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M41/M41A2
M41A1/M41A3

76mm Gun Tank M41 Walker Bulldog^1-15

The M41, originally called "Little Bulldog" but named after Lieutenant General Walton H. Walker after he was killed in the Korean War, contained a pulsing relay turret and gun control system which allowed power traverse and elevation for both the gunner and tank commander's override. In November 1951, an additional requirement was made by Army Field Forces that the tank should be able to have the main gun on target by five seconds after a target was engaged. This was impossible with the pulsing relay system, so modifications were implemented that, along with enhanced crew training, enabled the system to perform the five-second engagement. The modified system had powered hydraulic traverse for the gunner and commander's override and manual hydraulic elevation for the gunner, while the commander had no elevation control. Early production turrets for the M41 had a high side weld mark, the location of which was lowered in later-production turrets. The bottom of the side plate on these early turrets ran straight back to the turret radio bustle; on later turrets the bottom of the side plate angled upwards towards the turret bustle. A stowage box was attached to the rear of the turret bustle, giving the turret a very large rear overhang. Early M41 muzzle brakes were cast and round, however these were later replaced by fabricated T-shaped muzzle brakes. The 76mm gun was also provided with a bore evacuator directly behind the muzzle brake. The driver's hatch opened by swiveling to the right, and was held in place when open by locking pins welded to the hull glacis. The gunner's and commander's periscopes eventually both had prominent guards on the turret front roof and the front of the commander's cupola, respectively. The M41 was equipped with an auxiliary generator powered by a small engine. The first 1,367 M41s produced were not equipped with a muffler for the auxiliary engine. The next 922 had a muffler installed for the generator engine on the right tank engine muffler, on the right rear fender. The heat given off from the main muffler damaged the auxiliary muffler, however, so later tanks had a larger generator engine muffler mounted on the front right fender. Square fenders and track skirts were also fitted to early M41s, but the track skirts were eliminated and the fenders angled to a point on later vehicles. The .50cal coaxial machine gun was replaced by the .30cal MG during the production run.

In 1955, the AOS-895-3 engine had its carburetor replaced by a fuel injection system, changing the engine's designation to AOSI-895-5. The fuel injection system increased the road range of the tank to 110mi (180km), and M41s with the fuel-injected engine were known as M41A2s.

On 9 November 1950, the US Army changed its tank designation system from weight to the caliber of the vehicle's gun. The M41 would have been a light tank under the old system.

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76mm Gun Tank M41A1 Walker Bulldog^2-10,13-14

After the five-second engagement requirement was published, Cadillac engineered a new turret and gun control system that could meet this stipulation. This system was adopted, and the tanks using it were designated M41A1. The Cadillac system provided powered traverse for the gunner and the TC's override, manual elevation for the gunner, and powered elevation at the commander's station. Cadillac's system took up less space than the pulsing relay system of the M41, and the extra space was utilized to increase 76mm ammunition stowage. M41s began to be converted to the new turret control system, but after 416 had been rebuilt, the modified pulsing relay system and crew training was found able to meet the five-second demand. M41A1s with the fuel-injected engine were designated M41A3, and were introduced in 1955.

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References

1. TM 9-730 76-mm Tank Gun T41E1. Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 25 May 1951.
2. Hunnicutt, R.P. Sheridan: A History of the American Light Tank, volume 2. Navato, CA: Presidio Press, 1995. Reprinted with permission from Sheridan, R.P. Hunnicutt ©1995, available from Presidio Press, 505B San Martin Drive, Suite 160, Navato, CA 94945.
3. TM 9-2350-201-12 Operation and Organizational Maintenance 76-mm Full Tracked Combat Tanks M41 (T41E1) and M41A1 (T41E2). Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 29 July 1958.
4. FM 17-80 Tanks, 76-mm Gun, M41 and M41A1. Washington, DC: Department of the Army, 30 January 1956.
5. Crismon, Fred W. U.S. Military Tracked Vehicles. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1992.
6. TM 9-1730A C2 Continental 6-cylinder Engine Model AOS-895-3. Washington, D.C.: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 7 December 1959.
7. TM 9-2805-212-35 Field and Depot Maintenance Manual Engine, Gasoline, Fuel Injected, Supercharged, Horizontal-opposed, Air Cooled, Six Cylinder, Assembly--2805-528-6015 (Continental Model AOSI-895-5 and AOSI-895-5M). Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 8 December 1959.
8. TM 9-2805-212-35 C2 Field and Depot Maintenance Manual Engine, Gasoline, Fuel Injected, Supercharged, Horizontal-opposed, Air Cooled, Six Cylinder, Assembly--2805-528-6015 (Continental Model AOSI-895-5 and AOSI-895-5M). Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 29 March 1971.
9. TM 9-1730B Cross-Drive Transmission Models CD-500-3 and -4 (Allison and GM). Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, 3 April 1952.
10. Miller, David. The Illustrated Directory of Tanks of the World. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Co., 2000.
11. Federation of American Scientists. "M41 Walker Bulldog Light Tank." DOD 101. 7 Aug 1999. 13 Mar 2001 <http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m41.htm>. DOD 101
12. TM 9-6065 Ordnance Maintenance Ballistic Drives M3 (T23E1), M4 (T23), T23E2 and T24. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, 24 November 1954.
13. Foss, Christopher F., ed. Jane's Armour and Artillery 2005-2006. Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Information Group, Ltd., 2005.
14. TM 9-500 C3 Data Sheets for Ordnance Type Materiel. Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 12 October 1966.
15. TM 9-1730E Hydraulic Turret-traversing and Gun-elevating system for 76-mm. Gun Tank T41E1 and 90-mm. Gun Tank M47. Washington, DC: Department of the Army, 3 October 1952.

Last updated 16 Dec 2024.
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