M48 Patton equipment. See what "M48" is in other dictionaries

In the mid-1950s, despite all its shortcomings and associated problems, the M48 was the main tank of the American military. The Patton III was in service with the Army and Marine Corps and was stationed in both the continental United States and Europe. “European” M48s took part in the famous confrontation in August 1961 in Berlin. In “international terms,” the M48 can be considered unlucky - it remained “intermediate” between the M47 and M60. For example, even in 1965, in the fleet of NATO M48 vehicles, only Germany and Norway were in service, while other countries preferred (or did not want to change) M47 and “centurions”. In the United States itself, already in the 1960s, M48s began to be transferred to the National Guard.

Supplement to the magazine "MODEL CONSTRUCTION"

Modernization of M48 in other countries

The first outside the United States to modernize the M48 were in Israel, which received them thanks to the efforts of the special services. Officially, the United States supported the embargo on the supply of military equipment to this country, but made efforts that resulted in 100 M48s entering the Middle East from the Bundeswehr arsenals. One of the reasons for the modification of the Pattons in Israel was the desire to standardize its rather motley tank fleet, if not in terms of types of combat vehicles, then at least in terms of ammunition and spare parts for engines. In the period from 1965 to 1973, all M48 tanks of the Israel Defense Forces (including those received after the 1967 war from the States) were equipped with AVDS-1790 diesel engines and re-equipped with American 105-mm M68 guns (licensed English L7 gun, the same stood on Israeli “centurions”). The standard Patton commander's cupolas were dismantled, replacing them with locally produced Urdan cupolas. American M85 and M73 tank machine guns were eventually replaced by more reliable Belgian MAGs. The modernized M48 received a new name “Magach”*.

Troops." With a considerable amount of black humor, Israeli tank crews decipher this name as "Movil gufot harukhot" - "transporter of burnt bodies." The decoding of “Merkavat Gufot Harukhot” has the same meaning. There are also more fun options, for example. "Mehonat giluach hashmalit" - "electric razor". Information taken from www.waronline.org.]

The origin of the name is interpreted as follows: "Magach" - "Ma-Ga-Ch" - the first and last syllables represent the initial syllables of the Hebrew spelling of the numbers "four" and "eight", "Ga" is a derivative of "Gimel" - Germany, a reminder that the first M48s were received from Germany. In the early 1980s, Israeli M48s were equipped with Blazer reactive armor sets.

By the 1973 war, all the "pattons" of the Army were for the defense of Israel. underwent modernization, mainly associated with the installation of diesel engines and 105 mm guns

M48 tanks large quantities were in service with the Bundeswehr. Along with the "leopards", they were the basis of the tank fleet ground forces Germany in the first half of the 1970s. Externally, the Bundeswehr "pattons" differed from the American ones in the presence of large rectangular searchlights from the AEG-Telefunken company on the gun mantlets and boxes welded onto the aft turret baskets for crew members' property, as well as two blocks of four German-designed smoke grenade launchers mounted on the sides of the turret. Another external feature of the West German M48s was the rear view mirrors mounted on the tank body. The state of the German tank fleet at that time was somewhat reminiscent of American problems. The Germans lost time on the MVT70 project, and then on various joint programs to create the Abrams. As a result, the supply of promising basic battle tank the Bundeswehr units were delayed. The niche between Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 was filled by M48A2GA2.

The Israeli M48, equipped with the Blazer dynamic protection kit, is in the tank museum in Kubinka

Characteristic differences between the turrets of West German tanks

The modernization program was carried out by Thyssen Henschel and Wegmann Industries. The first was responsible for project development and production of prototypes, the second for mass production. West German tank crews received the first Patton, modernized at the Kassel plant by Wegmann Industries, in June 1978. Its armament included a British 105 mm L7A3 cannon with a heat-insulating casing. Like the Israelis, the Germans not only strengthened firepower tank, but also got rid of diversity tank weapons: the “leopards” had the same guns. Instead of the standard commander's cupola with a machine gun, a more traditional cupola with eight observation devices was mounted, and the machine gun could be mounted on an open turret next to the commander's hatch. To conduct combat operations at night, the tank had a non-illuminated VM8005 surveillance device for the driver and a low-level television surveillance system AEG-Telefunken PZB-200 for the commander and gunner. By order of the Bundeswehr, from June 1978 to November 1980, 650 vehicles were upgraded to the M48A2GE2 variant.

In 1982, the Germans received an order to modernize 183 M48 tanks in service with the Turkish army to the M48A2GA2 level. In practice, the result was a completely new Patton model, different from both the West German and American M48s. Perhaps it was the Turkish version that became the most perfect, although it appeared a little late. One of the demands of the Turks was the installation of a diesel engine on the tank. German engineers proposed well-proven V-shaped 8-cylinder water-cooled diesel engines MTU МВ837 Ka-500 with a power of 1000 hp, while American diesel engines had a power of 750 hp. "Patton" with German engines were distinguished by much higher dynamic characteristics compared to the American M48A3. In Germany, the possibility of installing the Garrett GT601 gas turbine engine on the M48 was also considered. A car with such an engine was tested at the Trier test site in 1984.

The modernization of most of the Turkish tank fleet was carried out with the participation of the Americans. In 1982 - 1989 in Turkey, at two tank repair plants, about 1,900 combat vehicles were converted to the M48A5T1 level, approximately corresponding to the M48A5 of the US Army. At the end of the 1980s, about 750 M48s were upgraded to the M48A5T2 variant by installing thermal insulating covers on gun barrels, introducing a new ballistic computer and a two-plane gun stabilizer into the control system. Modernization kits arrived in Turkey from the USA.

