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Demonstration of Prototype Patton 48 Tank 77154 (1952)

1952 · Short film · 10 min

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Synopsis

On July 1, 1952, the Chrysler Corporation unveiled its new M48 Patton battle tank, nicknamed the "Phantom 48". This film, "Land Battleship", shows the demonstration by the first Pattons at the Delaware Tank Plant in Newark, Delaware. The M-3, a WWII battle tank of the type that would be replaced by the '48, is also shown at the 6:45 mark. This was the first tank ever built by Chrysler. The M48 Patton is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed in the United States. It was the third tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle. It was a further development of the M47 Patton tank. The M48 Patton was in U.S. service until replaced by the M60 and served as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps's primary battle tank in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, especially other NATO countries. The M48 Patton tank was designed to replace the previous M47 Pattons and M4 Shermans. Although largely resembling the M47, the M48 was a completely new design. It was the last U.S. tank to mount the 90 mm tank gun, with the last model, the M48A5, being upgraded to carry the new standard weapon of the M60, the 105mm gun. Some M48A5 models served well into the 1980s with American forces, and many M48s remain in service in other countries. The Turkish Army has the largest number of modernized M48 MBTs, with more than…

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Details

Running time
10 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

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