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M48A3 Patton Battle Tank
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| M48A3 Features (Ilustration by Gregory Proch) |
Patton M48A3 Battle Tank
Many believed armor had little
utility in Vietnam, but Marine and
Army combat experience proved that there was no substitute for the shock and
firepower tanks brought to the battlefield. Used primarily in the infantry
support role, the M48A3 tank was America's main battle tank in Vietnam from the
earliest combat action, and in South Vietnamese service almost to its last.
M48 was the final version of the Patton series,
named after General George S. Patton. The first M48s were produced from 1952 to
1959, but the Vietnam-era A3 was a modernized and refurbished variant that
first rolled out in February 1963. It had a supercharged diesel instead of a
gasoline engine and an enhanced fire control system.
The turret and hull were made from cast homogenous steel and
enjoyed a 60-degree frontal slope. The turret had 4.5 inches (114mm) of frontal armor, 3 inches (76mm) of side armor and 2 inches (52mm) in the rear. Hull's front armor was 4.3
inches (109mm), and side armor was 3 inches (76mm) forward and 2 inches (52mm) rear. Inch-thick floor plating gave good
protection against enemy mines.
The M48's 90mm M41 cannon
fired a 24.16 pound (11Kg) shell with a
muzzle velocity of 2,800 feet per second (853 m/s)
out to a maximum range of 4.500 meters, but the fire control system had a 2.500
meter limit. The gunner used an M17A1 coincidence rangefinder, and the fire
control system included a repeater that displayed the gunner's sight picture to
the commander. A coaxial .30 caliber (7.6mm)
machine gun and a .50 (12.7mm) caliber gun
in, or mounted on, the commander's cupola rounded out the tank's armament.
The M48A3's
wide tracks gave it good off-road mobility, but Vietnam's exceptionally soft,
deep mud frequently bogged it down. Its shallow fording depth 4 feet (1.2m) and weight could limit its employment. A
kit was available that enabled the tank to ford rivers up to 14 feet (4.2m) deep, but it was rarely used.
Military Career
Patton tanks
were in most of the war's major actions, serving with the Marines and three
U.S. Army tank battalions and with Army armored cavalry squadrons until
replaced by M551 Sheridan light tanks. As U.S. forces began to depart in 1970,
they turned their M48s over to the South Vietnamese.
Although designed to combat massed Soviet armored
formations, the Patton was an invaluable weapon for infantry support and
defending firebases. It is generally considered superior to the T-54/55 and
T-59 tanks the NVA deployed south in 1972 and later. The newer M60 replaced the
Patton in regular U.S. Army and Marine units after the war, but the M48
remained in service with most American allies and its reserve units well into
the 1990s.
Patton M48A3 Medium Tank
Weight: 53.3 Tons
Height: 10ft, 9.3in (11.5m)
Crew: 4
Engine: 750 shp/diesel
Fuel capacity: 385gal (1457L)
Top Speed: 30mph/15 off-road (48/24 Kmh)
Max Range: 300 miles (483 Km)
Main Gun: 90mm M-41 cannon
By Carl O. Schuster Originally published on
HistoryNet.com. Published Online: November 18, 2011
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
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