- Yes
- No
Welcome to another suggestion for France. Here we will be having a look at the M47 Patton in French service.
Development of the M47 starts with its predecessor the M46 as well as with the supposed replacement of the latter, the T42. The T42 was a wholly new tank designed to fully replace older designs still in US service at the time such as the M4, M26 and M46. However, with a development cycle that encountered issues and war breaking out in Korea, the US found themselves needing a new tank sooner than expected. Thus the decision was made to mount the T42 turret on an M46 chassis, creating the M47. This design was adequate and production was started soon after. The vehicle entered US service in 1951.
The M47 found itself produced in very large numbers and was also widely exported. One of the nations to receive the M47 was France. In the years shortly after World War 2, France desperately tried to get its arms industry back up and running. In the process many different tanks were produced, but few managed to meet the expectations set out by the general staff. At this point, France was already operating the M24, M26 and M46 and all these vehicles were far surpassing expectations. So when the US offered the M47 to France in 1950, they were more than happy to take the deal.
The M47 started arriving in France starting in 1953, here it became the backbone of the armored forces, replacing the older M26 and M46. The vehicles remained in service into the 70s when they were eventually replaced by the domestically designed AMX-30.
In the end, France would receive 856 M47 tanks, making it the fifth largest operator of the type, after the US, Italy, Germany and Turkey.
General characteristics:
- Weight: 44.1 ton
- Crew: 5 (driver, co-driver, gunner, loader, commander)
- Engine: Continental AV-1790-5B V12 (810 hp at 2800 rpm)
- Power-to-weight: 17.6 hp/ton
- Top speed: 48 km/h
- Reverse speed: -14 km/h
- Turret rotation speed: 30°/s
- Vertical guidance: -8 / 19
Armament:
- Main Gun: 90 mm M3A1
- Stowage: 71 rounds
- Ammunition:
- M318A1 APBC
- M82 APCBC
- M332 APCR
- M71A1 HE
- M431 HEAT-FS
- M313 Smoke
- Coaxial weapon: 7.62mm M1919A4
- Commander’s weapon: 12.7 mm M2HB
Place in-game:
The M47 was the backbone of the French armored forces for a pretty decent amount of time, being so significant should be reason enough for a tank to be added to the game. However, there’s more than that when it comes to why this tank would be a great asset to the French tree. This tank in-game currently sits at a battle rating of 7.3, this is a place where France desperately needs more vehicles. The tree currently has 2 tank destroyers at this br but nothing else, furthermore the enjoyable AufF1 sits alone at 7.0. Adding the M47 at 7.3 would thus not only create a more versatile lineup in which to use the 7.3 tank destroyers, it also adds a proximity lineup in which to use the AuF1. This relatively low-effort addition can as such create a whole new lineup in the French tree, making the progression through the mid ranks vastly more enjoyable.
Sources:
France (Cold War) - Tank Encyclopedia
http://www.strategic-bureau.com/m47-patton-char-usa/
90mm Gun Tank M47 Patton II - Tank Encyclopedia
- Jeudy, Jean-Gabriel. Chars De France. ETAI. 1997
- Touzin, Pierre. Les Vehicules Blindes Francais 1945-1977. Editions EPA. 1978
Special thanks to @MjMTP for the following sources:
