The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - The M-46, M-47, M-48 Patton Tanks - Aug. 10th, 2004

www.globalsecurity.org ^ | Dave Barrett

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

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The M46 – The First Patton Tank

The limited use of the M26 ‘Pershing’ at the end of WWII, led the U.S. forces to believe they had the basis for a successful tank design. However, it did not meet the requirements laid forth by the Ground Forces Equipment Review Board in 1945. The key complaint with the tank, was that it was underpowered. The M26 used the same drive train as the M4 series. With its added weight, it was an inevitable conclusion that a new power plant was needed.

A new engine, the Continental Motors AV-1790-1 V-form, 12-cylinder, water-cooled, gasoline engine was combined with a new design General Motors CD-850-1 cross-drive transmission. This power plant developed 740 hp, a somewhat limited increase in power. The novel design of this unit, was that it acted as a transmission, braking system, and steering system all in one unit. In addition to this modification, a bore evacuator was added to the M3A1 90mm tank gun, along with a single baffle muzzle brake. Certain other changes were made, including an M83 telescopic fire control system, and round transmission access covers.


M46 Patton 90mm HV Gun

So in essence, the ‘Patton’ was basically a modernized ‘Pershing’. Originally designated the M26E2, the tank was accepted into service as the Medium Tank M46. It was given the nickname “Patton” in honor of the great WWII general George S. Patton Jr.

From the inception of the M46 program, it was known that the tank would merely be a stop-gap measure, to be filled at a later date by the T42 medium tank class design. However, with the outbreak of the Korean War, the tank was rushed into action to combat the North Korean T-34/85s alongside its M26 cousin.


M-46

The first M46 entered US service in late 1949. The famous Tiger faced tanks of the 6th Tank Bn. in Korea in 1951 were M46.

The tank saw action in the Korean War 1950-1953 where it proved superior to Russian T34/85, About 200 M46 were used by the US forces in Korea.

The M46 was retired from US service in 1957.



It was exported in comparatively small numbers to Belgium, France and Italy.

M47 Patton

Named for Gen. George S. Patton, the M47 went into production in April, 1951. Technical problems prevented fielding of the M47 until the following year. The M47 tank was the U.S. armed forces' first all new tank after World War II. Designed for offensive combat operations, it provided mobile firepower and crew protection for the four man crew. It is powered by an air-cooled V-12, 750 hp. gasoline engine. This and the other vehicles you see today use a torsion bar suspension system consisting of transverse torsion bars in the bottom of the hull, wheel arms, and road wheels. The vehicle hull is constructed of armored plate and cast armor sections welded together and reinforced. A transverse bulkhead separates the crew compartment in the front from the engine compartment at the rear. The turret is a one piece cast structure using a 90mm main gun, and the armor is from 2 to 4 inches thick. Designed in the early 1950's, it saw use in foreign wars but not with the US armed forces in any conflict.

The lineage of the M-60 Patton tank began with the introduction of the Pershing M26-E3 prototype at the end of WWII. The M-26 Pershing was a test bed for a new design incorporating sloped armor and torsion bar suspension. These formed the basis for the M-46, which used the same basic hull with improvements.


An M47 equipped with the 90mm gun peers over a hill looking for "aggressors"

With the outbreak of the Korean War, a decision was made to utilize existing vehicle designs and to phase in additional changes as new items could be produced, without moving too far from the existing M-46Al design. The M47 was essentially an M46 fitted with the turret from the T42 tank prototype, and was intended to be an interim design until the 90mm gun tank M48 could be produced. While the experimental T-42 hull had been made up of flat plates, the M-46 hull was better ballistically, at least in front. The superior cast turret armed with a 90mm gun was originally designed for the experimental T42 heavy tank that did not enter service. The T-42 turret was put into production, the M-46 hull and chassis was modified, and the two were joined.

This "interim" vehicle was initially called the M-46E1, and soon re-designated the M-47. Compared to the M46, the M-47 included better ballistic protection fire control and layout. Some of the holdovers from the Sherman family were the 5-member crew and inclusion of a bow machine gun. The first fully new tank design after the Second World War was the M-48, which provided a bridge between the Pershing and the M-60.


M47 Patton tanks on flat cars.

The M-47 is easily identified by the sharply tapered turret with small gun shield and particularly by the long narrow turret bulge ending in a stowage box. The turret was slightly elliptical with a long bustle or rear turret bulge which acted as a counterweight to the gun, and housed the radio and a ventilator.

