Six hundred M48 Pattons would see service in the subsequent action. The first such systems were a part of the USMC 1st and 1rd Tank Battalions arriving in 1965 (battalions were made up more-or-less of approximately 57 tanks). The first tank of the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry to be deployed to Vietnam was also the M48 as well, arriving in 1965. Cavalry squadrons would eventually replace their M48s with the lighter, air-droppable M551 Sheridan. Remaining forces utilizing the M48 included the 1-69th Armor, the 1-77th Amor and the 2-34th Armor. Beyond the base M48 tank system, its flamethrower derivative - the M67A1 (nicknamed "Zippo") - was heavily featured in the fighting to follow. The M67A1 made use of the M48A2 hull while the M67A2 was nothing more than a Zippo using an M48A3 hull.
When US forces were not suppressing enemies by way of cannon or machine gun fire or flushing them out through flamethrowers, they were shredding them by way of the canister round. This destructive projectile essentially turned the main gun of the M48 into a large spread-fire shotgun, dispersing some 1,280 pellets or up to 10,000 darts against infantry or to cut away thickets of jungle.
When all was said and done, the M48 proved its worth in the conflict, offering adequate crew protection and heavy direct firepower with mobility to boot. The M48 was relatively well-armored to contend with land mines and was often used to sniff out these killer weapons ahead of infantry and convoys. In fact, the landmine proved to be the biggest enemy to the tank though soft and inaccessible terrain limited the reach of the M48 as a mine-roller to a certain extent. The M48A3 models in US service were handed over to the South Vietnamese Army as American presence in the conflict winded down. The SVA too found some successes against the NVA T-34 and T-55 tanks. The larger issue were new Soviet anti-tank wire-guided missiles of which no tank had much protection from. Couple that with the appearance of mines, rocket propelled grenades and artillery and M48 tanker crews had their work cut out for them. The South Vietnamese Army continued to use their M48s until they were lost to action, ran out of fuel or ran out of ammunition (a US ban on fuel and ammunition to South Vietnam was enacted before the end of the war). Any captured systems were put to use by the NVA, if only for a short time.
M48s in the Six Day War
While America became embroiled in the Vietnam Conflict, several thousand miles away in the Middle East brewed the Six Day War of 1967- Israeli versus the combined forces of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Israel used the M48 (upgunned to a 105mm main gun) to good effect against the Egyptian T-54 and T-55 main battle tanks of Soviet origin, maintaining an advantage through sound tactics and battlefield doctrine in the Sinai Desert (aided by stellar air support). Conversely, the M48s in service with Jordan fell to the guns of the aged Israeli M4 Shermans along the West Bank, tactics once again prevailing over technology. Captured Jordanian M48 systems (base M48 and M48A1 models) were placed back into service with the Israeli Army, only now to be used against their former masters.
Israel went on to rely heavily on the M48 for a time, resulting in the E-48 designation. There was an AVLB bridgelayer that utilized the M48 chassis coupled to an Israeli bridge system as well as M48A2 and M48A2C models delivered from Germany. The United States delivered M48A3s to the nation as well.
"Magach" was the term reserved for the upgraded, uparmored Israeli versions of both M48 and M60 Patton tanks. The Magach 1, 2, 3 and 5 marks were all based on the M48 Patton while the Magach 6 and 7 marks were based on the M60 Patton.
M48s in the Indo-Pak War of 1965
The Indian-Pakistani War of 1965 was in fact the first use of the M48 in tank-versus-tank duels. The M48 was fielded by the Pakistani Army against the Centurion and M4 Shermans of the Indian Army. From the outset, the M48 proved a valuable tool through brute force and coordinated attacks. They were equally useful in repelling Indian offensives in turn. However, the Battle of Asal Uttar saw some 100 Pakistani tanks lost in one battle, many of these being M48 in nature. Post-battle review signified that Pakistani tactics were largely to blame though other reviews found fault with the M48's armor protection against even an 84mm main gun.
The follow-up Indo-Pak War of 1971 saw more of the same in terms of pitched battles between the two powers. However, by this time, the M48 Patton was largely out of touch with the modern battlefield and results were not so positive as they were in 1965. Captured Pakistani tanks were put on display by the Indians in the Khemkaran District - the memorial named "Patton City".
Modernization Comes a-Calling
By the middle of the 1970s the M48 Patton was seemingly outclassed when compared to the new crop of Soviet tanks in inventory. The M48 was formally fitted with M68 105mm main gun to help increase her potency on the modern battlefield and make it compatible with the M60 (using the same 105mm main gun) it was operating alongside with. The new model series was designated as the M48A5 and the modernization program was open to all current American allies. The Federal Germany Army followed suit and upgraded their Kampfpanzer M48 A2C tank main guns with - not the M68 - but with the British L7A3 series main gun of 105mm caliber. The designation for these systems became Kampfpanzer M48A2GA2. Some 650 German Pattons were upgraded in this fashion.
Turkey has remained the largest current operator of the M48 with around 1,800 still in reserve service, all due to be retired in the near future. Turkish designations included the M48A5T1 based on the M48A5 with the M68 105mm main gun, passive night sight and diesel engines. The M48A5T2 designation was sued to signify upgraded M48A5T1 models with a thermal sight and laser-based rangefinder. An armored recovery vehicle existed under the designation of M48T5 "Tamay".
The Brits designed M48 tanks as self-propelled anti-aircraft gun systems under the designation of "M48 Marksman", signifying its use of the Marksman turret with two 35mm Oerlikon autocannons as well as a Marconi Series 400 radar system. The Finnish Army purchased the creation in seven examples sometime in 1990 and designating them as "ItPsv 90".
One major development of the M48 family line became the Taiwainese modifications of the Patton. In 1990, the army took an M60A3 Patton hull and mated it with the upgunned M48A2 turret (with applicable fire control system) produced the M48H/CM-11 "Brave Tiger". The CM-12 was an M48A3 with the same fire control system and main gun armament found in the CM-11. The CM-11 and CM-12 modifications produced a product not unlike the American M60 Patton with tracking, processing and imaging systems found in the M1 Abrams.
Conclusion
In all, the M48 eventually found a home outside of America, landing in the inventories of Allied nations across Europe and in the inventories of warring parties in the Middle East. Some still exist in number in Southeast Asia but many have given up the M48 to history. Current operators include Greece, Iran, Israel, Jordan, South Korea, Lebanon, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam. Those still in service are generally held in a reserve status and are awaiting replacement or retirement. The M60 Patton was n full production by 1965, ready to take the reins from the M48.
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