M5A1 Stuart (Late) question

[AttorneyAtWar]

What is the extra piece of metal hanging on the right side of the turret under the AA .30 cal?

Extra armor?

Coat rack?

 

[MikeyD]

Uh... I do believe (based on very distant memory) that it is indeed extra armor meant to keep the machine gun mount from being shot away. The early  M5 Stuart in CMFI with the early turret doesn't have that extra armor.

[Tempestzzzz]

S

 

[Tempestzzzz]

A shield. Weird but there it is. Guess this happens when you try to put 10lbs into a 5lb sack.

http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/m5stuart.html

 

Says an armor shield was added-why one side and not the other? Who knows. I've seen M5 pictures without the plate. M5 manual shows with and without. Odd little tank. Manual even instructs about the 30 cal being used as a dismount weapon.

See pg  37 through 42 of the pdf with drawings.

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/FM/PDFs/FM17-68.pdf

Edited April 7, 2016 by Tempestzzzz

[A co]

Mikey D is correct. The commander's .30 mount on this tank is unusual in that the pedestal (and MG with it I presume) can roll backward to an upside down position and out of the the way. The shield protects it from, I suppose, tree branches snagging it, etc, while it's folded down on the side of the turret. The M5A1's seen without this shield are an earlier model. 

Some Polish 1st Armored Division M5A1's can be seen with British style smoke projectors mounted on the shield. (Can't remember if they're represented in CMBN).

Another interesting thing about this tank is that the co-driver has his own redundant controls on the right side so he can drive the tank without changing seats in the event of the driver becoming indisposed. 

A good reference is the Squadron M5A1 walk around book.