M47 Patton Medium Tank

M47 Patton Medium Tank. . At the end of World War II, the M26 Pershing was the heaviest and most powerful tank in the U.S. Army. Further development produced the M46 Medium Tank, known as the Patton. The advent of the Korean War demonstrated that a new tank was urgently required, so a modified M46 chassis was fitted with the T42 tank turret mounting the 90mm T119 Gun. Modifications to the chassis included improvements in armor protection, cooling system and fan control, and a new electrical system. These modifications resulted in the M47 Patton Medium Tank, named for General George S. Patton, famed armor commander of World War II., The M47's hull consisted of cast sections welded together, with two escape hatches in the hull floor. The engine was a Continental Model AV-1790-5B, 7 or 7B, V-12, 4 cycle air-cooled gasoline engine. The transmission was an Allison Model CD 850-4, 4A, or 4B. The generator was driven by a Wisconsin TFT two-cylinder gasoline engine when the main engine was shut off., The Patton possessed an action radius of 100 miles and could fire 16 rounds/minute in rapid fire and 8 rounds/minute in sustained fire. The M47 was replaced in service after several years by the M48 Patton, which was a direct development of the M47. Though discontinued by the U.S. Army, the M47 Patton became the standard equipment in many other armies throughout the world, serving in fifteen countries as late as the 1970s., This M47 Patton Medium Tank was manufactured in 1951 by the Detroit Tank Arsenal of the Chrysler Corporation and the American Locomotive Company. Its 90mm T119 Gun was made by Watervliet Arsenal in New York., Specifications: , Weight: 101,775 lbs , Armament: 90mmT119 gun with cylindrical deflectors, two .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, one .30 caliber M1919A4 Browning machine guns , crew: five , Speed: 37 mph , Armor: varies from 1 to 4.6 inches, (captions) , During World War I, Patton used his first-hand knowledge of tanks to organize the American tank school in Bourg, France, where he trained the first 500 American tankers. By September 1918 when he took the brigade into the Meuse-Argonne Operation, he had 345 tanks. Serving on the front line, during the battle, Patton maintained communications with his rear command post by means of pigeons and a group of runners. He continually exposed himself to gunfire and was shot once in the leg while he was directing the tanks. His actions during that battle earned him the Distinguished Service Cross for Heroism, one of the many medals he would collect during his lifetime. (US Army), In January 1943, during the conference at Casablanca, Morocco, Major General George S. Patton affixed the Congressional Medal of Honor upon Brig. General William H. Wilbur in the presence of President Franklin Roosevelt and General George C. Marshall. (Library of Congress), This 30 March 1943 photograph of Lieutenant General George S. Patton was made during Operation Torch in North Africa. In July of that year, Patton commanded the Army's invasion of Sicily. Patton commanded the Seventh Army until 1944, when he was given command of the Third Army in France. By the time world war two was over, the Third Army had liberated or conquered 81,522 square miles of territory. In October 1945, Patton assumed command of the Fifteenth Army in American-occupied Germany. On 9 December, he suffered injuries as the result of an automobile accident. He died 12 days later on 21 December 1945 and was buried among the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Bulge in Hamm, Luxembourg. (Library of Congress)., This Korean War photograph shows a group of North Korean infantrymen emerging from a bunker just destroyed by the M47’s 90 mm gun. The tank commander is pointing out another bunker for destruction. (Department of Defense), Driver’s seat view in a M47 Patton tank.