American Tanks
War-time experience creates some real-world results for the Americans.

1 General Dynamics M1 Abrams The M1 Abrams was designed by Chrysler Defense and produced under the General Dynamics brand. The tank was introduced in 1979, entered service in 1980 and is still undergoing production. The system has been featured in the 19... 1981

2 M48 Patton The M48 Patton Main Battle Tank was effectively the first tank engineering design in post-war America. The M46 and M47 Patton versions were merely developments of the World War Two M26 Pershing, which in itself, was a develop... 1952

3 M551 General Sheridan / Sheridan The M551 General Sheridan (or simply "Sheridan") was a light-armored and heavily-armed portable tank system utilized by the United States Army. The system evolved from the need to counter a similar Soviet design of the time a... 1968

4 M46 Patton The M46 Patton is classified as a medium tank and can further be classified as a 'stop-gap' measurement to the next generation of US tank engineering. The M46 Patton was basically a modernized M-26 Pershing Heavy Tank from Wo... 1949

5 M41 Walker Bulldog The M41 Walker Bulldog was designed to replace the World War Two-era M24 Chaffee. Armed with a 76mm main gun, it was a very standardized tank, with driver front left and the weapons crew in the turret (loader left, gunner fro... 1951

6 M47 Patton (Patton 1) The M47 Patton tank saw a short life in frontline service, being replaced promptly by the M48 Pattons as early as 1953 (the M47s entered service in 1951. Because of their short life, they did not see any combat service in the... 1951

7 Light Tank, M24 (Chaffee) The Light Tank M24 Chaffee was the successor to the M5 Stuart light tank. Though appearing late into the Second World War, the Chaffee would nonetheless find its role in the Korean War soon after and become a common sight in ... 1944

8 M1917 6-ton The M1917 6-ton was aversion of the French-made char leger FT-17. It represents an early foray into US military motorized doctrine and design. The American version featured an American-produced engine, all steel wheels, an... 1918

9 Light Tank, M3 / M5 (Stuart) The M3 / M5 series (commonly known as the "General Stuart") was an Allied design classified as a light tank and appeared through the early and middle years of the Second World War. The system was under-gunned and lightly armo... 1941

10 Medium Tank, M4 / M4 (Sherman) The M4 Sherman series of medium tanks proved an invaluable asset to Allied operations North Africa, Europe and the Pacific theaters of war in World War 2. The Sherman proved a relatively inexpensive, easy-to-maintain and - pe... 1942

11 M26 Pershing The M-26 was developed near the end of World War II and named after World War One General John J Pershing of the American Expeditionary Force. The M26 Pershing had a slow and arduous beginning, when the need for a heavy tank ... 1945

12 Medium Tank, M4A3E2 (Sherman Jumbo) The M4A3E2 or (76) Sherman Jumbo was designated an assault tank and not a tank destroyer as commonly reported in other sources. It provided applique armor to front and sides of the hull, a standard 75mm main gun and HE (High ... 1944

13 M103 With the Cold War in full bloom, design of heavy tanks for the United States Army increased in an effort to mimic the success of the World War Two / Korean War-era M26 Pershing Heavy Tank (detailed elsewhere on this site). Th... 1954

14 Medium Tank, M3 (Lee / Grant) The M3 medium tank series appeared at a time when Allied armor (in respects to both armor protection and armament) was generally inferior to their German counterparts in Europe and North Africa. The M3 evolved from the M2 med... 1942

15 M22 Locust The M22 Locust was a Allied light tank appearing in World War 2 and designed to be air-dropped into battle alongside airborne elements. The general idea of a highly-mobile army continued to fascinate American warplanners as t... 1943