The M46 Patton is 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 until 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[1] during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle.[nb 1]
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 after the war. 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, the M46.[2] The upgraded M26 received a new power plant and a main gun with a bore evacuator.
Upon completion of the first model of the Detroit Tank Arsenal production line in November 1948, the M46 was christened after the late General George S. Patton Jr.[4] By December the Army had ordered several hundred.[5] In July 1950 Detroit Arsenal was producing Pershings and M46s at a rate of over a dozen a day.[6] In August 1950 President Harry S. Truman authorized funding for increased M46 production as part an expansion of heavy tank development program.[7]
A total of 1,160 M46s of all variants were built.[2]
Combat serviceedit
M46 tank providing indirect fire support in Korea
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 M46 proved to be capable against North Korean T-34 medium tanks.[8] 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.[9]: 39–40 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.[10]: 52,75-86
A surviving example of the M46 Patton tank can be seen on display at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul.
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.
Variantsedit
M46 Dozer with M3 dozer conversion kit.
M46 (Dozer) – Variant equipped with M3 dozer conversion kit.[2][13]
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.[2]
M46E1 – Pilot model, M46 hull with T42 turret, fitted with the M36 90 mm Gun, and was longer to incorporate a radio, ventilator, and featured a stereoscopic rangefinder; only one built.[14]: 41, 43 [13] Prototype of the M47 Patton.
M46 Patton tank and crew passing through the village of Kumko, Korea, in September 1950.
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 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.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"M46 Patton (General Patton)". militaryfactory.com. 21 May 2018. from the original on 25 September 2004. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
^"Medium Tank M46 Patton". afvdb.50megs.com. 27 October 2019. from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
^Baldwin, Hanson W. (13 December 1949). "New Tools of War: Aberdeen Echoes to Thunder of Bombs as New Equipment Tested". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
^"CADILLAC DIVISION TO PRODUCE TANKS; General Motors Says Work for Army Will Not Halt Civilian Output of Automobiles". The New York Times. 22 July 1950. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
^Abel, Elie (8 January 1952). "Defective Tanks Pile Up In Depots". The New York Times. Detroit. Retrieved 13 September 2018. DETROIT, Jan. 7 -- The new tanks rushed into production after the Communist assault on the Republic of Korea eighteen months ago have not yet been issued to the troops because they are unacceptable to the Army Field Forces.
^Zaloga, Steven J. (25 November 2000). M26/M46 Pershing Tank 1943–53 (New Vanguard). New Vanguard (Book 35). Illustrated by Tony Bryan and Jim Laurier (1st ed.). Osprey Publishing. ISBN978-1841762029. OL 8922180M. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
^ abBoose, Donald (12 April 2005). US Army Forces in the Korean War 1950–53 (Battle Orders) (First ed.). Osprey Publishing. ISBN978-1841766218. OCLC 869301559. OL 8922550M. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
^Dunstan, Simon; Hadler, Terry (15 June 1982). Armour of the Korean War 1950-53. Vanguard (Book 27) (First ed.). Osprey Publishing. ISBN978-0850454284. OCLC 1052687218. OL 8264810M. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
^Thiel, Troy D. (11 March 2002). The M26 Pershing and variants: T26/M26, M26A1, M45, M46/M46A1 (1st ed.). Schiffer Publishing. ISBN978-0764315442. LCCN 2001096784. OCLC 53092514. OL 22848191M.
^ ab. jedsite.info. 2007. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^Mesko, Jim. M48 Patton in Action – Armor No. 22. Illustrated by Kevin Wornkey and Don Greer (1st ed.). Squadron/Signal Publications. ISBN978-0897471657.
