M46 Patton

M46 Patton
An American M46 Patton tank of the United States Marine Corps, during the Korean War
Type	Medium tank^[1]
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1949-1957 ^[2]
Wars	Korean War
Production history
Manufacturer	Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant
Number built	800 + 360 M46A1
Variants	M46A1
Specifications
Weight	48.5 tons (44 metric tons)
Length	27.82 ft (8.48 m)
Width	11.52 ft (3.51 m)
Height	10.43 ft (3.18 m)
Crew	5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, assistant driver)

Armor	102 mm/4 inches maximum
Main armament	90 mm gun M3A1 70 rounds
Secondary armament	.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun 2x .30 cal (7.62 mm) M1919A4 machine guns
Engine	Continental AV-1790-5A V12, air-cooled Twin-turbo gasoline engine 810 hp (604 kW)
Power/weight	18.4 hp/t
Transmission	General Motors CD-850-3 or -4, 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse
Suspension	Torsion bar suspension
Ground clearance	18.82 in (478 mm)
Fuel capacity	878 liters 232 U.S. gallons
Operational range	80 miles (130 km)
Speed	30 mph (48 km/h)

Tanks in the United States

World War I	Tank Mark VIII Ford 3-Ton M1918 Holt gas electric tank Six Ton Tank M1917 Renault FT

Interwar	T1 Light Tank M1 Combat Car M2 Light Tank Christie M1931

World War II	M2 Medium Tank M3/M5 Light Tank M3 Lee M4 Sherman M22 Locust M24 Chaffee Marmon-Herrington CTLS M26 Pershing

Cold War	M41 Walker Bulldog M46 Patton M103 heavy tank M47 Patton M48 Patton T95 M60 Patton T92 Light Tank M551 Sheridan MBT-70 XM803 Expeditionary tank M1 Abrams M8 Armored Gun System

Cold War tanks

List Category

MBTs	AMX-30 AMX-40 Centurion Challenger 1 Chieftain Chonma-ho EE-T1 Osório K1 88 Leopard 1 Leopard 2 M1 Abrams M60 Patton M-84 Magach MBT-70 MBT-80 Merkava Object 187 Object 292 Object 785 OF-40 Panzer 68 Stridsvagn 103 T-62 T-64 T-72 T-80 TAM TR-85 Type 59 Type 61 Type 69/79 Type 74 Nana-yon Type 88 Vijayanta Vickers MBT WZ-122

Light	AMX-13 Expeditionary tank M8 Armored Gun System M41 Walker Bulldog M551 Sheridan PT-76 Scorpion SK-105 Kürassier Stingray Stridsvagn 74 T92 Light Tank Type 62 Type 63 Type 64 WZ-132

Medium	M26 Pershing M46 Patton M47 Patton M48 Patton Panzer 58 Panzer 61 T-44 T-54/55 T95 Type 58

Heavy	AMX-50 Conqueror IS-3 Object 279 M103 T-10 T30 Stridsvagn KRV WZ-111

Tank destroyers	Infanterikanonvagn 73 Infanterikanonvagn 91 Kanonenjagdpanzer

History WWI Interwar WWII Cold War Tank

The M46 was an American medium tank designed to replace the M26 Pershing and M4 Sherman. It was one of the U.S Army's principal medium tanks of the early Cold War, with models in service from 1949 to the mid-1950s. It was not widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, being exported only to Belgium, and only in small numbers to train crews on the upcoming M47 Patton.

The M46 was the first tank to be named after General George S. Patton Jr., commander of the U.S. Third Army^[3] during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle.^[4]^[5]

History

After World War II, most U.S. Army armored units were equipped with a mix of M4 Sherman and M26 Pershing tanks. Designed initially as a heavy tank, the M26 Pershing tank was reclassified as a medium tank postwar. The M26 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 as the much lighter M4A3 and was plagued with an unreliable transmission.

Work began in January 1948 on replacing the original power plant with the Continental AV1790-3 engine and Allison CD-850-1 cross-drive transmission. This design was initially called the M26E2, but modifications continued to accumulate; eventually, the Bureau of Ordnance decided that the tank needed its own unique designation. When the rebuild began in November 1949, the upgraded M26 received not only a new power plant and a main gun with a bore evacuator, but a new designation M46. In total, 1,160 M26s were rebuilt: 800 to the M46 standard, 360 to the M46A1.