The apotheosis of modernization was the Super M48, offered to the foreign market by Wegmann in the mid-1980s. The main armament of the tank is a 105 mm L7A3 cannon stabilized in two planes. However, the key factor in increasing the firepower of the Super Patton was the use of the new MOLF-48 fire control system (Modular Laser Fire control system) from Krupp Atlas Electronics. It included the main optical sight gunner with a night channel and a built-in laser rangefinder (multiplicity of the day optical channel x12, night - x4 and x12); a digital ballistic computer that generates data for firing taking into account the state of the atmosphere, the spatial position of the gun, the range to the target, the parallax between the gun barrel and the line of sight of the sight, and the bend of the barrel bore. The MTO was equipped with the MV837 Ka-500 diesel engine, tested on Turkish tanks, and the new fully automatic Renk RK-304 transmission. The chassis was also altered: hydraulic shock absorbers and hydraulic roller travel limiters were installed on the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th road wheels, all torsion bars were replaced, tracks with tracks similar to those used on Leopard-2 were used.

The applied composite armor from Blom and Voss installed on the turret gave the vehicle a completely new look. Two armor plates were mounted on the sides of the turret, and another one was mounted on the gun mantlet. The characteristic angular shape of the mounted armor left no doubt about the German origin of the "Super Patton" - the "iron-shaped" design of the Pz.Kpfw.lll/IV, "tigers" and "leopards" became business card German tank builders. The chassis of the vehicle was covered with rubber-metal screens. There were no buyers for “Super Patton” in the world.

"Super Patton" - the apotheosis of modernization of the M48 tank

"Super M48"

Super Patton turret with applied composite armor from Blom and Voss

Local modernization of the M48A5 by installing side screens on the chassis was carried out in South Korea; the tanks received the designation M48A5K.

The Spaniards modified their fleet of Pattons by replacing gasoline engines with diesel engines, introducing control systems with laser rangefinders and analog ballistic computers, and installing 105-mm guns of English or West German production.

In Iran, when modernizing tanks, measures were taken aimed at unifying the components and assemblies of the M47, M48 and M60 tanks, in particular, the vehicles were equipped with the same type power plants, transmissions, lifting and turning mechanisms of the gun and turret, air purifiers. This work was carried out with the help of specialists from the USA.

The Americans provided technical assistance in refining almost 300 M48s in service with the Taiwanese army. They were equipped with: locally produced licensed M68 guns; new control systems that included a laser rangefinder from Texas Instruments; thermal imaging night vision devices; engine power units similar to those used on M60AZ tanks; new commander's cupolas. After modernization, the tanks received the designation M48N "Brave Tiger".

Medium tank M48 General Patton photo
Work on the first post-war generation M48 medium tank began at the Detroit Tank Arsenal in October 1950. The project was ready within two months, and Chrysler Corporation pledged to quickly build six prototypes. The first copy was manufactured on February 23, 1951, the rest by June 1952. Tests were carried out at the Aberdeen Proving Ground and revealed many shortcomings. Some of them were quickly eliminated, but some were not. But the army was so in need of a new tank (there was a war in Korea), so in April 1953 it was put into service. The M48 tank became the third in the Patton family; the M48 was mass-produced at the factories of Chrysler Corporation, General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Corporation and Alco Product. He owes his name to the general George Smith to Patton, commander of armored forces units who actively took part in World War II.

Medium tank M48 Patton general Patton, actively used in conflicts in Vietnam and the Middle East

The Patton III hull is a single casting weighing 13 tons and has a complex ellipsoidal shape. The thickness of the frontal and side armor is 120 and 75 mm, respectively. The combat weight of the tank was a considerable 44 tons.

Medium tank M48 General Pattonphoto , was constantly modernized and had several modifications:

M48A1(1954),
M48A2(1955),
M48A3 (1967) the car was equipped with a diesel engine.
M48A5 (1975), as well as variants for different countries.
The combat weight of the latest modification of the M48 has increased to 49 tons.
In the United States, the M48 Patton was withdrawn from service in 1990.
The operation of the M48 tanks continued for more than half a century. These tanks were actively used in conflicts in Vietnam and the Middle East. Currently, the tank is in service and in service in 13 countries around the world.
From 1952 to 1959 medium tanks M48 General Patton 11,703 units were manufactured.

Crew layout in M48 photo

countries that had the M48 Patton medium tank in service

The layout of the machine is traditional. The driver is located in the front of the hull on an adjustable seat. To conduct surveillance, he has periscope devices and an infrared periscope at his disposal.
Behind the control compartment is the fighting compartment. A hemispherical cast turret with weapons is installed above it. The weight of the tower is 6.3 tons. The thickness of the frontal armor is 152 mm. The turret contains work stations for the loader, gunner and commander.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the M48 medium tank General Patton

Patton's main armament consists of a 90 mm M41 tank gun. To remove gases from the barrel bore, the gun is equipped with an ejection device. Tank transportable ammunition - 60 rounds. To aim the gun at the target, two systems are used, hydraulic-main and manual drive. The cannon can be fired by both the commander and the gunner. To do this, the commander has at his disposal a stereoscopic sight-rangefinder with a targeting range of up to 4400 m, and the gunner uses periscopic and telescopic sights. The fire control system of the M48AZ tank was quite advanced even for the 1960s. A xenon searchlight with a luminous intensity of 1 million candles was mechanically linked to the gun barrel and gunner's sight and was used to illuminate the target with both visible and infrared beams of light.

In the modified turret of the M48A3 tank, a 90-mm M41 cannon with a T-shaped muzzle brake was installed photo

The rangefinder sight, gun and gunner's periscopic sight are connected through a ballistic drive and at the same time with a ballistic computer. To protect against a possible airborne enemy, a 12.7-mm remote-controlled machine gun is installed on its roof. This allows you to fire while inside the turret without leaving the tank.

M48 medium tank hit by a missile, Iran

On the first series of the M48 tank, two 7.62 mm machine guns were paired with a cannon. One of them was subsequently abandoned. Ammunition - 5900 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber and 180 rounds of 12.7 mm caliber. The M48 General Patton III medium tank was equipped with a V-shaped 12-cylinder gasoline carburetor engine. air cooling AV-1790-5B, 810 hp from Continental. The motor, combined into one unit with the transmission, is located in the engine-transmission compartment along the longitudinal axis.

