The Patton Tank in Vietnam

(Editor’s note: The M48 Patton medium tank – in service from 1953 to the mid- 1990s by the American Army and Marine Corps – was named for GEN George S. Patton, one of the earliest American advocates of using tanks in battle. The M48 served as an interim until replaced by the Army’s first main-battle tank, the M60, which was in turn replaced by the M1 Abrams. As writer Michael Kelley relates, the M48 served as the Army’sand Marine Corps’ foremost battle tank in Vietnam. Continuing their infantry-support role established in late World War II, the Pattons performed well in Vietnam in that same role – there were few tank-vs.-tank battles. The M48s, along with Australia’s Centurion tanks, were also the only vehicles in Vietnam that could reliably protect their crews from land mines, so they were often used for minesweeping operations. Although no longer in U. S. service, many foreign countries, namely U. S. Cold War allies (especially other North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries) continue to use M48 models. The Turkish army is the largest operator of the modernized M48, with about 758 M48A5T2s in its inventory. Other operators of M48 variants include South Korea, Israel, Republic of China, Greece, Pakistan, Morocco, Jordan, Thailand, Lebanon and Iran. Of note, Pakistan used M48 Pattons while rescuing American troops during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.) The M48A3, workhorse of the U. S. Army and U. S. Marine Corps during Vietnam, proved a reliable warrior in the country’s varied terrain. The tank’s performance won over the leadership, who didn’t always support using heavy armor in Vietnam. For example, GEN William Westmoreland, head of Military Assistance Command-Vietnam, doubted the effectiveness of heavy tanks and thought airmobile operations better suited the Vietnam jungle, but he came to acknowledge the valuable role the M48A3 Patton tank played. As with anything, it’s not the technology that’s of prime importance, it’s the people. Both soldiers and Marines crewed the M48A3, and both soldiers and Marines fought in the jungles of Southeast Asia as a forerunner of today’s Joint battlefield. This article looks at a tank that was effective as used both by Pakistan against India in marshy terrain during the Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971, and by Israel against Egypt on the sandy Sinai Front in 1967’s Six-Day War. But we also look at the brave tank crews who manned the M48A3s. The Patton tank The 1950s tacticians predicted major tank battles where Warsaw Pact tanks fought NATO tanks in the fields and forests in and around the Fulda Gap, and so the M48 was designed to meet the challenges and threats that improved Soviet armor in Eastern Europe posed. However, the M48’s early models lacked crew survivability and had poor engine performance. The original gasoline engine was inefficient and prone to catch fire if hit with an anti-tank shell. This vulnerability exposed the crew to dangerous secondary explosions. To respond to these problems, the M48 went through a series of upgrades in 1963 that resulted in production of the M48A3. At a combat weight of 52 tons, the M48A3 was equipped with a modern Continental AVDS-1790 series, 90-degree V type, air-cooled, turbo-supercharged, fuel-injected, 750-horsepower diesel engine (same engine as the M60A1). The new features also included anew turret-hydraulics system and new fire-control system. These upgrades not only made the tank more efficient but also safer for the crew. The M48A3 also had a 90mm M41 main gun which could fire 62 rounds of ammunition of varied types, including armor-piercing, high-explosive, anti-personnel canisters (pellets-flechette) and white phosphorus (for marking targets). A.30-caliber M73 coaxial machine gun next to the main gun could fire up to 5,900 rounds. In addition, the tank carried a.50-caliber M2HB machine gun mount on the tank commander’s cupola. Its 3,000 rounds could be fired at enemy infantry formations. Some U. S. Army units added an M-60 machine gun on a pintle mount. The Marines and Army received more than 1,000 of these upgraded tanks by 1964. The M48A3 in support When the United States began to build up forces in Southeast Asia in 1965, the M48A3 was soon in the middle of this new war, far away from the Fulda Gap. When the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade arrived in DaNang, Republic of South Vietnam, it brought M48A3 tanks, including a few variants of the M67A2 flamethrower, nicknamed “Zippo.” The Marines were responsible for protecting the large military complex in and around the DaNang airbase. By late 1965, The Patton Tank in Vietnam by MSG (Ret.) Michael L. Kelley the mission changed as local Viet Cong units began offensive operations against supply convoys and security outposts. Marine infantry battalions deployed on “search and destroy” missions to root out enemy forces. The 3rd Tank Battalion, reinforced with elements of the 1st Tank Battalion, broke into small detachments of tank platoons. Each platoon consisted of five tanks each, attached to the various Marine infantry battalions and far-flung base camps located in I Corps. Combat operations revealed that the tank was susceptible to anti-tank fire. VC rocket-propelled grenade crews shot at the lightly armored rear and sides of the tank. The four-man tank crews (tank commander, gunner, loader and driver) developed tactics to counter some of these problems. For example, the TC could place his gunner on the rear of the tank with an automatic rifle to shoot at any VC who attempted to fire an RPG at their tank. Or, supporting infantry could provide flank protection by riding on top of the tank while the TC fired the.50-caliber machine gun at attacking enemy forces. Some M48A3 crews were creative, attaching sections of chain-link fence, pierced-steel planks and sections of spare tracks on the flanks of their turrets to cause early detonation of RPGs. The crews also hung backpacks, duffle bags and stored cases of C-rations on the side turret rails. Landmines were a major danger to advancing infantry, so the M48A3 drove along roadsides and trails, detonating the mines before an infantryman accidentally set one off. The tank absorbed the explosions without too much damage, sparing infantrymen injuries and casualties. The M48A3 in battle Feb. 6, 1968, tank attack. A squad of VC attacked a Company C, 1st Tank Battalion, M48A3 tank Feb. 6, 1968, on its security duty. The VC anti-tank RPGs scored three direct hits on the tank and wounded three Marines. The valiant crew continued fighting, blasting away at the enemy troops with pellets-flechettes and firing their machine guns, killing many VC. The fierce fight one tank put up stunned the enemy, causing them to break contact and melt away into the jungle. To their surprise, the young Marine tankers found 40 dead VC lying around their wounded tank after the battle. Hue City. During the 1968 Tet Battle for Hue City, tanks from the Marine Corps’ 1st and 3rd Tank battalions, along with elements of 1st Anti-Tank Battalion (Ontos), provided close-in fire support to the 1st and 5th Marine regiments. These units fought to destroy entrenched North Vietnamese Army and VC forces. One tank of 3rd Battalion, supporting 2nd and 5th Marines on the city’s south side, sustained multiple hits from NVA rockets and recoilless rifle fire, wounding the gunner, CPL Rene Cerda. In spite of his wounds, Cerda continued firing his gun with high-explosive rounds so the Marine infantry could advance. For his heroic actions, Cerda was awarded the Navy Cross for valor and a Purple Heart. On the north side of the Perfume River in the Citadel, a platoon of M48A3s from 1st Tank Battalion provided direct-fire support to the 1st and 5th Marines, blasting holes in enemy fortifications, allowing the infantry to move forward. After 18 days of sustained combat under deadly enemy rocket and heavy-weapons fire, the weary Marines drove the remnants of the NVA’s 4th and 6th Infantry regiments out of Hue City and the Citadel. The 1st and 3rd Tank battalions earned the Presidential Unit Citation award. Rubber-plantation deployment. The Army also deployed M48A3 tanks when 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment arrived in Phu Loi in late 1965. However, MACV headquarters would not allow the regiment’s commander to take his tanks out on combat operations. The first Army M48A3 tanks allowed to commit to major combat operations arrived in early 1966 when 69th Armor Battalion tanks were quickly unloaded off a Navy tank-landing ship in Saigon and deployed to the Filhol Rubber Plantation within two hours after arriving in-country. The green tank crews then received some on-the-job training on flank and rear security, firing their machine guns and canister rounds in jungle combat. Mang Jiang Pass. Company A of 1st Squadron, 69th Armored Division, later fought in the Mang Jiang Pass near An Khe. On April 10, 1968, they destroyed an NVA ambush along Route 19, killing 200 men of the 95B NVA Battalion. Ben Het. Company A was also the first Army unit to engage NVA armor in the war. On March 3-4, 1969, Company A sent a reaction force (1st Platoon) to Ben Het on the Cambodian border. There they engaged five Soviet-built PT-76 tanks and BTR 50 armored vehicles, knocking out three of the enemy machines with accurate fire. Dak To. SP5 Dwight H. Johnson from Bravo Company was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions Jan. 15, 1968, near Dak To in repulsing an enemy attack on his platoon, saving the life of a fellow soldier. He climbed out of his tank and fought the enemy at close range, killing many of them. Then, he climbed atop his platoon sergeant’s tank and began firing the.50-caliber machine gun until the enemy broke contact and fled into the jungle. The 1st and 69th Armor battalions earned multiple citations, including the Presidential Unit Citation and Valorous Unit Citation. Saigon. The 1st and 4th Cavalry regiments’ M48A3s battled the enemy in the Saigon area, including the Iron Triangle, War Zone D, Michelin Rubber Plantation, the Hobo Woods and Highway 13. During the Tet Offensive of 1968, Troop A’s tanks and armored personnel carriers (M113s) deployed to Tan Son Nhut Airbase to repulse an NVA assault. Then they pushed north into Ap Dong, where they hunted a retreating enemy battalion and The M48A3 also had a 90mm M41 main gun which could fire 62 rounds of ammunition of varied types, including armor-piercing, high-explosive, anti-personnel canisters (pellets-flechette) and white phosphorus (for marking targets). (U. S. Army photo) 35