^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")[1]: 14
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Patton-Mania
January 01, 1970
patton, american, medium, tank, designed, replace, pershing, sherman, army, principal, medium, tanks, early, cold, with, models, service, from, 1949, until, 1950s, widely, used, cold, allies, being, exported, only, belgium, only, small, numbers, train, crews, . The M46 Patton is 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 until 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 M46 PattonAn American M46 Patton tank of the United States Marine Corps during the Korean WarTypeMedium tank 1 35 Place of originUnited StatesService historyIn service1949 1957 2 Used bySee Operators belowWarsKorean WarProduction historyDesigned1948 1949ManufacturerDetroit Arsenal Tank PlantNo built1 160 all variants 2 VariantsM46A1 2 M46 Dozer Fitted with M3 dozer conversion kit 2 SpecificationsMass97 003 lb 48 502 short tons 44 000 t 2 Length27 82 ft 8 48 m 2 Width11 48 ft 3 50 m 2 Height10 37 ft 3 16 m 2 CrewFive 2 Commander Gunner Loader Driver Assistant DriverArmorUp to 102 mm 4 0 in 2 Mainarmament90 mm gun M3A1 2 70 rounds 2 SecondaryarmamentTwo 30 cal 7 62 mm M1919A4 Browning machine gun 2 50 cal 12 7 mm M2 machine gun 3 EngineContinental AV 1790 5A V12 air cooled Twin turbo gasoline engine 2 810 hp 600 kW 2 Power weight18 4 hp 13 7 kW tonneTransmissionGeneral Motors CD 850 3 or CD 850 4 2 ranges forward 1 reverseSuspensionTorsion bar suspension 2 Ground clearance18 82 in 478 mm Fuel capacity232 U S gal 880 L Operationalrange81 mi 130 km 2 Maximum speed30 mph 48 km h 2 The M46 was the first tank to be named after General George S Patton Jr commander of the U S Third Army 1 during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle nb 1 Contents 1 History 2 Combat service 3 Variants 4 Operators 4 1 Former operators 5 Gallery 6 See also 6 1 Tanks of comparable role performance and era 7 References 7 1 Notes 7 2 Bibliography 8 External linksHistory editAfter 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 after the war 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 the M46 2 The upgraded M26 received a new power plant and a main gun with a bore evacuator Upon completion of the first model of the Detroit Tank Arsenal production line in November 1948 the M46 was christened after the late General George S Patton Jr 4 By December the Army had ordered several hundred 5 In July 1950 Detroit Arsenal was producing Pershings and M46s at a rate of over a dozen a day 6 In August 1950 President Harry S Truman authorized funding for increased M46 production as part an expansion of heavy tank development program 7 A total of 1 160 M46s of all variants were built 2 Combat service edit nbsp M46 tank providing indirect fire support in Korea 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 M46 proved to be capable against North Korean T 34 medium tanks 8 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 9 39 40 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 10 52 75 86 M46 series operators include 1st Tank Battalion and regimental Antitank Platoons of the 1st Marine Division by 1952 72nd Armor Regiment 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 by October 1951 10 and the 245th Tank Battalion of the 45th Infantry Division by 1952 11 29 32 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 12 64 84 A surviving example of the M46 Patton tank can be seen on display at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul 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 edit nbsp M46 Dozer with M3 dozer conversion kit M46 Dozer Variant equipped with M3 dozer conversion kit 2 13 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 2 M46E1 Pilot model M46 hull with T42 turret fitted with the M36 90 mm Gun and was longer to incorporate a radio ventilator and featured a stereoscopic rangefinder only one built 14 41 43 13 Prototype of the M47 Patton M46 and M46A1 1 422 Length gun forward 333 6 in 8 5 m Width 138 3 in 3 5 m Height over MG 125 1 in 3 2 m Ground clearance 18 8 in 47 8 cm Top speed 30 mph 48 km h Fording 48 in 1 2 m Max grade 60 Max trench 8 5 ft 2 6 m Max wall 36 in 0 9 m Range 80 mi 130 km Power 810 hp 600 kW at 2800 rpm Power to weight