M47 Patton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M47 Patton

Type Main battle tank
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service 1952 - 1989? (USA)
Production history
Manufacturer Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant, American Locomotive Co.
Produced 1951 - ???
Number built 8676
Specifications
Weight 46 tonnes combat ready
Length 8.51 m
Width 3.51 m
Height 3.35 m
Crew 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, assistant driver)
Armor 101 mm
Primary
armament		 90 mm gun M36
71 rounds
Secondary
armament		 0.5 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun
2x 7.62 mm machine gun
Engine Continental AVDS-1790-5B V12, air cooled, twin turbocharged gasoline engine.
810 hp (604 kW)
Power/weight 17.6 hp/tonne
Transmission General Motors CD-850-4, 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse
Suspension Torsion bar
Fuel capacity 878 liters
Operational
range		 130 km
Speed 48 km/h

The M47 Patton I was the second tank of the Patton series, and one of the U.S army's principal main battle tanks of the Cold War, with models in service from the early 1950s to the late 1950s. The M47 was the U.S. Army and Marine Corps primary tank intended to replace the M46 Patton tank. It was widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, both SEATO and NATO countries, and was the only Patton series tank that never saw combat while serving with US forces. The tank belongs to the Patton family of tanks, 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 a further development of the M46 Patton tank.

The M47 Patton tank was designed to replace the previous M46 Pattons and M4 Shermans. Although largely resembling the later M48s and M60s, these were completely new tank designs despite a rough similarity from a distance. Many different M47 Patton models remain in service internationally. The M47 was the last US tank to have a radio operator and a hull ball machine gun.

Contents

[edit] History

Although the new power plant corrected the mobility and reliability problems of the M26 Pershing, 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 than planned. It was deemed that there was likely no time to finish the development of the T42 and 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. Its main gun was the M36 90 mm gun with an M12 optical rangefinder fitted. 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. M47's were used as targets in the 70's for the M60A1's 105 mm gun with devastating effect. The 105 mm HEAT round would penetrate the frontal armor with ease. Many M47's in like-new condition met their fate in this manner showing the M60 crews first hand the effects of modern tank weapons on conventional steel armor.

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

[edit] Combat service

The M47 was used by the Turkish Army, along with M48s, in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July and August 1974, with an estimated 200 or more Patton tanks involved in the action. At least one operational M47, example "092273" was captured intact by the Cypriot National Guard and was reported to be still in service as late as 1993.[1]

The M47 was used by Jordan in the Six Day War. Pakistan used its M47s against India in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Iran used theirs against Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war.

Croatia used its M47s against the Serbs in the Croatian War of Independence but their performance was regarded inferior to that of the T-55s. They were retired immediately after the war, and are now used as targets during exercise.

[edit] Variants

Line drawing of the M47.
Line drawing of the M47.
  • M47 - M46 with T42 turret, fitted with the M36 90 mm Gun, and was longer to incorporate a radio, ventilator, and featured a stereoscopic rangefinder.
  • M47M - The product of an improvement program started in the late 1960s, the M47M featured the engine and fire control elements from the M60A1. The assistant driver's position was eliminated in favor of additional 90 mm ammunition. Not used by the US, over 800 vehicles were produced for Iran and Pakistan.
  • M47ER3 - Spanish armored recovery vehicle.

Additional Equipment

  • M6 - Earth Moving Tank Mounting Bulldozer. Bulldozer kit for the M47 series.

[edit] Operators

[edit] Former Operators

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Action of the Captured M47 in Atilla II, Savvas Vlassis

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: