a "Honey" and, as the turret had been taken off, there was no protection whatsoever from enemy fire. If you want to read the rest of the story, have a look at: BBC - WW2 People's War - The Day I Should Have Died: 4th Queen's Own Hussars in Italy Cheers Ron

09-01-2007, 02:01 PM	#10 (permalink)
Owen Top Moose Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Under the stairs Posts: 9,304	Good story Ron, thanks. It's all well and good us younger ones looking at photos of these tanks and examples in Museums but it's the men like you that had to fight and sometimes die in them. Cheers.

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