The M47 was the last American tank with a five-man crew. The tank was not fitted with any NBC, night fighting or computerized fire control systems. The M-47 was powered by a Continental AV-1790-5B, 12 cylinders, 820 HP, gasoline propelled engine. With a full tank of 882 liters, the M-47 could only run approximately 128km. The drive sprocket on the M47 was higher than M46's, and made the top of the track run flat.

The main gun was the M36 90mm gun with an M12 optical rangefinder fitted. The main armament 90 mm gun was fitted with a bore evacuator but no muzzle brake. The "eyes" of the gunner's stereoscopic rangefinder protruded from the top sides of the turret. The 90mm gun M36 had a cylindrical blast deflector and a bore evacuator. The secondary armament consisted of a .30cal Browning as bow machine gun and the .50cal Browning M2 on a pintle mount on the turret roof.


M-47 tank drives through German town near Hanau, 1952

On 09 November 1950, the US Army adopted a new tank designation system, based on the caliber of the vehicle's main gun rather than the vehicle's weight. The M47, which would previously have been a medium tank, became a 90mm gun tank.

First produced in 1951 at the Detroit Arsenal, the M47 entered US service in 1952 but did not see any action in the Korean War. In US service the M47 was quickly replaced by the M48 which began entering service in 1953. A total of 8,576 [8,676?] M47 were produced. During the Korean War, the Chrysler plant was modified to build the new battle tank, the M47 Patton. In all, Chrysler built 3,443 M47 Patton tanks between 1952 and 1954. Always considered an interim design, as the M-48 tanks became available, the M-47's were replaced.

The M47 remained in service internationally for some time, and was mainly used to equip NATO partners against the Warsaw Pact forces. The M-47's being available in quantity, they were the first armored vehicles furnished to West Germany. The M47 was widely used by European NATO countries forming the first modern tank forces in Belgium, France, and Austria. Other nations later received them. They included China (Taiwan), Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and Yugoslavia.



An upgrade program for the M47 was started in the late 1960s and resulted in the M47M, which used the engine and fire control system from the 105mm gun tank M60A1. The Continental's AVDS-1790-2A supercharged diesel engine, had the exhaust vented through rear louvres, which replaced the mufflers on the M47's rear fenders. The crew was reduced from five to four [the assistant driver was eliminated] to make room for more 90mm ammunition. The small track tension idler wheel was deleted, and the rear road wheel was moved 3.8" (9.7cm) to the rear to compensate for the loss of the track tensioning wheel. Over 800 M47Ms were produced by Bowen-McLaughlin-York, Inc., and by a tank factory built in Iran for M47M production.

Spain and Portugal were equipped with the M47 until the 1980’s. Spain rebuilt those in service to E1 and E2 standards with a more powerful AVDS 1790 diesel engine and the E2 even with a 105mm main gun. Other users of the M47 included Greece, Turkey and the Republic of Korea as well as Jordan, Iran and the former Yugoslavia. Iran used the M47M version with a new diesel engine and fire control system but the old 90mm gun. This version was also in use with Pakistani forces.

[SAMWolf]

M48 Patton

Developed from the M47 "General Patton" tank, the M48 was the mainstay of the US Army and Marines in Vietnam. Some 11,703 M48s were built between 1952 and 1959. Originally they had 90mm guns, but upon moficiation to the M48A5 standard they were given the British 105mm. The M48 was withdrawn from American service in favor of the M60, a further development of the M48, but the M48 Patton remains in service in a number of armies around the world.

The original M-48A1 had very small range (70 milles) and that was the reason for the development of M-48A2 version with a new gasoline engine and a 90mm gun. The M48-A2C featured a gasoline engine which was very prone to fire. This model was replaced in 1968 by the M48-A3 powered by a diesel unit. In the 1970's development of the AVDS 1790 2C/2D series of engines, rated at 750 Horsepower, were utilized in the M60A3, Retrofited AMX-30 Tank, Modernized Centurion Tank, M88A1, Retrofited M47, and Modernized M48A5 Tank. In the 1980's the AVDS 1790 Red Seal Engines, rated at 750 Horsepower were used on the Upgraded M48A5 and the Upgraded M60A3 Tanks. In the 1990'S, the AVDS Gold Medallion Engine, producing 750 Horsepower was produced and used in the upgraded M48A5 Tank.



