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Patton tank

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The M48A1 tank

General characteristics
Crew 4
Length 6.4 m
Width 3.6 m
Height 3.1 m
Weight 52 tons
Armour and armament
Armour 180 mm
Main armament 90 mm rifled tank gun (M47/M48)
105 mm M68 Rifled Tank Gun (M48A5/M60)
Secondary armament 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine gun, 7.62 mm machine gun
Mobility
Power plant Continental AV-1790-5B, -7, -7B, or -7C; 12 cylinder, 4 cycle, 90° vee gasoline.
Continental AVDS-1790-2; 12 cylinder, supercharged diesel
690 hp (510 kW)
Suspension torsion bar
Road speed 30 mph (48 km/h)
Power/weight 13.3 hp/tonne
Range 415 km

The M46, M47, M48 and M60 Patton were the U.S army's principal main battle tanks of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The model was named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle. It was replaced in US service by the M1 Abrams.

Contents

The M46

M46 tank in Korea, 1951.
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M46 tank in Korea, 1951.

In May 1946, due to the changing conception of the US Army's tank needs, the M26 Pershing tank was reclassified as a medium tank. Designed initially as a heavy tank, Pershing was a significant improvement over the M4 Sherman in firepower and protection. Its mobility, however, was deemed unsatisfactory for a medium tank as it used the same engine that powered the much lighter M4A3. Its underpowered engine was also plagued with an unreliable transmission. Work began in January 1948 on replacing the original powerpack with the Continental AV-1790-3 engine and Allison CD-850-1 cross-drive transmission. The design was initially called M26E2, but modifications continued to accumulate, and eventually the Ordnance decided that the tank "deserved" an index of its own. When the production began in November, 1949 the upgraded M26 received not only a new powerpack and a main gun with bore evacuator, but a new designation along with them - M46 General Patton or simply Patton.

M46 combat service

The only extensive combat use of the M46 was in the Korean War. The tank proved superior to North Korean T-34-85, which was expected considering that it is more comparable to the Soviet IS-2 heavy tank, and a much newer design.

The M46 was exported to some European countries, including Belgium, France and Italy.

The M47

The M47 tank.
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The M47 tank.

Although the new powerpack corrected the mobility and reliability problems of the M26, the US Army considered the M46 a stopgap solution that would be replaced later by the T42 medium tank. However, after fighting erupted in Korea, the Army decided it needed the new tank earlier then planned. It was deemed that there was likely no time to finish the development of the T42 and then also to fix various problems that were likely to emerge in a new design. The final decision was to produce another interim solution, with the turret of T42 mounted on the familiar hull of the M46. The old-new tank, developed by the Detroit Arsenal, was named M47 Patton and entered production in 1951.

The M47 was widely used by NATO allies and other countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and Yugoslavia. In the US, however, it was quickly replaced by the M48.

The M48

Marines of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, riding on an M48A3 tank, Vietnam, 1966.
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Marines of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, riding on an M48A3 tank, Vietnam, 1966.

A year after the M47 entered service, the US Army decided to replace it by yet another product of the evolution of the Pershing/Patton line, the M48, still dubbed Patton. A deeper modernization than the M46 and the M47, the M48 featured a new turret, redesigned hull and an improved suspension. The hull machine gunner position was removed, reducing the crew to 4.

Nearly 12,000 M48s were built from 1952 to 1959. The early designs were powered by gasoline engines which gave the tank a short operating range and were prone to catching fire when hit. This version was considered unreliable but numerous examples saw combat use in various Arab-Israeli conflicts. In 1959, American M48s were upgraded to the M48A3 model which featured a diesel power plant.

In the mid-1970s, the M48A5 upgrade was developed to allow the vehicle to carry the heavier 105 mm gun. This was designed to bring the M48s up to speed with the M60 tanks then in regular use. Most of the M48s were placed into reserve service by this time.

By the mid-1990s, the M48s were phased out of U.S. service. However, many foreign countries continue to use the M48 models.

M48 combat service

The M48s saw action during the Vietnam War, as did another variant, the M67A1 flamethrower tank nickednamed the Zippo. The M48s performed admirably in Vietnam in the infantry-support role. As there were few actual tank vs. tank battles, the M48s provided adequate shelter for its crew from small arms, mines and RPGs.

M47s and M48s were first used in tank warfare by Pakistan against Indian Centurion and M4 Sherman tanks in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War with mixed results. Although technically superior to the enemy's tanks, the Patton failed to live up to expectations, especially in the Battle of Asal Uttar—where Pakistan's elite 1st Armoured brigade attacked an entreched Indian position— and saw close to 100 Pattons being destroyed. The Pattons had a better outing in the Battle of Chawinda where it took out many Indian tanks, and indeed they were used with success by 25th Cavalry during its famous stand on the first day of that Battle[link]. It was later used in limited numbers by Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 with unimpressive results. In fact there was a place in Khemkaran in India called "Patton Nagar" ("Patton Town") that held 60-odd destroyed or captured tanks before the war trophies were relocated. Analyzing their performance, the Pakistan Army held that the tank was held in unreasonably high esteem by both sides and that tactics were to blame for the debacle at Asal Uttar. [link].

M48s were also used with mixed results during the 1967 Six-Day War. On the Sinai front, Israeli M48s were used with stunning success against Egyptian T-54s and T-34s supplied by the Soviet Union. However, on the West Bank front, Jordanian M48s were regularly outclassed by Israeli WWII-era M4 Shermans, the result of superior Israeli tactics and crews. The Israeli Army captured about 100 of these Jordanian M48 and M48A1 tanks and pressed them into their own service after the war.

The M60

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M60 Patton

M60 Patton
General characteristics
Crew 4
Length 6.9 m
Width 3.6 m
Height 3.3 m
Weight 57.3 tonnes
Armour and armament
Armour 225 mm
Main armament 105 mm M68 gun (M60/A1/A3)
M162 152mm Gun/Launcher (M60A2)
Secondary armament 0.5 in M85 machine gun
7.62 mm machine gun
Mobility
Power plant Continental AVDS-1790-2; 12 cylinder, turbocharged diesel
750 hp (560 kW)
Suspension torsion bar
Road speed 48 km/h
Power/weight 13.2 hp/tonne
Range 450 km

In 1957, it was determined that the Soviets were in the process of developing a new medium tank, the T-62, with a 115 mm gun, superior to that of the American M48 tank. In response, an M48 tank was fitted with a new engine and later with a variant of the British 105 mm L7 series gun. This new vehicle (originally designated M68) was put into production in 1959, reclassified as the M60 and entered service in 1960. Over 15,000 M60s (all variants) were constructed.

The improved design provided an increased operational range and mobility, required a minimum of refueling and servicing, and incorporated an improved main armament. A Continental V-12 750 hp. air cooled diesel engine powers the vehicle. Power is transmitted to a final drive through a cross drive transmission, which is a combined transmission, differential, steering, and braking unit. The hull of this vehicle is a one piece steel casting and is divided into two compartments, the crew in the front, and the engine at the rear.

In 1963, the M60 was upgraded to the M60A1. This new variant, which stayed in production until 1980, featured a larger, better-shaped turret and improvements to the armor protection and shock absorbers.

The M60A2, sometimes referred to as the "Starship" due to its space-aged technology, featured an entirely new low-profile turret with a commander's machine-gun cupola on top, giving the commander a good view and field of fire while under armour but spoiling the low profile. It also featured a 152 mm calibre main gun similar to that of the M551 Sheridan light tank, which fired regular rounds as well as the Shillelagh anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). There were a number of problems with the new gun (such as unburnt propellant from the missile fouling the tube and pre-detonating subsequent rounds), most of which were solved to some extent, but after all the problems the A2 model was abandoned and the turret for the A3 would be based on that of the A1. Most of the M60A2 tanks were rebuilt to M60A3 standard.

In 1978, work began on the M60A3 variant. It featured a number of technological enhancements, including smoke dischargers, a new rangefinder and ballistic computer and a turret stabilization system. All American M60s eventually underwent the conversion to the A3 model.

An M60A3 with a "needle-nose" turret at the War Memorial in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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An M60A3 with a "needle-nose" turret at the War Memorial in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

M60 combat service

The M60 saw action in Operation Desert Storm in opposition to Iraqi tanks, such as the T-55, T-62, Type 69, and the T-72. The M60A1s supported the effort into Kuwait City. They saw service with the United States Marine Corps, and the Saudi Arabian Army.

A few M60s and M60A1s also saw action with Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War in both the Sinai and the Golan Heights. The United States sent additional M60s to Israel just before and during hostilities. Following the war, the IDF received many more M48s, M60s and M60A1s from the U.S..

Israel further upgraded their stock of M60s prior to their use in the invasion of Lebanon in 1982 as part of Operation Peace for Galilee. The Israeli modifications included new tracks and explosive reactive armor (ERA). This variant was known as the Magach 6B. Further work in Israel has been done on the upgraded Magach 6 models, adding new armor, new fire controls, a thermal sleeve and smoke dischargers. This model, the Magach 7 (with variants A through C) is still in use with the IDF.

M60 versions are in service as of 2005 with Brazil, Bosnia, Bahrain, Austria, Bosnia, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand and some others to varying degrees. Also, US continues to have significant stockpiles of them waiting to be scrapped, sold-off, or converted, though some versions that use the chassis see some use.

Variants

Marine M67 in Vietnam, 1966.
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Marine M67 in Vietnam, 1966.

Marine M67 in Vietnam, 1968. A M1919 machine gun is mounted to the right.
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Marine M67 in Vietnam, 1968. A M1919 machine gun is mounted to the right.

US variants

Specialized variants

A remotely controlled Panther armored mine clearing vehicle leads a column down a road in Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 16, 1996.
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A remotely controlled Panther armored mine clearing vehicle leads a column down a road in Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 16, 1996.

Additional equipment:

Israeli variants

Magach 6 - an Israeli upgraded M60A1 tank with "Blazer" explosive reactive armor.
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Magach 6 - an Israeli upgraded M60A1 tank with "Blazer" explosive reactive armor.

Israel created an extensive number of variants of the series from tanks acquired initially from a number of sources, including capturing them in battle, or from other countries such as Germany and the United States.

Jordanian variants

Spanish variants

South Korea

An Italian M60 in 1964. Italy received 200 tanks of the type in the 1960s, and produced a further number at home.
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An Italian M60 in 1964. Italy received 200 tanks of the type in the 1960s, and produced a further number at home.

Taiwanese variants

Turkish variants

In popular culture

Actual Patton tanks appeared in many U.S. films made after WWII, and became the stereotypical image of the Cold-War U.S. tank. Ironically, in the film Patton they stood in for both U.S. and German tanks. Patton tanks also frequently appeared in many Godzilla movies and Incredible Hulk comics, typically portrayed as cannon fodder for monsters running amok. Although the Patton tanks have been less prominent since the introduction of the M1 Abrams in military service, they still sometimes fulfill their stereotypical image, such as in the 2004 animated film The Incredibles.

It is ironically claimed according to war movies, Patton was the most used German WWII tank as the post-war movie directors cared little of historical accuracy of the equipment.

See also

Reference

External links

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