The 3in. Light Gun M5 was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1939.   Sharing a common carriage, breech and recoil mechanism with the new 105mm Howitzer M2 it first saw action in North Africa in 1942.   The 3in. was the best anti-tank gun that the U.S. army had in North Africa and was used in this role there and for the rest of the war.   It was modified with a new shield, more suitable for ant-tank use in 1943.   Some 2500 had been produced by the time it was dropped from the inventory at the end of the war.

Photos show the optional crew set, Accessory Pak A37.