M47E2 Patton – Procházka

Tá M47 Patton was an American medium tank, developed in the early years of the Cold War as a direct successor to the M46 Patton. It was the second American tank to be named after General George S. Patton, and was intended as a stopgap solution to rapidly counter the new Soviet tank designs, particularly the T-54.

It was essentially a hybrid design, combining a modified M46 hull with a newly designed, larger T42 turret, and was one of the first US tanks to incorporate a modern stereoscopic rangefinder and an improved fire control system.

• Hlavní výzbroj: One 90 mm Gun M36 (originally designated the T119E1). This rifled cannon was an improvement over the M46’s gun and could fire various types of ammunition, including AP, HE, and HEAT rounds.
• Secondary Armament: Typically included a coaxial .30-caliber (7.62 mm) machine gun, a .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Heavy Barrel machine gun on the turret roof for anti-aircraft and close support, and a flexible .30-caliber machine gun in the hull (bow gunner position).
• Motor: Powered by a Continental V12 air-cooled gasoline engine (AV-1790-5B) generating 810 horsepower.
• Crew: Five—Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver, and an Assistant Driver/Bow Gunner. The M47 was the last US tank design to feature a dedicated bow machine gunner.
• Brnění: Featured an all-cast steel hull and turret, with a well-sloped upper glacis plate to increase effective protection.

The M47 was produced in large numbers (over 8,500 units) from 1951 to 1953. However, it saw very brief service as the primary US tank before being rapidly replaced by the more advanced M48 Patton starting in 1953.

Consequently, the M47 is notable for being the only tank in the Patton series that never saw combat while in direct US service. Its true legacy lies in its extensive use by US Cold War allies.

Thousands were exported under the Military Assistance Program to NATO and SEATO nations, becoming the backbone of armored forces in countries like West Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, and Spain. It saw combat action with foreign operators in various conflicts, including the Indo-Pakistani Wars, the Suez Crisis, the Six-Day War, and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

Many foreign operators kept the M47 in service for decades, often developing their own modernization programs, such as the M47M (an Iranian/Pakistani upgrade with an M60 engine) and Spanish variants featuring 105 mm guns.