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Failed Tanks 5: The M103

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The M103 is one of the least-known US tanks of the Cold War era, that saw little use, and (unlike all of the other US tanks since the M46 Pershing) was never known by the name of a US general...

...and there's a reason for that.

The reason, in short, is that the M103 is a FAILED TANK!
It's a 60-ton behemoth --- from an era of 45-ton tanks --- powered by a little engine that couldn't, armed with a big gun that ALSO couldn't, and equipped with a whole lot of functional features that didn't function.

Worst of all, there was no reason to build it in the first place!


To see how (and WHY) this travesty happened, click "Download to play the animated GIF slide-show.

Once again, VickersIndependent helped me compile the information in this presentation; [link]
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Comments21
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Meh.  Considering the Soviet T-10 was still in front line service until 1966 there was still a threat.

Weak side armor is nothing new in tank warfare.  Even the M1in Iraq has been penetrated from the flank by shoulder fired anti-tank rockets.

And no one expects what is essentially a long range support platform to have mobility (that would be like complaining a Self Propelled Gun has no maneuverability).