- Yes
- Maybe
- No
History.
In 1970, Paraguay received 15 M3A1 Stuart tanks as military aid from Brazil (which had received them through Lend-Lease, after they had been refurbished prior to transfer). The tanks were placed in the Regimiento de Caballería N° 3 near the city of Asunción, where they remained for an indefinite period. In 1989, they made an appearance during a parade, but apart from that, the vehicles remained in storage from 1996 onwards until a few years ago.
In the first half of the 2010s, the Paraguayan government decided to put the mothballed tanks back into service: of the 15 tanks, only one was unrecoverable, and of the remaining 14, most (10) were restored and returned to working order with work on the engine, armament, and bodywork. Half of the Stuart tanks were assigned to infantry units for front-line use as light tanks in counter-guerrilla operations, while the other half were assigned to the cavalry at the Regimiento de Caballería N°4 for anti-tank combat training and as stopgaps where new vehicles were lacking.
Armaments and propulsion.
The tank is armed with the usual armament of a classic M3 (minus the secondary machine guns in the hull), consisting of a 37 mm M5 Gun and a coaxial 7.62 mm Browning M1919 machine gun. The tanks varied in secondary armament from a total absence of secondary armament to at least one model equipped with an M20 recoilless rifle mounted on the turret and several models equipped with an M2 Browning machine gun on a rotating mount.
The tank is powered by a Gulberson T-1020 diesel engine delivering up to 250 hp, which can propel the vehicle to a maximum speed of 57 km/h.
Specifications.
Spoiler
Length: 4.53m
Width: 2.64 m
Height: 2.24 m
Engine: 1x Gulberson T-1020 diesel engine (250 hp)
Maximum speed: 57 km/h
Armament: 1x 37mm M6 Gun, 1x Browning M1919 7,62 mm and optional 1x M20 recoilles rifle or 1x M2 Browning 12,7 mm
Armour: 9.5-50.8 mm
Maximum weight: 13 tons
Pictures and drawnings.
Sources.
Spoiler
M3 Stuart - Wikipedia
Paraguay keeping M3 Stuart, M4 Sherman tanks in service | IHS Jane's 360
Paraguay keeping M3 Stuart and M4 Sherman tanks in service – Tank and AFV News
Paraguay’s army still uses World War 2 US M3 Stuart and M4 Sherman tan
This WWII Tank Is So Good, It Served Over 70 Years
M3A1 Stuart - The Tank Museum
Paraguay reactiva sus vetustos tanques Stuart - Noticias Defensa Paraguay
Char M3 Stuart — Wikipédia
World Defence News: Paraguay’s army still uses World War 2 US M3 Stuart and M4 Sherman tanks for training
Stuart M3 | Eurasia1945
M3 Stuart (Light Tank, M3) Light Tank (LT)
https://www.pucara.org/post/el-ejército-paraguayo-opera-sus-m3a1-stuart-en-entrenamiento-de-la-armada-de-paraguay
M3 Stuart – Wikipedia
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/stuart-tanks-back-in-harness.html
Sherman’s last ride – wwiiafterwwii
“M3 & M5 Stuart Light Tank 1940–45” by Steven J. Zaloga and Jim Laurier
“The Stuart Light Tank Series” by Bryan Perrett