A xenon searchlight with a luminous intensity of 1 million candles was mechanically connected to the gun barrel and the gunner’s sight and was used to illuminate the target with both a visible and infrared beam of light; by the way, it is missing from the photo here

Despite the impressive capacity of the internal fuel tanks of 757 liters, the cruising range was only 113 km. To increase the problem of low power reserve, on the stern Withmedium tank M48 General Patton, An additional four external 200-liter barrels were installed on the frame; they were used exclusively on the march. They were connected to a fuel line leading to the engine's gasoline pump. This allowed the power reserve to be doubled. Before the battle, the barrels were dismantled or urgently dumped. The gasoline engine installed on the early modification of the tank was very fire hazardous, and on the M48AZ it was replaced by a diesel Continental AVDS-1790-2A with a power of 560 kW (750 hp).

Painting of the main battle tank of the Moscow Military District, Company C, 3rd Battalion. 64th Tank Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division in Germany, June 1966

The design of the cast hull of the M48 tank included an oval bottom and an upper design with large design angles of inclination and tilt of the armor surfaces; the previous ones were box-shaped.

Camouflage, M48A5 medium tank, Company A, 1st Battalion, 149th Tank Regiment, California National Guard, 1982

The tank uses a custom torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers. The chassis consists of six paired rubber-coated road wheels on board and five support rollers. The caterpillar is steel with a rubber-metal hinge and rubber cushions. Internal equipment includes weapons protection equipment mass destruction, a heater for the crew, as well as communications equipment and an intercom.

Events Korean War pushed American designers to work on designing new models of armored weapons. It is generally accepted that this was dictated by the impression that the Soviet T-34-85 tank made on them with its combat and operational characteristics. Although besides this there was another, much more significant reason - the appearance in the Soviet Union of T-54 tanks, which radically surpassed the T-34-85 in combat performance. And if we add to this the considerable numerical superiority of the Soviet Army in tanks over the American one in Europe, then the United States had something to worry about.

Hurry up, don't rush...

In the fall of 1950, just a few months after the start of fighting in Korea, Detroit Arsenal engineers began to formulate the concept of a new medium tank. The main feature of this vehicle was the new cast armored hull.

Work on the T-48 tank moved at a record pace, and was completed by the beginning of 1951. Chrysler received a contract to manufacture several pre-production samples for practical testing. Strictly speaking, the T-48 was not a radically new tank, it was only a new “step” in the evolutionary branch begun by the Pattons, M-46 and M-47. The new Patton-3 has retained much from its predecessors 12-cylinder gasoline engine and transmission, chassis rollers and main armament caliber 90 mm. The tank crew, having lost the radio operator, was reduced to 4 people.

Work on the tank with serial designation M-48 was accompanied by unprecedented haste. Even before the completion of the full test cycle, the US ground forces placed an order for many hundreds of Patton-3s. And yet, the calculations for the M-48, as the main “counterweight” to the T-54, did not come true. For NATO specialists, this became obvious as detailed information became available about the Soviet tank, to which the Patton of the late 50s was inferior in all main indicators. And besides, it has already appeared in the USSR new version T-55 tank. Well, then the rule automatically worked: “ New threat new tank" The US Army needed the next model as urgently as the M-48 did in its time.

The promising American M-60 car bore in its appearance many of the “ancestral” features of the M-48. This was especially true of its original version, which only an experienced eye could distinguish from the Patton-3. The M-60 received a different “nose” of a traditional wedge shape and a more powerful 105 mm cannon. In general, the “early” M-60 can be called a “hybrid” tank: the M-48 turret was adapted for the installation of a new gun, and the hull was adapted for a diesel engine (750 hp).

The M-60 was put into service on the eve of 1960. The Americans soon realized that its armor did not provide reliable protection against fire from T-54xT-55 tank guns, and almost immediately began work on the next modification of the vehicle, which, under the name M-60a1, went into mass production in 1962. The thickness of the frontal armor (120 mm) slightly exceeded the T-54xT-55. The new, larger, turret with an improved anti-ballistic shape in the frontal part received 180 mm of armor (for the M-48 about 150 mm, for the T-54T-55 up to 200 mm).

M-48 "Patton-3"

The official unveiling ceremony of the M-48 took place on July 1, 1952, just a year and a half after the design was completed. Well, then began a long period of fine-tuning this “raw” car. There were so many design defects that the army at some point refused to accept these tanks, considering them unsuitable even for training purposes. Thus, the industry produced tanks, which were immediately sent to modernization centers for alteration and re-equipment. As a result of these manipulations, the price of the car turned out to be enormous.

The “finished” model of the tank became known as M-48a1. However, the car continued to be constantly improved. Thus, new variants were consistently born: M-48a2, M-48aZ, the last of which received a diesel engine in 1960. By this time, American military factories had produced about 12 thousand M-48s. Several hundred earlier models began to be upgraded to the level of the M-48aZ, since this version of the tank was closest to the level of the domestic “54”.

Cause for excitement

Information about the new American vehicle, which reached the USSR through intelligence, excited the military leadership. The head of the Nizhny Tagil Design Bureau and the creator of the T-54, T-55 L. Kartsev later described the atmosphere that reigned then in the Main Command of the Ground Forces, led by the hero of Stalingrad, General V. Chuikov, during a discussion of the current situation. “Chuikov called the tankers and asked: “What do we have?” They answer him: there is such a Kartsev in Tagil, he has a 115 mm cannon. But the roller balancers break. Chuikov literally thundered: “What are you doing here with different balance beams? Even on a pig, but put this gun on a tank!..”

A few years before this episode, work began at the Nizhny Tagil Design Bureau to improve the T-55 tank. The military personnel were poring over a new large-caliber tank gun (115 mm), the uniqueness of which was the absence of rifling in the barrel. “Smoothbore promised a sharp increase initial speed projectile and armor penetration indicators (later these calculations were brilliantly confirmed by practice). After Chuikovsky’s instructions, the course of events accelerated, and the T-62 was prepared for series in just six months (from January to July 1962).

In 1963, at one of the meetings with representatives of the army and defense industry, Khrushchev expressed the conceptual idea that, taking into account the possession of nuclear weapons by a potential enemy, tanks, if they are to be made at all, need to be equipped rocket weapons and reduce the crew to 2 people, based on the achieved level of mechanization and automation. This idea, due to its “futurological” speculativeness, seemed, first of all, to N. Khrushchev himself as fundamental. Such work was entrusted to the ChTZ design bureau, despite the fact that the main experts found it absurd. But at first no one dared to object; Nikita Sergeevich was quick to take “administrative” punishment.