After the Yom Kippur war in 1973 the United States transfered a large number of M-60s to Israel for replacing the large combat losses. This devepopment created a shortage in US Army tank units and soon it was decided that a number of M-48s would be remanufactured in order to reach the M-60A1 level capabilities. The new version was the M-48A5 equipped with a new M68 105mm gun, new track system and a 12,7mm with a 7,62mm M-60 machine guns. Almost 2,000 M-48A1/2/3s were converted to the A5 version and despite the fact that the armor protection had no match with the M-60s, the A5 had the same armament and engine.



The M48A5E1-h was a upgraded M48A5, with full resolution digital fire, a laser range finder, and an improved day/night sight assembly.


1st Tank Battalion, February 1968
M48 tank supports 1st Bn, 5th Marines,
beside the ancient walls of the Imperial Citadel

The M48 vehicle is separated into three compartments: the driver's compartment, the fighting compartment where the Gunner, Loader, and Tank Commander [TC] fought, and the engine compartment. Above the main gun was a 1 million candle-power Xenon searchlight. This light had both a white light and an infrared mode. It was boresighted with the main gun and gunsights so that it could be used to illuminate a target at night.


M48A3 fords the Can Lo River, south of Con Thien, Vietnam. 1968

The M48 was designed for combat in Europe against Soviet tanks. When first deployed, the M48-A3 had for the 1960s a state-of-the-art fire control system. At the time computers were mechanical, and range to the target was provided by a stereoscopic range finder, which functioned similarly to a 35mm camera. An end-box on each side of the turret exterior held a prism-type mirror. Turning a hand-crank on the range finder would pivot these mirrors until the double-image in the range finder merged. As the distance between the mirrors is exactly known, a little trigonometry provided the range (in meters) to the target. This information was displayed on a range indicator, and also fed to the ballistic computer by a rotating shaft. The ballistic computer was a collection of gears and cams--nothing was solid-state--which had a handle so that the gunner could select the type of ammunition that was to be fired. Each round had a different muzzle velocity, and therefore the computer had a different cam for each type. The computer would take the range data, merge it with the velocity data, and via a set of rotating shafts, supply this information to the gun's super-elevation mechanism, resulting in the gun being elevated above the gunners line of sight sufficiently for the round to overcome the downward pull of gravity on its way to the target. The gunner's sight however remained locked onto the target.


M48 TANKS HALTED IN HERRINGBONE FORMATION

A good crew in Europe was able to put the first round on target 90% of the time, but this required excellent teamwork and communication on the part of the entire crew. In peacetime qualification, it was possible to stop from a speed of 20 mph, acquire the target, and get off a first round kill at 2,000 yards in seven seconds. This precision fire control system was almost irrelevant in Vietnam where typical engagement ranges could be measured more reasonably in feet than in yards. So in Vietnam it was common to take the gunner out of the turret and put him on the back deck with an M16 or M79 for close-in protection. This also afforded him some protection from mines, and indeed the tank commander and loader often rode on the turret roof or the hatch lips when mines were expected. The TC laid the main gun by eye, and fired using the commander's override control or a lanyard to the manual trigger on the main gun. Most M48's in Vietnam had the commander's .50 cal. mounted on top of the cupola on a simple pintle mount. This location gave a better field of fire, was faster to reload, and less prone to jamming than when the M2 was placed on its side inside the armored cupola. But the TC was terribly exposed to fire when firing the M2.


M48 Patton Tank--Night Firing

Rocket Propelled Grenades were a constant threat in Vietnam, and M48 tanks countered this threat by mounting Pierced Steel Plank, chain link fence, and spare track blocks on the fenders to prematurely detonate incoming RPG's. The bustle rack was extended with welded steel, and the turret sides buttressed with extra .50 cal. ammo, C-ration cases, and the crew's duffel bags. The cases of C-rations strapped to the infantry rail on the turret, like the PSP and track blocks, acted as a stand-off shield. If an enemy anti-tank rocket struck the C-rations, it would explode prematurely. Since anti-tank rounds require a certain stand-off distance to function effectively, the C-rations dissipated the force of the explosion away from the armor. It was also the only place to store the rations, since space in the vehicle was at a premium and occupied mostly by ammunition.



