- Yes
- No
Welcome to another suggestion, here we’ll be having a look at a modified M47 Patton that France operated, the M47 Dozer.
The general story of this tank is pretty much identical to that of the other M47s in French service, so I’ll just repeat that real quick.
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.
Now of course, the M47 we’re looking at here is different from the standard model that France operated, and that difference is simple, the addition of a dozer blade. The M3E1 dozer blade is 3.70 meters wide, and the whole assembly weighed 2700 kg. This brings the total weight of the vehicle up to 46.7 tons. The hull machine gun was also removed as it had no purpose behind the dozer blade. In this version the tank was used by the French Génie troops, in English, the engineers. As far as I know, France is the only nation to have used the M47 Patton with a dozer blade modification, making this a potentially unique modification for France.
General characteristics:
- Weight: 46.7 ton (44.1 tons for the base vehicle + 2.7 tons for the dozer)
- Crew: 5 (driver, machine-gunner, gunner, loader, commander)
- Engine: Continental AV-1790-5B V12 (810 hp at 2800 rpm)
- Power-to-weight: 17.3 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
- APDS (HVAP-DS-T)
- Coaxial weapon: 7.62mm M1919A4
- Commander’s weapon: 12.7 mm M2HB
Place in-game:
The base M47 already has a very strong case to be added to the French tree, given its extensive service in the French armed forces. This variant perhaps has an even stronger case to be added since it appears to be a unique variant for France. The dozer blade adds the ability to dig trenches and manipulate the landscape a bit, although people will probably be more interested in the armor qualities of the blade. As we seen on other tanks in-game already, the blade doesn’t add much but it is definitely something. Against heat rounds which are common at that BR, it could offer some much needed frontal protection. In an ideal world, both the regular M47 Patton as the Patton Niveleur would be added, which would finally create a balanced and enjoyable 7.3 lineup. A massive step up from the current lineup which consists of nothing more than two odd tank destroyers.
Spoiler
France (Cold War) - Tank Encyclopedia
http://www.strategic-bureau.com/m47-patton-char-usa/
90mm Gun Tank M47 Patton II - Tank Encyclopedia
2ème Régiment de Dragons, Fontevraud
Piece from the Musée du génie in Angers.
- 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:
