[longfellow]

What’s really sad is the worst tank ever made was named after Patton.

[NFHale]

“...the worst tank ever made was named after Patton...”

M47/M48 Patton? Curious as to why you think that.

There’s some Italian and Japanese models that I would say fit that description better.

As far as American armor goes, that appelation might be better applied to the M3 Grant/Lee. High silhouette, nearless useless 75mm in a limited traverse mount, with a 37mm in the turret...

Just my two cents.

[MasterGunner01]

Actually, there were three tanks named after Patton: the M47, M48, and M60. All things considered, they were good tanks with 90mm (and later 105mm) guns. The M47s were given to our allies and US Army tankers used M48 and M60 tanks. The M60A2 tank with its 152mm gun and anti-tank missile system was too complex and the turrets were removed and retrofitted with standard 105mm gun turrets. The Marines used the M67A1 flame tank (flamethrower version of the M48) very effectively in Vietnam.

[DMZFrank]

I was a tank commander on an M48A3 Patton tank in Vietnam. It was an excellent tank combining the very good aspects of mobility, firepower and armor protection. Maintenence was fairly simple and the whole power pack (engine and trans) could be swapped out in an hour or so.

Three seperate tank models, the M-46, M-47, and M48 were designated Patton tanks. The M-48 series Patton was the most refined and up to date.