The
M46The M46 was an improved M26 Pershing tank and one of the U.S Army's principal medium gun tanks of the early Cold War, with models in service from 1949 to the mid 1950s. On 30 July 1948, the M46 was named the Patton, in honor of General George S. Patton Jr. It was not widely used by U.S...
,
M47The M47 Patton I was the second tank of the Patton series, and one of the U.S Army's principal medium gun tanks of the Cold war with models in service from the early 1950s to the late 1980s. The tank belongs to the Patton family of tanks, named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S...
,
M48The M48 Patton II was the third and final US medium gun tank of the Patton series, 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 M47 Patton tank...
and
M60The M60 Series was a main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today despite being superseded by the M1 Abrams...
PattonPatton may refer to:*George S. Patton , U.S. general during World War II-Places:*Patton, California*Patton, Indiana*Patton, Missouri*Patton, Pennsylvania-Politics:*Charles Emory Patton , U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania...
were the
United States ArmyThe United States Army is the branch of the United States Military responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services...
's principal battle tanks of the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
, with models in service from the late 1940s to the 1990s. The many models were named after
GeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is simply called general.-All general officer...
George S. PattonGeorge Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer most famous for his leadership commanding corps and armies as a general in World War II...
, commander of the U.S. Third Army during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle. The first of the series, the M46, was a development of the
M26 PershingThe Heavy Tank M26 Pershing was an American heavy tank used during World War II and the Korean War. It was named after General John Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.-History:...
with a much-improved power train, and the two are nearly identical visually, which often leads to mislabeled photos.
The
M46The M46 was an improved M26 Pershing tank and one of the U.S Army's principal medium gun tanks of the early Cold War, with models in service from 1949 to the mid 1950s. On 30 July 1948, the M46 was named the Patton, in honor of General George S. Patton Jr. It was not widely used by U.S...
replaced the M26 Pershing and later versions of the
M4 ShermanThe M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. It was also distributed to the Allies via lend lease. Evolved from previous medium and light tanks, it was the first American medium tank with a fully traversing turret for the main gun...
, and was the primary U.S.
The
M46The M46 was an improved M26 Pershing tank and one of the U.S Army's principal medium gun tanks of the early Cold War, with models in service from 1949 to the mid 1950s. On 30 July 1948, the M46 was named the Patton, in honor of General George S. Patton Jr. It was not widely used by U.S...
,
M47The M47 Patton I was the second tank of the Patton series, and one of the U.S Army's principal medium gun tanks of the Cold war with models in service from the early 1950s to the late 1980s. The tank belongs to the Patton family of tanks, named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S...
,
M48The M48 Patton II was the third and final US medium gun tank of the Patton series, 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 M47 Patton tank...
and
M60The M60 Series was a main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today despite being superseded by the M1 Abrams...
PattonPatton may refer to:*George S. Patton , U.S. general during World War II-Places:*Patton, California*Patton, Indiana*Patton, Missouri*Patton, Pennsylvania-Politics:*Charles Emory Patton , U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania...
were the
United States ArmyThe United States Army is the branch of the United States Military responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services...
's principal battle tanks of the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
, with models in service from the late 1940s to the 1990s. The many models were named after
GeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is simply called general.-All general officer...
George S. PattonGeorge Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer most famous for his leadership commanding corps and armies as a general in World War II...
, commander of the U.S. Third Army during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle. The first of the series, the M46, was a development of the
M26 PershingThe Heavy Tank M26 Pershing was an American heavy tank used during World War II and the Korean War. It was named after General John Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.-History:...
with a much-improved power train, and the two are nearly identical visually, which often leads to mislabeled photos.
The
M46The M46 was an improved M26 Pershing tank and one of the U.S Army's principal medium gun tanks of the early Cold War, with models in service from 1949 to the mid 1950s. On 30 July 1948, the M46 was named the Patton, in honor of General George S. Patton Jr. It was not widely used by U.S...
replaced the M26 Pershing and later versions of the
M4 ShermanThe M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. It was also distributed to the Allies via lend lease. Evolved from previous medium and light tanks, it was the first American medium tank with a fully traversing turret for the main gun...
, and was the primary U.S. tank in the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
. The M48 was the principal U.S. Army and Marine Corps tank during the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
. The
M47The M47 Patton I was the second tank of the Patton series, and one of the U.S Army's principal medium gun tanks of the Cold war with models in service from the early 1950s to the late 1980s. The tank belongs to the Patton family of tanks, named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S...
saw no action while serving with the U.S. military, but the M60A1 saw limited service with American forces in Desert Storm. The M60A1 was widely used by U.S. Cold-War allies, especially other NATO countries.
Internationally, many various Patton models remain in service. Although officially designated as the 90mm gun tank M48 Patton, the M60/M60A1 entered the Army inventory as the 105mm gun full tracked
combat tank M60, and despite its outward resemblance to the earlier Patton tanks, was a completely new tank design. The M60, was a "product improved descendant" of the Patton series, and was never officially named after General George S. Patton; but was officially titled the
M60 Combat tank; the latest version of which, entered service in 1978, as the M60A3. Two years later, the U.S. Army introduced the
M1 AbramsThe M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. The M1 is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. It is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for modern armored...
, which eventually replaced the M60 series, and the M48A5 Pattons over a ten year period (M48A5 had been up-gunned from the to the , and both models served alongside the Abrams well into the 1980s).
Approximately 11,703 M48 tanks were produced. The M48 and later the M60 series were designed to engage and destroy Soviet tanks in Europe. The M48 was replaced in the US Forces by the M60 Patton.
The
M103 heavy tankThe M103 heavy tank served the United States Army and the US Marines during the Cold War. Until the development of the M1A1 in the mid 1980s, it was the heaviest and most heavily-armed tank in US service...
, when viewed by the untrained eye, appeared similar in shape and design to the M48 and M60 Patton tanks, and consisted of a rifled gun and five crewmen, compared to the usual four crewmen.
See also
External links