"To armoured forces chiefs and armoured centers
American tanks in service with the Red Army use aircraft gasoline:
American tanks in service with the Red Army use aircraft gasoline:
- The M3 Medium Tank uses 91 octane gasoline.
- The M3 Light Tank uses 80 octane gasoline.
When using these tanks, use the following types of domestic gasoline in its pure form or with addition of tetraethyl lead (product R-9).
- For the M3 Medium Tank:
- B-78 + 1 cm³ of R-9 per kilogram of gasoline
- B-74 + 2 cm³ of R-9 per kilogram of gasoline
- B-70 + 3 cm³ of R-9 per kilogram of gasoline
- If R-9 is not available, it is acceptable to use pure B-78
- For the M3 Light Tank
- Pure B-78
- B-70 + 1 cm³ of R-9 per kilogram of gasoline
- If B-78 is not available, it is acceptable to use pure B-74
Note: product R-9 is an extremely poisonous substance and acts on the skin both in liquid and gaseous form.
During use of American M3 Medium and M3 Light tanks, note the following:
- If the engine overheats and the ignition is off, the engine, as a rule, keeps working. It is necessary to let the engine work for 3-5 minutes at 800-900 RPM, then reduce it to 400-500 RPM and let it work for another 2-3 minutes, and only then turn off the ignition.
- When starting the engine avoid fuel seepage, this will make the engine difficult to start.
- Do not allow fuel to enter the intake valves during start. This fuel can ignite if the engine backfires, and the gasoline dissolves the durite hoses and eats through them quickly, especially on the M3 Light.
- Do not turn off the engine on the M3 Light when the tank on a 15-20 degree incline, as the tank only has one carburetor and this makes it difficult to start when the tank is tilted."