Combat service

The only American combat use of the M46 Patton was during the Korean War. On 8 August 1950, the first M46 Patton tanks, belonging to the 6th Tank Battalion, landed in South Korea. The tank proved superior to the much lighter North Korean T-34-85, which were encountered in relatively small numbers. By the end of 1950, 200 M46 Pattons had been fielded, forming about 15% of US tank strength in Korea; the balance of 1,326 tanks shipped to Korea during 1950 were 679 M4A3 Shermans (including the M4A3E8 variant), 309 M26 Pershings, and 138 M24 Chaffee light tanks.^[6] Subsequent shipments of M46 and M46A1 Pattons allowed all remaining M26 Pershings to be withdrawn during 1951, and most Sherman equipped units were also reequipped.^[7]

Known M46 series operators include: 1st Marine Tank Battalion and regimental Antitank Platoons of the 1st Marine Division by 1952, 72nd Tank Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Division by January 1952, 64th Tank Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division, 73rd Tank Battalion of the 7th Infantry Division by January 1951, 6th Tank Battalion of the 24th Infantry Division, 140th Tank Battalion (took over the tanks of the 6th Tank Battalion) and regimental tank companies of the 40th Infantry Division (CA ARNG) by October 1951,^[8] and the 245th Tank Battalion of the 45th Infantry Division (OK ARNG) by 1952.^[9] Several other regimental tank companies gained M46/M46A1s by the end of the war, including the 7th and 65th Infantry Regiments of the 3rd Infantry Division.^[10] A surviving example of the M46 Patton tank can be seen on display at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, South Korea.

In the 1950s, small numbers of M46s were leased for training purposes at no cost to some European countries, including Belgium, France and Italy, in preparation for the introduction of the M47. American instruction teams used the vehicles to train European tank crews and maintenance personnel.

Variants

M46A1 – Product improved variant with improved braking, cooling and fire suppression systems, as well as improved electrical equipment, AV-1790-5B engine and CD-850-4 transmission.
M46 - Variant equipped with M3 dozer kit.^[11]

Operators

Map of M46 operators with former operators in red

Former operators

Gallery

A Belgian M46A1 Patton tank. One of eight vehicles leased to Belgium in 1952, this particular tank was donated by the United States to the Royal Army Museum of Brussels in 1984.
An American M46 Patton tank of the United States Marine Corps, in July 1952, during the Korean War. Note the different rear plate and twin fender-mounted exhausts.
M46 Patton with searchlight

References

↑ Hunnicutt, p. 35
↑ "M46 Patton (General Patton) Medium Tank"
↑ Hunnicutt
↑ although the Ordnance Committee Minutes/OCM #33476 ceased utilizing the heavy, medium, and light tank designations on 7 November 1950; going to the "...Gun Tank designation")
↑ Hunnicutt, p. 14
↑ Steven J. Zaloga "M26/M46 Pershing Tank 1943-1953" ISBN 1-84176-202-4 pp.39-40
↑ Donald W Boose Jr."US Army Forces in the Korean War 1950-53" ISBN 1-84176-621-6 pp.52,75-86
↑ all Donald W Boose Jr. ibid
↑ Simon Dunstan "Armour of the Korean War 1950-53" ISBN 0-85045-428-X pp.29-32
↑ Troy D. Thiel "The M26 Pershing and Variants" ISBN 0-7643-1544-7 pp.64-84
↑ "JED The Military Equipment Directory"

Bibliography

Steven J Zaloga, Tony Bryan, Jim Laurier - M26–M46 Pershing Tank 1943–1953, 2000 Osprey Publishing (New Vanguard 35), ISBN 1-84176-202-4
Abraham Rabinovich - The Battle for Jerusalem June 5–7, 1967, 2004 Sefer Ve Sefer Publishing, Jerusalem, ISBN 965-7287-07-3
Nolan, Keith W. "Into Lao's, Operation Lam Son 719 and Dewey Canyon II." 1986. Presidio Press. Account of the US Army's final offensive of the Vietnam War
Hunnicutt, R. P. "Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank." 1984. Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-230-1

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to M46 tanks.

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