TM 9-718a 90-MM Gun Tank M47 Patton Technical Manual


Book Description

The 90mm gun tank M47 Patton is an American medium tank and the second tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II. It was a further development of the M46 Patton tank. The M47 was the U.S. Army's and Marine Corps' primary tank, intended to replace the M46 Patton and M4 Sherman medium tanks. The M47 was the only Patton series tank that never saw combat while in United States service. Many different M47 Patton models remain in service internationally. The M47 Patton was developed by the Detroit Arsenal, and entered production in 1951. Its main gun was the M36 (T119E1) 90-mm gun with an M12 optical rangefinder fitted. The secondary armament consisted of two .30cal Browning machine guns, one in the bow of the hull and one coaxial machine gun in the turret, and a .50cal Browning M2 on a pintle mount on the turret roof. The M47 was the last American designed tank to include a bow machine gun. Created in 1952, this technical manual reveals a great deal about the 90-mm gun tank M47, and its design and capabilities. Intended as a manual for those responsible for operation and maintenance, it details many aspects of the M47's engine, turret, and cooling system. Originally labeled restricted, this manual was declassified long ago and is here reprinted in book form. Care has been taken to preserve the integrity of the text.







Tank 90-MM Gun M48 Field Manual: FM 17-79


Book Description

The M48 Patton is an American medium tank and the third and final tank to be named after Gen. George S. Patton. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II, was one of the earliest American proponents of tanks. The M48 was a further development of the M47, and served as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps's primary tank during the Vietnam War. The M48 was a completely new tank design, and the last U.S. tank to mount a 90mm gun. Nearly 12,000 were built between 1952 and 1959. It was initially outfitted with a somewhat unreliable gasoline engine which, during the Arab-Israeli conflicts, proved vulnerable to conflagrations when hit by enemy fire. Beginning in 1948, some units were upgraded to the M28A3 model which used a safer and more reliable diesel engine. In the mid-1970s improved M48A5 models were created which carried the 105mm gun. These served well into the 1980s with American forces and many continue in service today with foreign armies. Created in 1955, this field manual reveals a great deal about the M48's design and capabilities. Intended as a manual for training and operation, it details many characteristics of the tank, and explains in detail the fire-control instruments. Furthermore, it describes the firing duties, crew drills, and service of the piece. Originally labeled restricted, this manual was declassified long ago and is here reprinted in book form. Care has been taken to preserve the integrity of the text.




90-mm Gun Tank M47


Book Description







Tiger Tanks at War


Book Description

The first prototype for the Tiger tank was set to be ready for Hitlers birthday on April 20, 1942. The Henschel Company, competing with Porsche, produced the superior model, and by August of that year the formidable Tiger--or Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. H.--was in full production. This book takes us behind the scenes with the Tiger tank, reviewing the full history, the design and mechanics, and the mixed record of this machine, which was designed to outgun its Russian counterparts. Military writer Michael Green offers a close-up account--accompanied by photographs, diagrams, and maps--of how the Tiger tank operated, how it was armed, and where it succeeded brilliantly, as well as where it failed miserably. His book fills a fascinating niche in the history of military technology, and of the impact of technology on history itself.







Honest John


Book Description

HONEST JOHN is the dramatic unvarnished autobiography of Walker “Bud” Mahurin, an American fighter ace who performed extraordinary feats of skill and bravery in shooting down more than twenty enemy planes in two wars, only to be called a traitor by many after he was forced to sign a germ-warfare confession by the Chinese Communists. In his own words, Col. Mahurin recalls the youth from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who was the leading American ace in Europe until his Thunderbolt was shot down over France, who escaped to fight again in the Pacific and returned in 1945 a much decorated war hero. When hostilities broke out in Korea in 1950, Col. Mahurin wangled his way out of his Pentagon desk job and soon, under the code name of “Honest John,” was flying against the MIGs over Communist skies. Then one fateful day in May, 1952, while perfecting the F-86 dive-bombing technique he himself had pioneered, his Sabre jet was hit by ground fire and crashed in a North Korean rice paddy. Thus began Col. Mahurin’s ordeal, an experience which few Americans have encountered and fewer still have survived. For over a year he was kept in solitary confinement by his captors, interrogated almost constantly and subjected to a veritable arsenal of mental pressures and “invisible tortures” as the Communists sought their elusive confession. In harrowing detail he relates his attempt at suicide and his devices for resisting while still maintaining sanity...




IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944–73


Book Description

The Iosef Stalin tanks were the ultimate heavy tanks developed by the Soviet Union and were popularly called 'Victory tanks' due to their close association with the defeat of Germany in 1945. Yet in spite of their reputation, the Stalin tanks emerged from a troubled design, had a brief moment of glory in 1944 and 1945, and disappeared in ignominy after 1960. This title covers the events contributing to the Soviet Union's need to design the new series, with particular reference to the unsuccessful KV series and the advent of a new generation of heavy German tanks including the Tiger. It also covers their development, operational history and myriad variants.




Patton


Book Description

This ambitious entry in R.P. Hunnicutt's 10-volume compendium of American tank history details the development of the Patton tanks, including the M60 series as well as other vehicles based on the tank chassis or employing other elements of the tank's design. First developed in the period between WWII and the Korean War, various iterations of the Patton armored military vehicle have served as a crucial component of American military operations in all manner of engagements. Hunnicutt spares no detail as he examines the origins and deployment of the M46 and M47 in the early days of the Cold War and for the duration of the Korean War. As the conflict escalated, increasing numbers of Patton tanks were deployed in Korea and many remained after the armistice to protect the tenuous agreement. Developed to replace the M47 Patton and M4 Sherman, the M48 Patton main battle tank boasted a variety of technical improvements and was relied upon heavily throughout the Vietnam War, with over 600 individual tanks deployed alongside U.S. forces during the war. Hunnicutt provides detailed technical information about these vehicles and their role in the U.S. Army and Marines. The M60 product-improved descendant of the Patton tanks and its many variations is also treated with exacting detail by Hunnicutt, who takes us through the numerous and important variations on the Patton design. Spanning the history of America's most widely used main battle tank, Hunnicutt's "Patton" is an absolute must-have for anyone interested in the history of the American military. Richard Pearce Hunnicutt (1926-2011) enlisted in the 7th Infantry Division in 1944 and in 1945 was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions. After WWII, Hunnicutt earned a Masters in engineering from Stanford University under the GI Bill. In addition to being one of the most respected metallurgists in California, Hunnicutt wrote the definitive 10-volume history of the development and employment of American armored vehicles. As a tank historian and leading expert in the field, Hunnicutt was one of the founders of the US Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and was a close friend and frequent contributor to the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, KY.