The most difficult stage was the coordination of the project between all the “involved” departments. After all, they had to work on a utopia, and this was obvious to the practitioners who, at the training grounds and fronts, had undergone a serious school of field and combat operation of the tank. Their arguments generally boiled down to the following: a tank with a crew of 2 people will spend much more time observing the battlefield and searching for a target, especially since the driver’s task is to control the road. This means that only one person must search for the target and fire, he is also the 2nd crew member, he is also the commander, and only two will serve him in breaks between battles and marches. In addition, in field conditions, every 3rd tank has a platoon commander, every 10th tank has a company commander, and every 31st tank has a battalion commander.

But, despite all the arguments, the tactical and technical requirements outlined by N. Khrushchev were approved quickly and without changes: so as not to irritate the “supreme” with a long rigmarole. A year later, when Khrushchev was shown prototype“his” tank, the following happened. At the very beginning of the demonstration, engineer S. Benevolensky mentioned the tank’s ground clearance, to which N. Khrushchev noted that in the conditions of use nuclear weapons it would be better if the tank did not have this clearance at all. Well, when it came to the size of the crew, Marshal of the Armored Forces P. Rotmistrov, unable to restrain himself, said that a tank with a crew of 2 people would not be able to complete the combat mission at all. Khrushchev looked at him in surprise: “He and I drank more than one cup of ‘tea’ during the war, but he still doesn’t understand that it would be better if there was only one person in the tank!” And after some time, Rotmistrov was removed from office... But it was 1964, and soon the political career of Khrushchev himself ended. Following this, work on “his” tank was quietly closed.

"T-62"

The last tank adopted by the Soviet Army at the end of the Khrushchev era was the T-62. In 1962, it was considered top secret. The T-62 was first shown to the world in 1967 at the November military parade dedicated to the 50th anniversary October Revolution. The main “trump card” was rightly considered to be the newest smooth-bore 115-mm U5-TS (2A20) gun, which surpassed all other tank guns of its time in muzzle velocity 1,620 meters per second.

The appearance of the tank has changed slightly compared to the T-55. It added in dimensions, becoming 6x7 cm wider than its predecessor and 43 cm longer. The T-62 turret received an increased internal volume and more powerful frontal armor (242 mm) - unprecedented for a medium tank (only 2 Soviet heavy tanks: IS-4 and T-10).

Real danger

While the USA and the USSR were improving their military “muscles,” other national centers for the development of such equipment, primarily German and Japanese, began to slowly “come to life” in the world tank building industry in the mid-50s. This circumstance suggested a revival of “German militarism and the samurai military.” And since Japan in the 60s was already an ally of the United States, and Germany was a member of the North Atlantic Treaty, the Soviet side viewed this as America’s clear desire to become the leader of the “arms race” and the connection of the scientific and industrial potential of these countries to the military preparations of the West was considered new threat.

The Germans came close to creating their first post-war tank in the late autumn of 1956, when the Bundeswehr command formulated technical requirements for it. It took about a year to refine them and agree with the performers.

In October 1963, the first post-war German tank was given the name “Leopard”, but it was launched into large-scale production only on September 9, 1965. By this time, the design of the turret had been changed and improvements had been made to the chassis, as a result of which the “leopard” had gained even more weight. The appearance of the tank testified to the clear victory of the Soviet school of tank design. The Leopard definitely resembled the T-54, -55 and -62 both in the shape of the turret and the rational angles of the armor. The same applied to Japanese post-war tanks (types “61” and “74”). The first began to arrive in units of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in the early 60s. The armament, chassis and main equipment in it were American, but the appearance was “Soviet”, close to the early “fifty-fours”. The Type 74 was a later vehicle, reminiscent of the T-62. Thus, the evolutionary line of the T-34 finally triumphed in the world.

"Leopard-1"

Judging by the technical specifications, which were very “tough,” the German army conceptually abandoned its previous views on the battle tank as a super-heavy monster. In the new tank, the emphasis was on relative compactness: width no more than 3.15 m, relatively light armor, capable of “holding” 20-mm shells at all distances, and a moderate weight of no more than 30 tons. At the same time, through the development of a new powerful diesel engine, it was planned to provide a very high specific power for the tank (the ratio of engine power in hp and weight in tons) up to 25 27 hp. per ton and a range of at least 350 km at one refueling. Its main weapon was the 105 mm British L7 cannon.

Design work began in the fall of 1958. Two groups of firms began to work on them. The first “A” included Porsche, Mack, Luther and Jung. In the second “B” “Rurstal”, “Rheinstahl Hanomag” and “Henschel”. In 1959, the developers made a full-scale wooden model in order to test options for placing weapons, a crew, a propulsion system and other units and devices in a tank. The first real samples of the new car were released by the beginning of 1961. And although they were somewhat overweight (5×6 tons), they turned out to be quite successful - very mobile and the fastest in their “middle” class, which was ensured by the most advanced Daimler-Benz MV838a tank diesel engine with a power of 830 hp. With. (for Soviet diesel engines of the T-54, T-55 and T-62 tanks this figure ranged from 520 to 580 hp, for the American M-48 and M-60 750 hp).

Another "hot spot"

Thus, by the early-mid 60s of the last century, the formation of “pools” of friends and allies of the two superpowers was basically completed. “Membership” in them automatically dictated the choice of weapons, although some “participants” from time to time moved from one sphere of influence to another.

After the Middle East, the next theater of war and zone of geopolitical confrontation was Southeast Asia, more precisely Vietnam, where after the end of the Second World War and the surrender of Japan the French returned, who before the defeat of 1940, in addition to Vietnam, also controlled Cambodia and Laos, which formed the so-called French Indochina. However, at that time there were already Chinese and British troops on Vietnamese territory. The former controlled the northern, and the latter the southern parts of this country. In many provinces, key positions were captured by the Vietnamese Communists under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, who quickly became the main political force. In South Vietnam, the British tried several times to dictate their will, but each such attempt was invariably accompanied by serious armed incidents. Moreover, it happened that objects in the English zone were attacked not only by Viet Minh fighters (communists), but also by yesterday’s enemies of the British from among the captured Japanese, whom Ho Chi Minh ordered in such a way special occasion released from the camps. And the British, however, without any particular regrets, decided to give way to the old “master” France. The Vietnamese communists, at that time more inclined not to military, but to diplomatic methods of resolving the issue, signed an agreement that fixed the replacement of the British and Chinese in their country with the French.

