M47 i M48 Patton - USA: książki - historia, typy i technika (2/2)

The early Cold War years saw the need for a more powerful tank than the Sherman and Pershing tanks. The first Patton tanks (M46) were converted Pershings which saw service in Korea. To counter the Soviet military threat, the M47 with a more effective 90mm gun and turret went into mass production. In total 8,576 were produced.

The new M48 entered service in 1953 with the M47s pawned off mainly to NATO allies whose armies were being rebuilt. Despite serious initial deficiencies, over 12,000 gasoline-powered examples (M48A1/A2/A2C) came into service. These were followed by the diesel-powered M48A3 which the US Marine Corps and US Army took to South Vietnam.

In the late 1950s the US Army began fielding the diesel-powered M60 series with its British-designed 105mm gun. By 1982 over 15,000 units had been built in four basic models. Simultaneously the M48A5 Patton tank with the same 105mm gun and diesel engines went into service with US Army Reserve and National Guard and friendly foreign armies.

The Patton tank, in its many variants, formed the armoured mainstay of the US and many foreign armies for some 40 years.
As this fascinating book reveals, Pattons were also made into specialist role vehicles, be they anti-aircraft, flame throwers, recovery or combat engineer. Additionally customer countries, notably Israel, made their own modifications to their M48s which remained in service until the late 1990s.

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 witnessed the largest tank battles seen since World War II, notably between India's British-made Centurion Mk 7s and the American-made M48 Pattons fielded by Pakistan.
Following nearly two decades of tensions and sporadic conflict between India and Pakistan, in August 1965 several thousand Pakistani soldiers entered the disputed territory of Kashmir disguised as local civilians, to which India responded with a successful ground assault.

The ensuing battles would demonstrate that the Centurion, with its powerful gun and heavier armour, generally proved superior to the faster, lighter but overly complex Patton.
Featuring full-colour artwork, expert analysis and absorbing combat accounts, this is the full story of the clash between two leading tanks of the Cold War era that were never designed to fight each other, but rather to line up on battlefields as allies.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - The Strategic Situation - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Aftermath - Bibliography - Index.