Canister and HE were the primary main gun ammunition types used in Vietnam. Beehive was effective, but usually in short supply. WP was useful, but dangerous to carry since it ignited if split open by a mine or RPG strike, so crews tended to expend it as soon as possible. HEAT briefly was popular after NVA tanks were engaged at Bien Het, but HE was usually preferred against bunkers.



Variants

M48A5K South Korean variant with 105mm, improved FC system, and considered more capable than early M60s.

M48 ROK with 90mm gun

M48A5E Spanish variant with 105mm, laser rangefinder.

M48A5T1 is a Turkish upgrade, similar to M48A5, the T2 variant includes a thermal sight.

M48A5E, of to the Spanish Army

CM11 Taiwan variant with a modified M48H turrets mated to M60 hulls. An advanced fire control system includes a ballistics computer and stabilized sights with thermal imaging [similar to the US M1 Abrams tank] slaved to the 105mm gun, providing improved target tracking on the move.

CM12 Taiwan variant mates the CM11 turret to existing M48A3 hulls.

The CM-11 or M48H, almost a M60

AVLB variant used by Israel and Taiwan.

M67 flamethrower featured a shorter, thicker barrel than the normal 90mm armed version.

[SAMWolf]

M103 Heavy Tank

The M103, the Heavy Tank variant of the M48 series, was designed to counter to the Soviet's JS III heavy tanks, which outclassed all other US tanks during the immediate period following World War II. At nearly 65 tons, it was by far the heaviest tank placed in service by the US Army prior to the advent of the M1 Abrams.


M-103

The strong family resemblance to the M48 was based on the components common to both vehicles. The suspension was similar to that of the M48, though modified to carry the increased weight. The M103 had one additional road wheel on each side, though unlike the M48 most of the M103's torsion arms had shock absorbers. Six return rollers were fitted, and the final-drives had much larger exposed gear-boxes.


M-103

While the M103 hull was similar in shape to the M48, it was longer and wider, and had thicker armor with better ballistic shape in the forward hull. The engine deck was unlike that of the M48. The turret was totally different, with a large bustle to enable the 120mm gun to recoil. The ballistic shape was excellent from the front, but poor from the rear. The machine gun mount was used to allow the gun to be trained, elevated, and fired from within the vehicle.

The M103A1 differed slightly from the M103, having improved fire-control devices that resulted in minor changes in the turret shape.


Typical of U.S. tank designs in the 1950s, an M48 Patton and an M103 heavy tank are portrayed in a theoretical test area scene with a low-yield nuclear detonation in the background.

The M103A2 was the Heavy Tank variant of the M60 series. It had the large bulged rear engine deck, typical of the diesel engined M48 and M60. It saw service, with a few being around into the 1970's.

Additional Sources:

www.jodyharmon.com
www.ktroop.com
afvinteriors.hobbyvista.com
usarmygermany.com
www.usarc.army.mil
mitglied.lycos.de
www.michiganhistorymagazine.com
www.patton-mania.com
www.geocities.co.jp
www.army.mil
www.usmcvta.org
www.rt66.com

[SAMWolf]

The M-48A3 was the main battle tank of M Company, 3rd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. The M-48A possessed a 90 MM gun. The Patton Tank was fast, maneuverable and provided the regiment with a formidable medium tank weapon against the North Vietnamese (NVA) enemy forces and the Viet Cong.



Because of the unlikeliness of encountering NVA (North Vietnamese Army) tanks, the M-48 was issued too few rounds of HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) or AP (Armor-Piercing) rounds to complete the destruction of enemy vehicles. Instead, they had to resort to the use of HE rounds which luckily, because of the light construction of the enemy's PT76 tanks were sufficient to destroy them anyway. It demonstrated that the M48, in competent hands, was very much still a potent anti-armor weapon.

