American Main Battle Tanks: 1946 -1965

American Tanks:

M4A3E8 with 76mm main gun, Patton Museum
Public Domain

The M4A3E8 Sherman

The American M4 Sherman medium tank was the most important Allied tank of the Second World War, as well as being the most produced, with over 55,000 being made. The United States did not alone employ the Sherman but actively loaned it out to British, Canadian, and Soviet allies. The Sherman was produced in six basic production models, the M4A3E8, nicknamed the ‘Easy Eight’, being the last.[1] The M4A3E8, which began to see large-scale production in 1944, was the most produced version and represented a second generation of the Sherman. It mounded a much more powerful 76mm main gun and increased gun mantel armor to 89mm, turret side armor to 63mm, and the hull front varying from 63-108mm.[2] The powerplant on the Sherman was the Ford GAA 8-cylinder gasoline engine which developed 500hp at 2600 rpm.3 Coupled with the HVSS or horizontal volute spring suspension, which was introduced mid-1944, the Sherman could reach a max road speed of 24 mph and a max cross-country speed of 16 mph.

Nearly all of the variants of the Sherman that were kept by the United States and her allies after the war had the HVSS system. It was more rugged and allowed for the changing of a single roadwheel.[3] The Sherman would see extensive combat during the war and was sometimes criticized for its mediocre performance against much more heavily armed and armored German opponents. The Sherman design, however, in accordance with Army doctrine of the time, was never intended to fill an ant-tank role, but rather the dual purpose of infantry support and breakthrough exploitation. After the Second World War, the Sherman would again be called upon in Korea. By mid-1951 the Sherman, able to maneuver better in the rugged Korean terrain in which the fighting had shifted to than heavier designs such as the M26 Pershing and M46 Patton, was again doing the lion’s share of the fighting and would continue to do so until war’s end. Korea was not the end for the Sherman either; it would see at least limited action in nearly every Cold War conflict to follow.

M26 Pershing

M46 in Korea
USMC

When production of the M4 Sherman was well under way in 1942 a new tank developmental program, collectively called the T 20 series, was undertaken. The goal of the program was to test the latest components and techniques and create an improved tank design.[4] Based on the developmental T20 series of tanks the M26, nicknamed the Pershing, was the United States’ first production model heavy tank. Despite internal hesitations within the design program, concerning encounters with advanced German armor in Italy in 1943, and later outcry from tankers concerning heavy American tank losses in the hedgerows of Normandy, and again in the Ardennes in late 1944, pushed the T20 program forward towards fielding a tank capable of meeting the German Tiger on more or less equal footing. The end result of the T20 series, the T26E3, was standardized as the M26 (Pershing) and production was begun in November 1944. The M26 featured a 90mm (3.54in) M3 main gun and had 102mm (4in) of frontal armor.[5] It weighed in at 41.2 tons, nearly 4 tons heavier than the Sherman, but still used the same basic engine, the Ford GAF (500hp). Predictably, the M26’s mobility was not stellar.

The M26 had very limited combat experience in the last few months of the war in Europe and did not see action in the Pacific. It did, however, prove itself capable of both knocking out and being knocked out by the German Tiger and Panther. During the Korean war, the M26 was prove itself to be the backbone of the Coalition forces. Though it could be penetrated by the North Korean and later Chinese T-34/85s it faced, it normally dealt with them easily. The M26’s hamstrung mobility performance drew increasing consternation in the unforgiving North Korean terrain, however, and it was systematically replaced in 1951 by the M46 and M46A1.

M46 Patton

The M46 was simply an M26 with a number of much-needed improvements. The M46 was known as both the Pershing and unofficially was given the name the Patton tank. The M46 boasted an improved Continental AV-1790-5 V-12 powerplant that developed 770hp and a much better cross-drive transmission. Together these improvements cured the M26’s mobility problems.[6] The M46 also featured an improved version of the 90mm M3 gun designated the M3A1 (which had been used on the M26 to a limited degree as well). The M46 was seen as an interim tank, and though it finished out the Korean war, it was intended to be replaced before war’s end.

The M47 Patton

M47 Patton -- Public Domain

The M47 Patton was also another war time expedient interim model. The Army’s permanent replacement designs that were under development, the T41 light tank, the T42 medium tank, and the T43 heavy tank, were put on hold so that an improved tank could be produced in time to help in Korea. The newly designed turret of the T42 was added to the existing M46 chassis and the M47, with the official name as the General Patton, was created.[7] The new tank was rushed through the production process but was still unable to take part in the Korean War. Truman’s wartime emergency measures ensured that a surprising number of M47s were produced, however, in total 8,576. The M48 Patton soon became available and the M47s were pulled from front line service or given to allies, specifically West Germany, France, and Pakistan.

M48 Patton

M48A5 Patton
Public Domain

Though itself an interim design, created in response to the Korean War and the Berlin Crisis, and also rushed through production into immediate teething problems, the M48 Patton developed into a very effective and popular weapon system.[8] Between 1952 and 1959 11,702 M48s would be built. The M48 featured a new cast turret and wider and lower cast hull. Over its long life it would see several variants. Many M48s still exist today, but nearly all have been converted to the most recent variant, the M48A5. The A5 features a 105mm L7 main gun, 180mm of armor, weight of 48 tons, and a Continental AVDS-1790-2 12-cylinder supercharged diesel developing 750 hp.[9] The M48, noted for its adaptability, has been extensively modernized and is still in active service with many nations. It saw heavy service in Vietnam, where it primarily served in supporting roles, but has also been on the front lines in more than a dozen other Cold War conflicts.

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[1] Christopher F. Foss, ed., The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day, (San Diego, California: Thunder Bay Press, 2002), 32.

[2] Steven J. Zaloga, Panther vs Sherman: Battle of the Bulge 1944, Duel, no. 13 (Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2008), 19.

[3] Foss, Encyclopedia of Tanks, 32.

[4] R. P. Hunnicutt, Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series (Brattleboro, Vermont: Echo Point Books & Media, 2015), 6.

[5] Foss, Encyclopedia of Tanks, 38.

[6] Ibid., 41.

[7] Ibid., 43.

[8] Ibid., 44.

[9] Ibid.