Acronym Quick-Scan ARVN – Army of the Republic of Vietnam MACV – Military Assistance Command-Vietnam NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization NVA – North Vietnamese Army RPG – rocket-propelled grenade TC – tank commander VC – Viet Cong killed 40 NVA at close range. It was the first encounter for most of the crews with urban street-to-street combat. The 1st and 4th Cavalry regiments earned the Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry (Gold Star) and Valorous Unit Award. American tanks used by Vietnamese When U. S. forces began transferring equipment and bases to the South Vietnamese by 1971, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam began to form new armored units equipped with the M48A3. The ARVN’s 20th Armored Regiment and its three cavalry squadrons (44 tanks) had barely completed advanced training with their new tanks when they were thrust into battle. The North Vietnamese deployed a superior infantry and armor force in the 1972 NVA Easter Offensive, rolling over many ARVN fire-support bases near the Demilitarized Zone. Then they drove south toward Dong Ha, where they encountered the well-concealed 20th Armored Regiment. The 20th ambushed the leading NVA elements near Highway 1, destroying nine PT-76 tanks and two T-54 tanks. This forced the NVA unit to withdraw north, out of the firestorm. In addition to the facts given about this tank in the main article, here are other specifications for this tank used successfully in Vietnam:

• Range: 287 miles;

• Fuel capacity: 375 gallons;

• Upgrade features: TC’s cupola modified with circular ring with vision blocks between roof of turret and base of cupola. Three track-return rollers and no rear idler. T-type blast deflectors and fender dust shields. Airplane-type steering wheel for driver. Xe-Other Details, M48A3 Patton Tank non infrared/white-light searchlight mounted on 90mm gun shield. AN-GRC 12 radio;

• Tank crew weapons: two M14/M16 rifles, one M79 grenade launcher, one M3.45-caliber submachine gun (grease gun). Each crewman carried a.45-caliber automatic pistol. Some crewmen supplemented their weapons load by adding World War II-type M1/M2.30-caliber carbines or captured AK-47s. On April 9, the 20th again engaged NVA armor and infantry, killing eight more enemy tanks. The ARVN’s successes also showed the M48A3’s superiority. Although designed for large tank battles in Europe, the M48A3 tanks and their brave crews earned their combat cavalry spurs in the jungles of Southeast Asia, proving Westmoreland and other leaders wrong. Retired MSG Michael Kelley served seven years in the Army and 15 years in the Army’s Reserve Troop Program. He also served 20 years with the Department of Defense and retired from the Defense Logistics Agency (Raytheon Missile Division) as a production/manufacturing specialist. During his military career, he served as battalion maintenance noncommissioned officer, senior logistics NCO, senior Soviet aircraft analyst, motor sergeant, aircraft maintenance crew chief and aircraft maintenance crewman (OH- 13, UH-1D and CH-21 helicopters) with units such as the U. S. Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 18th Infantry Brigade; 167th Support Group; 364th Military Intelligence Battalion; 513th Maintenance Battalion; the active Army’s 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry, 2nd Armored Division; 502nd Aviation Battalion, 2nd Armored Division; 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry (Reconnaissance), 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), deployed to South Vietnam; and 3rd Transportation Company. His military education includes the Army Aviation School’s aircraft maintenance courses for the OH- 13, OH-23 and CH-21 helicopters and the track and wheeled vehicle portion of the Junior Armor Officer Maintenance Course. He holds a bachelor’s of arts degree from Boston State College. 36