Name:	M48a2/M48a3/M67 "Patton" tank
Type:	Main Battle Tank
Crew:	4
Vehicle Range:	258/463 km
Max. Speed:	48 km/h
Fording:	1.2 m
Vertical Obstacle:	.9 m
Gap Crossing:	2.59 m
Armament:	M48a2/M48a3: -1 x 90mm, 1 x .50 cal HMG on Commander's cupola, 1 x .30 cal MMG, co-axial; M67: 1 x M7-6 Flame gun, 1 x 50 cal HMG on Commander's cupola, 1 x .30 cal MMG, co-axial.
Armor:	Hull Front: 120mm; Hull Side, front: 76mm; Hull Side, rear: 51mm; Hull rear: 44mm; Turret Front: 110mm; Turret Side: 76mm; Turret Rear: 50mm.
Notes:	Developed from the M47 "General Patton" tank, the M48 was the mainstay of the US Army and Marines in Vietnam. The M48a2 featured a petrol engine which was very prone to fire. This was replaced on the M48a3 by a diesel unit. The M67 was the flame-thrower variant. It featured a shorter, thicker barrel than the normal 90mm armed version. Many M48's in Vietnam had the commander's HMG mounted on top of the cupola for better all round vision and the mounting hole plated over.

[SAMWolf]

John Kerry told the world we were war criminals who raped, tortured and murdered in Vietnam. Now, thirty-three years later, we will tell America the truth.

Join us at the rally we call:

What: A peaceful remembrance of those with whom we served in Vietnam - those who lived and those who died.
We will tell the story of their virtues and how that contrasts with the lies told by John Kerry.

When: Sunday, Sept. 12, 2004 @ 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT

Where: The West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, DC

All Vietnam veterans and their families and supporters are asked to attend. Other veterans are invited as honored guests. This will be a peaceful event--no shouting or contact with others with different opinions. We fought for their rights then, and we respect their rights now. This is NOT a Republican or a pro-Bush rally. Democrats, Republicans and independents alike are warmly invited.

Our gathering is to remember those with whom we served, thereby giving the lie to John Kerry's smear against a generation of fine young men. B.G. "Jug" Burkett, author of "Stolen Valor," will be one of our speakers. Jug has debunked countless impostors who falsely claimed to be Vietnam veterans or who falsely claimed awards for heroism. Jug recommends that we refrain from dragging fatigues out of mothballs. Dress like America, like you do every day.

Dress code: business casual, nice slacks, and shirt and shoes. No uniform remnants, please. Unit hats OK.

Selected members will wear badges identifying them as authorized to speak to the media about our event. Others who speak to the media will speak only for themselves.

The program will be controlled in an attempt to stay on-message. Speakers are encouraged not to engage in speculative criticism of John Kerry but (1) to stick to known and undisputed facts about John Kerry’s lies while (2) reminding America of the true honor and courage of our brothers in battle in Vietnam.

Send this announcement to 10 or more of your brothers! Bring them by car, bus, train or plane! Make this event one of pride in America, an event you would be proud to have your mother or your children attend.

Contact: kerrylied.com

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Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

---

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

---

UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



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[snippy_about_it]

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It's TreadHead Tuesday!


Good Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[GeronL]

Those guys crossing the river, did they run into John Kerry?

[snippy_about_it]

Patton would have loved TreadHead Tuesdays at the Foxhole.

[GeronL]

"Where's that idiot in the SwiftBoat? Think we can get away with sinking him?"

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Great caption GeronL.

[SAMWolf]

Kerry's swift boat came by and he used one hand to hold onto the boat while holding onto the tank with the other and towed the tank up river, in a thunder storm, while under heavy enemy MG and mortar fire. The picture doesn't show all that because Speilberg hasn't had a change to edit it yet. ;-)

[GeronL]

LOL... all the way to Cambodia?

[snippy_about_it]

No, no Sam, that's not how the story goes. Why that's kerry right there, under the water pulling that tank to safety. Sure he looks like a girly-man but he was in Vietnam ya know.

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Oh yeah, he's pulling it to Cambodia, Nixon told him to. Ha!

[SAMWolf]

Nice picture. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Yeah, he had to be there by Christmas. :-)

[snippy_about_it]

Time for this treadhead to turn in. Good night Sam.

[SAMWolf]

Girlyman? Kerry? Just because he throws a football like a girl?

[GeronL]

Nixon ordered him to haul it to Cambodia by Christmas for the CIA!

hhhhmmmm...

[SAMWolf]

He's just mad because the trip made him miss the Bob Hope USO show.

[Light Speed]

U.S. Marines riding atop an M-48 tank cover their ears as the tank's 90mm gun fires into the jungle along a road southwest of Hue during the 1968 Tet Offensive.

3rd Marines near Cam Lo Apr/67

Grunts and Tankers look on a 1st Marine Airwing puts the hurt down on Charlie...Jan/66