In the spring of 1946, the main contingent of French troops arrived in Vietnam - an expeditionary force under the command of General Leclerc. Heavy armored weapons were mainly American - Sherman tanks, M-7 Priest self-propelled guns, M-8 and M-20 armored vehicles. (1956). The French began to methodically build roadblocks and strongholds, trying to take control of the main communications. At first, the Vietnamese did not seem to notice what was happening, but when they felt that the French “quantity” was turning into a qualitatively new threat for them, fighting broke out. A long-term war began, the result of which was the defeat of the French. After the signing of the Geneva Agreements in July 1954, the history of French influence in Indochina came to an end.

To each his own

During the ensuing military conflict, the ideological sympathies of the Soviet Union were on the side of Vietnam, which was also backed by the powerful Asian ally of the USSR - China. The United States fully supported the French, considering them an integral part of Western anti-communist civilization. In addition, the years of war in French Indochina were “superimposed” by the war in Korea, where the interests of the USSR and the USA also ultimately collided. The Americans were extremely worried about the Soviet-Chinese alliance, which seemed unshakable until the end of the 50s. Therefore, the worse “things” went for the French, the more the United States took part in regional conflicts. After France left, they managed to prevent the rapid spread of communist influence to the southern regions of Vietnam, where the independent government of Ngo Dinh Diem came to power.

In 1956, American military advisers appeared in Vietnam and set about rebuilding the armored corps, realizing that it would soon be needed. According to the Geneva Accords, free elections were to be held in the country. However, Ngo Dinh Diem refused to participate in them, and the division of Vietnam into 2 separate states turned out to be a fait accompli. Southerners sought to extend their power to the northern provinces, and communist detachments switched to guerrilla warfare in the south.

By the beginning of 1965, it became obvious that the Saigon regime was brought to the brink of disaster. There were attacks on the towns of American military advisers. Under the pretext of protecting them, the United States sent marine units to Da Nang, and by the end of 1965 they were drawn into fighting throughout South Vietnam. In response, the northerners began raids to the south. A new long war began to flare up, opening the next page in the combat history of armored forces.

First lessons

At first, all American tanks in Vietnam organizationally belonged to Marine Corps. By the end of 1965, their number was 65 M-48aZ vehicles, which at the first stage were, as a rule, busy patrolling the perimeters of large American bases. A serious combat debut awaited them in the Chalay area during Operation Starlight. This was a preemptive strike against a large (1,000 man) North Vietnamese force. "Patton-3" provided its infantry fire support, thanks to which the Americans managed to reduce their own losses and inflict significant damage on the enemy. However, in one of the combat episodes, the Vietnamese taught a cruel lesson to a column of several tanks that marched without infantry cover, attacking it from an ambush. In a few minutes, 4 Pattons died. The Americans, having drawn the necessary conclusions from what happened, determined a new tactic for using armored vehicles until the very end of the war. Its essence was the “fragmentation” of tank units into small groups, which were then transferred to infantry units mainly for their fire support.

The experience of Marine tankers was fully useful for their colleagues from the ground forces, although the decision to use army tanks was not made by the US military leadership without hesitation. Doubts boiled down to the question of how effective tank formations would be in the cramps between the hills, in the conditions of humid jungle, a poorly developed road network and a shortage of open, flat spaces that allow them to fully realize their combat potential. As a result, they decided to send army divisions to Vietnam, but sharply reduce the number of tanks and types of armored vehicles in them. The troops began to adapt to operating in specific conditions. Mechanized units were transformed into infantry units. Tanks were removed from divisions by battalions.

Throughout the war, perhaps the main task of tanks and armored vehicles was to escort military convoys. Gradually, army units developed their own experience. The Vietnamese units, which did not yet have heavy equipment, took full advantage of the advantages created by nature for small partisan units. Their main means of fighting tanks were Soviet RPG anti-tank grenade launchers. In response to this tactic, the Americans developed the “interlocking” technique: in the event of a sudden shelling from an ambush or attack, the tanks began to move extremely quickly to the left and right of the convoy, covering the vehicles with their own armor and heavy fire. Another technique was the use of false columns or “bait columns” to localize ambushes or provoke the enemy into offensive actions and suppress them with the same tanks. These methods proved quite effective, allowing supply caravans and troop columns to pass through the most dangerous places. In general, the first years of the conflict (1965-1966) were spent on mastering the theater of combat operations and developing principles for the use of tanks. But the next year, 1967, opened the period of their “maturity”. Some of the armored vehicles “taken away” from them in 1965 began to be returned to the army mechanized formations.

By 1968, the significant role of armored vehicles in the “affairs” of American troops in Vietnam was unconditionally accepted even by skeptics. This was especially convincingly confirmed by the military operations during the repulsion of the offensive of the Vietnamese troops, which they organized on the eve of the Tet holiday (New Year in local lunar calendar). Their enemy had no idea that the Vietnamese would begin active operations during one of their main holidays.

The surprise attacks of the Tet Offensive (it was under this name that it went down in history) were carried out in those areas and cities where the presence of American and South Vietnamese troops turned out to be insignificant. By the beginning of the fighting, the “heavy” formations were located at a distance from the sites of the main events. Therefore, only compact mobile mechanized groups of M-48aZ tanks and M-113 armored personnel carriers could quickly “join” the fight. It was they who turned out to be the “core” of the counterattack forces, which ultimately managed to fend off the Viet Cong’s attacks.

