Meet the M46 Patton that saw service with France! Today, we’ll take a look at the main reward for the next Battle Pass, The Last Legionnaire!
M46 Patton: A Premium Medium Tank for France at Rank IV
At a glance:
- Strong HEATFS and APHE shells.
- Good protection at the front of the turret.
- Effective mobility.
In 1945, a program to create a new medium tank for the U.S. Army based on the M26 Pershing was launched. The Detroit Arsenal built 10 prototypes with a new engine, slightly longer chassis and a modernized M3A1 gun with a new muzzle brake. The prototypes were submitted for testing in 1949, but even before being completed, the vehicle was approved for serial production and standardized as the M46 General Patton medium tank. M46 tanks took part in the Korean War and were also supplied to European countries in the 1950s, in particular France and Belgium.
Introducing the M46 Patton!
The premium M46 Patton is joining France as the main tank reward in The Last Legionnaire Battle Pass season! This tank is exceptionally versatile, allowing it to be used in any role during battle and will also make for an excellent addition to several French lineups, helping to add some variety and speed up research due to its premium status. Let’s take a closer look!
In general, the M46 is slightly superior to its direct ancestor, the M26, in several key aspects. One area where it has improved is its engine — although the top forward speed hasn’t changed, the horsepower has improved significantly. This extra power means the M46 can reverse slightly faster and can boast greater overall agility, making it fairly effective in this regard.
The M46 uses a functionally identical cannon to the M26, keeping its horizontal and vertical aiming angles, however it offers increased firepower. Aside from a new muzzle break, the most important addition is the new HEATFS shell, featuring high muzzle velocity and good penetration of up to 305 mm at all distances. Since the M46 participates in battles where ERA and spaced armor are rarer, the HEATFS shell is reasonable to use as the main round on this tank. Although the APCBC shell is best used for those side shots!
Moving onto armor now, where the M46 has not undergone any significant changes compared to the M26. The turret front and mantlet area can easily withstand hits from weaker tank guns, and while the hull is relatively unimpressive front-on, when angled it can defeat many of the weaker guns around the rank as well. The internals however are fairly cramped and full of ammo, with a frontal penetration usually resulting in an ammo explosion or the loss of most crew members. The new shell and engine does make the M46 significantly more versatile than the M26, the mobility comfortably allows for rushes and flanks, while the HEATFS rounds make sniping defensively at long range much more viable. There’s rarely a situation the M46 can’t deal with.
That’s it for today! You can get the premium French M46 Patton for completing challenges in the upcoming Battle Pass season, The Last Legionnaire that starts on January 22nd. Stay tuned, we’ll soon announce the full list of details and rewards for this new season!
Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.
