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M41 Walker Bulldog Light Tank |
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The M41 light tank was first fielded to the US Army in 1951, with roughly 5,500 vehicles being built through the mid-1950s. The vehicle featured well-sloped armor on the hull and turret, a four-man crew (driver, loader, gunner, and commander), with the engine at the rear of the hull.
It was armed with a 76mm gun that featured a T-shaped muzzle brake, plus a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun and a .50 caliber machine gun outside the commander’s cupola. The suspension had five dual road wheels per side, a front idler, three return rollers, and a rear sprocket. Starting in 1956, M41 Walker Bulldogs were in service with the Bundeswehr’s anti-tank battalions, the heavy platoons of armored reconnaissance battalions, and the anti-tank platoons of mechanized infantry battalions. In 1969 it was finally replaced by the Leopard I MBT and the 90mm self-propelled anti-tank gun (Kanonenjagdpanzer). The vehicle also served as the foundation for the M-42 twin 40mm anti-aircraft gun, as well as the M-44 155mm and M-52 105mm self-propelled howitzers.The M41 also saw service with the armies of many other nations in Europe, South America, and Asia.
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