In the cities of Hue and Bien Hoa, during street battles, tanks covered the infantry with armor, while simultaneously acting as self-propelled artillery pieces that provided fire support to the assault groups, without which they would have suffered enormous damage. And yet, the losses of armored vehicles turned out to be very significant thanks to the RPG-7 grenade launchers, which the Viet Cong had in large quantities. Things got to the point where, to replace the failed diesel M-4-8aZs, the American command had to replenish tank units with early Patton-3s (modifications of the M-48a1 with gasoline engines). Tankers did not like them due to the increased fire hazard in battle and the small power reserve.

In addition to the M-48 series vehicles, the US Army also used in Indochina the “new product” of those years: the M-551 Sheridan light tanks with bulletproof aluminum armor and a short-barreled 152 mm caliber gun. The Sheridan turned out to be ill-suited to operate in the special conditions of Vietnam, where the enemy much more often remained invisible, preferring to fight enemy tanks from ambushes using RPG-7s and anti-tank mines. Here the “cardboard” armor of the M-551 served more as a psychological than practical protection for the crews who did not like them very much.

Tanks for Vietnam

The North Vietnamese army began acquiring its own tanks in the first half of the 60s. But then there were few of them - Soviet light amphibious PT-76 with thin armor and outdated T-34-85. During all the years of the war in Indochina, it is believed that there was only one episode of combat between American and North Vietnamese tanks. M-D8 and PT-76 took part in it.

At the very beginning of March 1969, the Vietnamese attacked the American special forces camp in Binh Hit. 8 PT-76s of the 202nd Tank Regiment of the Northern Army went on the attack. One tank hit a mine and broke down even as it was moving to the attack line; in the battle itself, the Vietnamese lost two tanks and knocked out one M-48.

Later, the North Vietnamese army received large quantities of T-5D tanks and their Chinese counterparts Type-59. By this time, the US Army was gradually moving away from the ground war, placing its burden on the Saigon troops. The Americans themselves switched to waging war from the air. Therefore, future tank battles in Vietnam had to be fought by the children of this divided country.

Six days of war

And yet, tank operations in Indochina, which were limited in nature, turned out to be incomparable in scale to those that took place in the Middle East in the same 60s.

The 1956 war, during which Egypt, defeated by Israel and the Anglo-French, was “saved” only thanks to Soviet intervention, turned out to be just a “mycelium” from which the following Middle Eastern wars grew. The Arabs, with the help of the USSR, were preparing for future clashes with the “Zionist” enemy.

The direct prelude to war was May 18, 1967. The Egyptian president demanded the withdrawal of UN forces from the armistice line with Israel and the coast of the Gulf of Tiran, sending his troops there, and blocked the exit of Israeli ships into the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aqaba. A few days later, Jordan joined the Egyptian-Syrian anti-Israeli “front.” A blockade of the Israeli coast was declared.

Under these conditions, the Israeli General Staff began preparing a powerful preventive strike against the Arabs. The main threat was considered to be the highly probable coordinated offensive actions of superior enemy forces from three directions, and therefore it was decided to defeat the coalition armies one by one. The direction of the main attack was determined to be western, towards Sinai, since the Egyptian army posed the main danger. On the morning of June 5, IDF formations went on the offensive with massive air support. First, the Israeli Air Force achieved air superiority in a few tens of minutes, destroying the Egyptian Air Force at its home airfields.

Following this, the armored forces, already pulled up to the border in advance, crossed the armistice line and moved along the Sinai Peninsula towards the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Tirana. At the forefront of the attack were the “centurions”, who had already shown themselves well in past border skirmishes on the Syrian border, where their opponents were T-34-85, T-54, German T-IV tanks and self-propelled guns "Sturmgeschutz-Sh".

By the morning of June 6, they had advanced tens of kilometers deep into Egyptian territory. On the 2nd day of fighting, the 2nd Tank Division of the Egyptians was caught in the “bag”. In some areas, the Arab resistance was stubborn, especially at the line held by a battalion of heavy IS-ZMs with 122-mm guns. The Israeli military later admitted that it was an inconvenient and dangerous enemy. However, as the Israeli General Staff had hoped, fate Western Front was decided in the first two days of the war. The IDF had air supremacy on its side, and attack aircraft actively assisted its tanks on the line of combat contact with the enemy. The commander of the tank forces, General I. Tal, professed the tactics of deep tank breakthroughs and left behind his mobile formations the dissected Egyptian divisions, “entrusting” them to the second echelon of the advancing army. The commander of the Egyptian army, Marshal Amer, gave the order to withdraw the remnants of his troops from Sinai, and essentially the Arab group was finished.

It suffered huge losses - more than 800 tanks were destroyed or captured. Among them are 290 T-54, 70 IS-ZM, 82 T-55, 245 T-34-85, about fifty Shermans, 30 PT-76 and several dozen SU-100. The Israelis lost approximately 130 tanks, also mostly modern Pattons and Centurions, which can be considered significant for the IDF.

Having solved the problem in the West, on June 9, six Israeli “centurion” brigades went on the offensive against Syrian troops on the Northern Front. Heavy and very intense battles ensued, where the Arab troops had an advantage in the very nature of the terrain. On the hills of the rocky Golan Heights, T-54A positions were occupied. By the end of the day, Israeli troops nevertheless broke through the Syrian defenses, but on that day the UN Security Council decided on a ceasefire. Although the military success of the IDF on the Syrian front was evident, the ratio of losses here was not in favor of the attackers. The Israelis lost 160 tanks and the Syrians lost about 80. Among them were former Wehrmacht tanks.

The tank battles of the Six-Day War went down in history as the largest in the entire 22-year period after the end of World War II. In addition, the vast majority of them involved machines of new generations, which then seemed to be the limit of perfection and power. In the design bureaus of the main tank powers, work on improving armored vehicles did not stop for a day. In the Soviet Union, amid the roar of battles in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, by 1967 they created the newest miracle tank T-64...”

Alexander Korshunov
To be continued

Any person playing computer game, strives to get to the top as quickly as possible: get the best equipment, compete and defeat the strongest opponents. The same applies to the game World Of Tanks. Today we will tell you about the tier ten American medium tank "M48 Patton". A universal machine for destroying the enemy. This is the most perfect creation in WoT. Development branches represent the best classes of American STs. It can be considered the golden mean among all similar machines.

gun

Speaking about tanks of the maximum level in the game, you should immediately note that after receiving them you no longer need to develop them. Usually they are supplied with the maximum configuration, and you won’t have much choice as to what to install. The same goes for the M48 Patton.

