M41 Walker Bulldog

M41 Walker Bulldog
M41 Walker Bulldog
	M41 Bulldog tank at Fort Meade Museum, Maryland.
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1953–1969 (US Armed Forces) 1961–present (foreign users)
Used by	See Operators
Wars	Bay of Pigs Invasion; Vietnam War; Sino-Vietnamese War; Lebanese Civil War; Guatemalan Civil War; 1964 Brazilian coup d'état; Ogaden War; Somali Civil War; 2006 Thai coup d'état
Production history
Designed	1944
Manufacturer	Cadillac
Unit cost	USD $162,000 (secondhand, FY1988) (equivalent to $360,141 in 2023)
Produced	1951–1954
No. built	5,467
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	23.49 tonnes (25.89 short tons; 23.12 long tons)
Length	5.81 m (19 ft 1 in) (hull)
Width	3.19 m (10 ft 6 in)
Height	2.72 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew	4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armor	Welded steel; 25.4 mm (1.00 in) turret front; 25 mm (0.98 in) turret sides and rear; 12.7 mm (0.50 in) turret top ; 31.7 mm (1.25 in) at 30° hull upper glacis plate; 25.4 mm (1.00 in) at 45° hull lower glacis plate; 19 mm (0.75 in) hull rear ; 9.25 mm (0.364 in) hull floor;
Main; armament	76 mm M32A1 rifled cannon (65 rounds)
Secondary; armament	.30 caliber M1919A4 coaxial machine gun (5,000 rounds); .50 caliber Browning M2 roof-mounted machine gun (2,175 rounds);
Engine	Continental AOS-895-3 six-cylinder air-cooled petrol; 500 bhp (370 kW)
Power/weight	21.2 hp (15.8 kW)/tonne
Suspension	Torsion bar
Ground clearance	0.45 m (1.5 ft)
Fuel capacity	530 L (140 US gal)
Operational; range	161 km (100 mi)
Maximum speed	72.4 km/h (45.0 mph)

The M41 Walker Bulldog, officially 76-mm gun tank M41, was an American light tank developed for armed reconnaissance purposes.^[8]^[9] It was produced by Cadillac between 1951 and 1954 and marketed successfully to the United States Army as a replacement for its aging fleet of World War II-vintage M24 Chaffee tanks.^[6] Although engineered as a reconnaissance vehicle, the M41's weight and armament also made it effective in the close infantry support role and for rapid airborne deployments.^[8] Upon entering US service, all M41s received the designation Little Bulldog and subsequently, Walker Bulldog after the late General Walton Walker, who was killed in a Jeep accident in 1950.^[1] The M41 was the first postwar American light tank to see worldwide service, and was exported in considerable numbers by the United States, particularly to Asia.^[8]

Development of the M41 proceeded slowly until the outbreak of the Korean War, when the US Army's renewed demands for more tanks resulted in its being rushed into production.^[5] The haste with which it was initially produced led to technical problems,^[5] which, coupled with the relatively cramped dimensions of its hull interior, gave it a mediocre reputation among American tank crews.^[8] It was also considered too large in comparison to the Chaffee for reconnaissance.^[5] Funding for the M41 program was slashed accordingly, and more emphasis placed on the development of new main battle tanks such as the M47 Patton.^[5] Cadillac ceased production of the M41A1 in late 1954. It was replaced by the M551 Sheridan during the 1960s.^[5]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Foss, 1976. p 213–216
^ Christopher F. Foss (16 May 2000). Jane's Tanks and Combat Vehicles Recognition Guide (2000 ed.). Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-0-00-472452-2.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "M41 Walker Bulldog". Newtown, Connecticut, United States: Forecast International, Incorporated. March 1997. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 30 November 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Ogorkiewicz, Richard (2015). Tanks: 100 Years of Evolution. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 166–169, 217–229. ISBN 978-1-4728-0670-3.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Chant, Christopher (1987). A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-7102-0720-4. OCLC 14965544.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Foss, Christopher F. (2005). Jane's Armour and Artillery 2005–2006. London: Jane's Information Group. pp. 186–194. ISBN 978-0-7106-2686-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Haskew, Matthew (April 2015). Tanks: Inside And Out. New York: Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 74–79. ISBN 978-1-4488-5980-1.
^ Department of the Army Technical Manual FM 17-80:Tanks, 76-mm Gun M41 and M41A1. Washington DC: Department of the Army. 1956. p. 4.

[Jane2-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Foss, 1976. p 213–216

[Recognition-2] Christopher F. Foss (16 May 2000). Jane's Tanks and Combat Vehicles Recognition Guide (2000 ed.). Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-0-00-472452-2.

[Forecast-3] "M41 Walker Bulldog". Newtown, Connecticut, United States: Forecast International, Incorporated. March 1997. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2017.

[inflation-USGDP-4] Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 30 November 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.

[Evolution-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Ogorkiewicz, Richard (2015). Tanks: 100 Years of Evolution. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 166–169, 217–229. ISBN 978-1-4728-0670-3.

[Compendium-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Chant, Christopher (1987). A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-7102-0720-4. OCLC 14965544.

[Jane3-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Foss, Christopher F. (2005). Jane's Armour and Artillery 2005–2006. London: Jane's Information Group. pp. 186–194. ISBN 978-0-7106-2686-8.

[Haskew-8] Haskew, Matthew (April 2015). Tanks: Inside And Out. New York: Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 74–79. ISBN 978-1-4488-5980-1.

[:0-9] Department of the Army Technical Manual FM 17-80:Tanks, 76-mm Gun M41 and M41A1. Washington DC: Department of the Army. 1956. p. 4.

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