1:35 US Army M47/G PATTON Medium Tank - TAKOM

In the early 1950’s, the U.S.A. found itself committed to defending the newly formed cold war NATO alliance in Europe against the Warsaw Pact forces, and fighting a hot war in Korea, resulting in a severe shortage of tanks. At the time, the best US tank in service was the M46 Patton, but because of a lack of stocks of M26 Pershings available for the conversion, it was decided to produce an interim design utilizing new concepts from the experimental T42 medium tank, which had been experiencing developmental problems.

Production began in June 1951 at the Detroit Arsenal, later being taken over by Chrysler, and concluded in November 1953, with some 5481 units produced, with an additional 3095 examples being produced by the American Locomotive Company. By the late 1950’s, the M47 was already declared obsolete in favor of the new M48, and was retired from US service without firing a shot in combat. Beginning in the 1950’s, the M47 was exported through the Military Aid Program to Austria, Belgium, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Iran, Iraq (from Iran), Saudi Arabia, Somalia (from Saudi Arabia), Spain, Sudan (from Saudi Arabia), Turkey, West Germany, and Yugoslavia (later Bosnia & Herzegovina). The M47 has seen combat in the service of Croatia, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan and Somalia.