The only exception is that in the “stock version” it only has a level 8 gun installed. Considering that this car adapted for battles against levels 9 and 10, this can become a problem. Therefore, after purchasing, try to gain experience on premiums or hope that you will be thrown into easy battles.

90 mm Gun M41. The basic weapon of this tank. Only premium shells have good penetration (263). As stated, the M48 Patton is a universal machine. Therefore, in the basic version, it is only suitable for shooting down a grapple and spotting.
105 mm Gun T5E1M2 is a tier 9 weapon. American tanks in general are a good choice for those who like to play CT. Penetration with regular shells is 218, with premium shells - 265.
The 105 mm Gun M68 is the pinnacle of weaponry for the tank we are considering. Penetration - 268/330. Of course, they are weak, but that is not the point. A vehicle with such a gun is capable of conducting not only reconnaissance, but also long-term trench warfare against heavy tanks.

Having a rate of fire of 7 rounds per minute and an aiming speed of 2 seconds, the weapon allows you to conduct dynamic battles in urban environments and quickly change locations.

Tower

There is no choice here. Unfortunately, this device is weak point"M48 Patton". Due to the protruding commander's cupola, there is an increased risk of concussion for this important crew member. And the size of the main turret leaves much to be desired - traditionally, American tanks remain the easiest target.

But the visibility increases (420 meters). As was said, by taking a fairly comfortable position from above, you will be able to illuminate the battlefield better than other similar vehicles. Considering the radio station's operating range is 745 meters, taking a position in the center of the map, you can not only shine on enemies in a large radius, but also enjoy the game.

Funny numbers are given by the booking. The rear protection of the turret is higher than that of the hull and amounts to 50 units. It allows you to have a good chance of defending against a one-shot from a landmine, but can easily be penetrated even by light tanks.

The side armor is the same as that of the hull and is 76 mm. At the same time, the frontal protective plate is 25 mm thicker than the body with an indicator of 177 mm.

Movement

And now we come to the second disadvantage of the M48 Patton tank. The engine combined with the chassis provides too low a maximum speed to use this ST as a reconnaissance vehicle.

At maximum speed at 45 km/h on a flat road and 20 km/h on the ground, you will quickly fall behind the attacking group and, most likely, you will simply die alone under a wave of enemy attack.

Thus, choose the most dangerous directions where you don't have to travel long. You will only be able to provide proper support if you manage to get to the scene of the firefight in time.

Crew skills

American tanks develop in a very versatile way, allowing players to choose several behavior models. Considering that the tank in question has very weak armor for the tenth level, we will consider only one option for distributing skills - for a sniper.

IN WoT branches development various models tanks can be the same in effectiveness or very diverse. Based on this, skill sets can be selected that are quite universal.

Give all crew members of your Patton "the skill" Combat brotherhood". This is a universal skill that will increase the efficiency of the entire crew.
"Disguise". Also needed by all crew members, since we are going to play Sniper.
The crew commander must have the “Sixth Sense” ability in order to change firing position when the sniper is detected by the enemy. And of course, “Eagle Eye” to increase viewing and shooting range.
The gunner must be able to disable enemy equipment or crew members. To do this, he will need the Sniper skill. "Venedictive" will also be useful. Allows you to keep the enemy at gunpoint for longer, which is very useful at long distances.
The driver must have everything that will make the car easier in motion. “Virtuoso” and “Smooth Move” are good options. You will be able to shoot more accurately while moving and turn faster.
With the profession of a loader, everything is a little more complicated. We can say with absolute certainty that he needs the Radio Interception skill to increase his viewing range. Second in the official guide additional skill"Desperate" is suggested to speed up reloading when durability drops below 10%. Considering the low armor of the tank, you will be killed faster than you have time to properly use it. Therefore, we suggest you use "Intuition". It can be useful if you have to quickly change the type of shells before the enemy disappears.

Equipment

Since we are playing as a sniper tank, you will need everything that can be used for battle on long distance.

Install the Rammer first to increase the reload speed. Due to long-range shooting, you will have to shoot more often to hit a fast enemy.

Use "improved ventilation" to increase the level of all crew skills. In our case, it is irreplaceable.

And the last irreplaceable weapon of a sniper is a stereo tube. Gives +25% to vision when the car is stationary for 4 seconds. There is probably no point in describing its benefits for our tank.

Into battle

So, how to play the M48 Patton? Due to low speed and weak armor, you will never be at the forefront of an attack or at the head of a column. And it's not necessary. Your main advantage is damage and vision. Thanks to good cross-country ability, you can always bypass the enemy off-road and attack from the most unpredictable directions.

Remember - the Patton M48 tank does not fight alone. Your task is to support the group with fire from a long distance or from unpredictable directions, but at the same time not allow yourself to be detected. In this case, it will be difficult to escape.

"M48 Patton", the guide you are reading, is ideal for experienced players. He will not be able to “pull out” the entire battle alone, but if used correctly, he can turn the tide of every battle on the map.

Resume

It's time to summarize what American tanks are capable of, and in particular the one we talked about today.

The advantages include:

good vertical firing angle;
viewing range;
high cross-country ability and maneuverability;
accuracy.

Disadvantages:

large size;
poor armor;
frequent damage to the ammunition rack and concussion of the commander.

In the second half of the 1950s, M48s were the main tanks of the US Army and Marine Corps and were deployed both in the United States and in Europe.

For the first time, M48 tanks had a chance to “smell gunpowder” soon after entering the army. In the summer of 1958, a brigade of American Marines landed in Lebanon with the task of stabilizing the situation in connection with the escalating civil war. The brigade included the 3rd Marine Tank Battalion, which was armed with the M48A1.

