Medium battle tank M48 Patton II
The M48 was the standard tank of the Bundeswehr for a long time.
The M47, also used by the Bundeswehr, was an interim solution from the start that had many weaknesses. It was only intended to fill a gap in tank development until the M48 was fully developed. The M48 offered better armor, better off-road mobility, more internal space and a higher hit rate.
The M48 remained in service with the Bundeswehr for a long time and was constantly being modernized. The version shown here is an M48 A2C. In contrast to the basic version, this had a more powerful engine, better engine cooling and infrared target lights and devices that made the tank capable of night fighting.
The M48 was constantly modernized after this version and remained in use as the main weapon system until 1979.
Although this tank was used in the army for 20 years, it is hardly present in public memory. The Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks put him in the shadow of history.
The M48 was used in the Augustdor Panzer Battalions 213 and 214 from 1959 to 1967.
Technical specifications
| Development: | 1950 - 1952 |
| Production: | 1952 - 1959 |
| Country of origin: | USA |
| Number of pieces: | 1666 (all versions in the German army) |
| Crew: | 4 |
| Weight: | 48 t |
| Dimensions L/W/H: | 8.68m (with tube) / 3.63m / 3.09m |
| Engine: | petrol |
| Displacement: | 29363 ccm |
| Engine power: | ca. 700 DIN-PS, ca. 850 SAE-PS |
| Speed: | 48 km/h (Road) |
| Fuel Stock: | 1267 l |
| Consumption: | 490 l / 100 km (Road) | up to 1200 l / 100 km (Terrain) |
| Driving range: | approx. 260 km (Road) |
| Armament: | Cannon 90 mm L48 | 12.7 mm machine gun | 7.62mm machine gun |