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76mm Gun Light Tank M-41 Walker Bulldog

76mm Gun Light Tank M-41 Walker Bulldog

Developments from  the M-41;

M-42 Duster; Twin 40mm AA carrier

M-84; 4.2mm Mortar Carrier

M-59 Armored Personnel Carrier

M-75; Personnel Carrier

M-52; SP 105mm Howitzer

M-44; SP 105mm Howitzer

M-37; SP 105mm Howitzer

 

 

Technical Data

Weight. 25.6 tons.  L; 26.9 ‘.  W; 10’ 6” H; 8.9’   Crew; four

Armament; 76mm Gun M-32, 1 cal 30, 1 cal 50 machine guns

Ammunition; M-41; 57 rounds, all others 65 rounds

Engine; Lycoming or Continental 500 HP AOD-895-3 gasoline engine with supercharger.

Transmission; Allison CD-500.

Speed; 45 mph

Operational range; 100 miles.

 

 

Personal Experience

The little M-41, in my opinion, is the finest tank ever produced by the USA.  I served on mine from Feb-Sept 1955 with 27th Armored Div, 208th Tank Battalion as loader and driver and worked with one shortly in Korea in 1957.   The little “blitz” would flat get out and move with speeds generally around 35-45 mph, leaving everyone else in a cloud of dust.  The ’41 was very good on maintenance and required very little other than checking oils and fuel.  The Lycoming 500 HP six cylinder with turbo and Allison CD 500 transmission Provided all the spunk and reliability any tank could want.

The Massey-Harris single pin tracks gave very little problem. Whereas the M-47, M-48s and Easy Eight Shermans had to contend with constantly tightening the wedge bolts in the T-84 track end connectors, all we had to do is visually look for loose or missing track pads or possible missing cotter key. .  I never had to change/replace a track block other in training and replacing a worn track pad was a simple thing of placing it on the track with the bolt through the hole and tightening the nut, a 5-10 minute procedure. Since the armor on the M-41 was light….1 ½ Inch in the bow and only an inch on the turret, the hatches and grills on the back deck were light and easy to handle.  The M-41 was not a tank that you’d care to confront a heavy Russian tank with 4 inches of armor and a massive 122 mm gun.   The Bulldog had its own brand of safety in speed and exceptional maneuverability. It was a reconnaissance tank, designed to get out there, look, report finding, then get out of there fast, which is did very well.  If you ran in to something in your way, that high velocity 76mm had plenty of bang to take care of the problem.  One bad thing about the gun was the back blast.  The 76mm was the same caliber as the E-8 Sherman, but with a great deal more muzzle velocity. The earlier 76mm guns and the 90mm had a dull “boom” when you fired, but this little 76mm had a very nasty snap, much like standing next to a whip cracking..  Many guys lost hearing by not wearing ear protection with this gun. BUT, then again, the receiving end of that gun was not a place you would want to be either.

 

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