BERLIN CRISIS

In 1958-1961, another Berlin crisis broke out. On August 13, 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall began, and in the fall it almost came to a clash between Soviet and American troops. On October 28, 1961, the Americans planned an action to destroy border barriers at one of the checkpoints in Berlin. Soviet military intelligence received information in advance about the exact time of the start of the operation and the forces involved in it. Thanks to this, it was possible to prepare a response and prevent possible bloody clashes. The information was accurate. At first, actions developed in accordance with the plan developed by the Americans. Three jeeps with military and civilians were moving towards the checkpoint at the Brandenburg Gate, followed by powerful bulldozers and bringing up the rear with 10 M48A2 tanks with closed hatches and uncovered guns. As a counterplane, up to an infantry battalion and T-54A tanks of the 68th Guards Tank Regiment were placed in the alleys in this area. After the jeeps passed the checkpoint without hindrance, the engines of our tanks were started, and they began to emerge from the alleys to meet the bulldozers. The bulldozers stopped in the western territory before reaching the demarcation line. Soviet tanks were also stopped. The jeeps, rushing about behind the rear of our tanks, turned around and returned to West Berlin. The tanks, American and Soviet, remained in place. They were separated by no more than 200 m. The confrontation lasted 17 hours. Then, on command from Moscow, our tanks turned around and went back into the alleys. After 20-30 minutes, the American tanks and bulldozers also left. The M48 tanks received their real baptism of fire in Vietnam.

FROM VIETNAM TO THE MIDDLE EAST

In March 1965, transports with M48AZ tanks from the 3rd Tank Battalion of the US Marine Corps arrived in the South Vietnamese port of Danang. From the point of view of the tactics of using tank units in conditions guerrilla warfare The Marines did not offer anything new: guarding military bases, escorting transport convoys and direct infantry support. In the latter case, one infantry company one tank was given.

The only battle between Vietnamese and American tanks during the entire war took place on March 3, 1969. At night, eight Vietnamese PT-76s, supported by armored personnel carriers, attacked a special forces camp in Ben Het.

American intelligence knew about the attack in advance. Company B, 1st Battalion, 69th Armored Cavalry Regiment, U.S. Army, took up positions along the road between Ben Het and Dak To in advance. Directly in the camp there was one platoon of M48A3 tanks and two M42 ZSUs. The camp was attacked by the 4th battalion of the 202nd tank regiment of the VNA (12 PT-76 tanks and several BTR-50 PK armored personnel carriers). The goal of the attack was to destroy the positions of the battery of 175 mm M107 self-propelled guns. The lead PT-76 hit a mine, but its crew continued to fire cannon fire at the enemy. The remaining tanks were met with concentrated fire. The Vietnamese attack floundered after the loss of two PT-76s and one BTR-50 PK. One M48A3 was badly damaged - a high-explosive fragmentation shell (or mortar mine) pierced the loader's hatch and exploded inside, killing the loader and driver. It should be noted that at the final stage of the war, the M48 was in service with both units of the South Vietnamese army and units of the Vietnamese People's Army, which captured these tanks as trophies. In the 203rd Tank Brigade, for example, in addition to Soviet and Chinese-made armored vehicles, there were also captured M41 and M48 tanks and M113 armored personnel carriers. The press reported that Vietnam used captured M48s even in 1979 during battles in Cambodia. In 1965, Pakistan used the M48 in battles against Indian troops, and was extremely unsuccessful. The 1st Pakistani Tank Division, equipped with combat vehicles of this type, was almost completely destroyed by anti-tank weapons and fire from Indian Centurions. The most widespread use of M48 series tanks was during the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973. All M48s received by Israel were brought to the level of M48A5 (“Magah-3”) and even more.

The last military operation in which the Magah-3 tanks of the Israel Defense Forces took part was Operation Peace to Galilee.

The Magah-3 tanks were in service with only one of the nine divisions that participated in this war - the 90th reserve division. It consisted of three tank and two infantry brigades. Tanks "Magakh-3" were available in two tank brigades- 734th and 943rd. There are six battalions in total. The Israeli M48s did not show themselves to be anything special in this war. In any case, only one episode with their participation was included in the chronicles of the war - the battle near the village of Sultan-Yaakub.

On the night of June 10-11, Israeli military intelligence missed the replacement of the remnants of the 1st Armored Division with the forces of the fresh 3rd Armored Division. The movement of the Syrian troops was mistaken for the retreat of the remnants of the 1st Armored Division, opening the way to the Beirut-Damascus highway. One of the battalions of the 90th IDF division, sent to set up barriers along the road leading to the highway, due to a commander’s mistake, missed the desired point and ended up in the very center of the Syrian units in the area of the village of Sultan Yaakub, where it was blocked. Attempts by units of the 90th and 880th divisions to relieve the battalion continued until 11:00 on June 11, when the battalion and the units participating in its release retreated beyond the range of the Syrians' anti-tank weapons, losing eight Magah-3 tanks and 23 people killed.

GUARDING PEACE AND CAPITALISM

Until the mid-1960s, the M48 was the main tank of the American military. The Patton IIIs were in service with the Army and Marine Corps and were stationed both in the continental United States and in Europe. In “international terms,” the M48 can be considered unlucky - it remained “intermediate” between the M47 and M60. For example, in NATO, even in 1965, M48s were in service only in Germany and Norway, while other countries preferred (or did not want to change) M47s and Centurions.

In the United States itself, already in the 1960s, the M48 began to be transferred to the National Guard. The M48 A3 variant lasted much longer in the Marine Corps - they were still in service in the early 1980s. In 1982, for example, M48AZ tanks were available at the Guantanamo Bay military base, where they were regularly used for patrols.

In 1979, the United States hastily delivered 50 M48A5 tanks to Thailand. Over the next two years, these tanks took part in skirmishes with units of the Vietnamese People's Army on the Thai-Cambodian border.

In the 1980s, the Moroccan army had three Patton battalions (114 M48s with 90 mm guns and 65 M48A5s). They were intensively used in operations against units of the Polisario Front. M48 tanks took part in the 8th Iran-Iraq War. At the beginning of the war, Iran had 240 M48A5 tanks. In September 1981, Iran decided to use Pattons to stop the Iraqi advance on Abadan, which ended in failure. Iranian troops were defeated. Within one day, the Iranians lost 150 M48 tanks destroyed and captured.