ratio 16 7 hp ST 13 7 kW t Torque 1 610 lb ft 2 180 N m at 2200 rpm Weight combat loaded 97 000 lb 44 000 kg Ground pressure 14 0 psi 97 kPa Main armament 90 mm M3A1 Elevation main gun 20 10 Traverse rate 15 seconds 360 Main gun ammo 70 rounds Firing rate 8 rounds minuteOperators edit nbsp Map of M46 operators with former operators in red Former operators edit nbsp Belgium 2 nbsp France 2 nbsp Italy 2 nbsp Republic of Korea A number of M46s were transferred from withdrawing U S troops after the Korean War 15 nbsp United States 2 Gallery editM46 Patton and variants nbsp M46 Patton tank and crew passing through the village of Kumko Korea in September 1950 nbsp 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 nbsp An 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 nbsp M46 Patton with a searchlight nbsp USAF forward air controller with US Army M46 tank during Korean War 1950 1953 See also editList of armored fighting vehicles Tanks of comparable role performance and era edit Centurion Mk 1 British main battle tank T 54 Soviet main battle tankReferences edit a b c d Hunnicutt R P 29 May 2015 Patton A History of the American Main Battle Tank Echo Point Books amp Media ISBN 978 1626541597 LCCN 84016586 OL 2854160M a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z M46 Patton General Patton militaryfactory com 21 May 2018 Archived from the original on 25 September 2004 Retrieved 2 March 2020 Medium Tank M46 Patton afvdb 50megs com 27 October 2019 Archived from the original on 17 August 2019 Retrieved 2 March 2020 NEWEST TANK CHRISTENED Widow of General Patton Takes Part in Detroit Ceremony The New York Times Associated Press 12 November 1948 Baldwin Hanson W 13 December 1949 New Tools of War Aberdeen Echoes to Thunder of Bombs as New Equipment Tested The New York Times Retrieved 13 September 2018 CADILLAC DIVISION TO PRODUCE TANKS General Motors Says Work for Army Will Not Halt Civilian Output of Automobiles The New York Times 22 July 1950 Retrieved 13 September 2018 Fund to Build Big Tanks Like Russia s Approved The New York Times United Press International 30 August 1950 Retrieved 13 September 2018 Abel Elie 8 January 1952 Defective Tanks Pile Up In Depots The New York Times Detroit Retrieved 13 September 2018 DETROIT Jan 7 The new tanks rushed into production after the Communist assault on the Republic of Korea eighteen months ago have not yet been issued to the troops because they are unacceptable to the Army Field Forces Zaloga Steven J 25 November 2000 M26 M46 Pershing Tank 1943 53 New Vanguard New Vanguard Book 35 Illustrated by Tony Bryan and Jim Laurier 1st ed Osprey Publishing ISBN 978 1841762029 OL 8922180M Retrieved 2 March 2020 a b Boose Donald 12 April 2005 US Army Forces in the Korean War 1950 53 Battle Orders First ed Osprey Publishing ISBN 978 1841766218 OCLC 869301559 OL 8922550M Retrieved 2 March 2020 Dunstan Simon Hadler Terry 15 June 1982 Armour of the Korean War 1950 53 Vanguard Book 27 First ed Osprey Publishing ISBN 978 0850454284 OCLC 1052687218 OL 8264810M Retrieved 1 March 2020 Thiel Troy D 11 March 2002 The M26 Pershing and variants T26 M26 M26A1 M45 M46 M46A1 1st ed Schiffer Publishing ISBN 978 0764315442 LCCN 2001096784 OCLC 53092514 OL 22848191M a b M46 PATTON SERIES OF MAIN BATTLE TANKS jedsite info 2007 Archived from the original on 13 October 2007 Retrieved 2 March 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link Mesko Jim M48 Patton in Action Armor No 22 Illustrated by Kevin Wornkey and Don Greer 1st ed Squadron Signal Publications ISBN 978 0897471657 Paik Sun yup 24 August 2009 군과 나 in Korean 3rd ed Republic of Korea Zeitgeist p 360 ISBN 978 89 90959 41 6 Notes edit 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 1 14 Bibliography edit Rabinovich Abraham 1972 The Battle for Jerusalem June 5 7 1967 1st ed Jewish Publication Society of America ISBN 978 9657287071 OCLC 947062697 Nolan Keith William 1987 Into Laos The Story of Dewey Canyon II Lam Son 719 Vietnam 1971 1st ed Presidio Press ISBN 978 0440200444 OCLC 17887412 OL 7518446M External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to M46 Patton Patton Mania Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title M46 Patton amp oldid 1221509886, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
