M103 tank (US/USMC)

[Pibwl]

US Army:

Unit 303 M103 Heavy Tank is available much too early (6/52 - 12/60). According to Hunnicutt's "Firepower...", a production of T43E1 tanks started only in 1953, but they had a lot of teething problems, weren't accepted by the Army and were all stored in 1955. Only in 4/56, after proposing improvements, they were standardized as M103 (although their modernization could have lasted some time). Only from 1/1958 they were deployed in one battalion in Europe. They were used until 4/1963 there.

It should have stereo RF. According to a Polish article in nTW 12/2007, basic M103 took 33 rounds (increased to 38 in following variants), and had no Heat ammo. Also AFV Weapons Profile 41 on M103 (from 1972) mentions only AP-T, HE and smoke ammo.

Formations 300, 301 need dates' change according to this unit.

Form. 301 Heavy Tank Co consists of two tanks and five 3-tank platoons - according to Hunnicutt it should be six platoons, without HQ tanks (total: 18), so maybe just the third tank should be added? (there was also one jeep in each platoon, if we want to be overly precise).

304 M103A1 - they were only used in 1959-62 period, borrowed from the Marines. It should have stereo RF and a significantly improved FC over the M103, with a ballistic computer (still without Heat ammo).


USMC:
276 M103A1 Hvy Tank - stereo RF, improved FC, no Heat as above.

273 M103A2 Hvy Tank - it had an improved FCS, but it seems, that apart from giving a possibility to fire Heat ammo, it wasn't great difference. I've found no mention on a presence of night vision sights - only xenon reflectors in M103A2.

Michal

Edit: Hunnicutt also gives 33 rounds for M103, 38 for the rest.
M103A2 was a bit faster due to better engine - 37km/h or 23 mph.

[Suhiir]

The M103 was designed to counter Soviet heavies such as the Josef Stalin tank or the T-10 if a conventional World War III broke out. Its long-ranged 120 mm cannon was designed to hit enemy tanks at extreme distances, but it was never used in combat. In 1953-1954 a series of 300 tanks, initially designated T43E1, were built by Chrysler at the Newark plant. Testing was unsatisfactory, and the tanks were all stored in August 1955. Only after recommending improvements, on 26 April 1956 the tank was standardized as the M103 Heavy Tank. Of the 300 T43E1s built, 80 went to the US Army (74 of which were rebuilt to M103 standard), and 220 were accepted by the US Marine Corps, to be used as infantry support, rebuilt to improved M103A1, then M103A2 standards.

In Europe, the US Army fielded only one battalion of heavy tanks, from January 1958, originally assigned to the 899th Armor, later re-designated the 2/33rd Armor. The US Army heavy armor battalion, in contrast to other armor units, was organized into four tank companies, composed of six platoons each, of which each platoon contained three M103's, for a total of 18 tanks per company.
The US Army deactivated its heavy armor units with the reception of the new M60 series main battle tanks in 1963.

T43E1 1953. 300 built.

M103 1957. 74 converted.

M103A1 1959. 219 converted or rebuilt. New sight (Steroscopic T52) and T33 ballistic computer. Removed one coaxial machine gun. New turret electric amplidyne system traverse. Turret basket.

M103A2 1964. 153 converted or rebuilt. New 750 hp (559 kW) diesel engine from the M60 tank, increasing the road range to 480 km and maximum speed to 37 km/h. New sight coincidence XM2A.


U.S. 120MM Armor Piercing-Tracer (AP-T) projectile M358E1 for M58 gun pierced armor the old fashioned way - brute force from a big, tough projectile fired at high velocity, none of that fancy shaped charge or skinny little discarding sabot stuff. Muzzle velocity on these was an incredible 3,500 feet per second! This was a separate loading round which used the Propelling Charge, M46 using 28 pounds of powder in a 120mm Cartridge Case M109.
Penetration sources vary. But was over 280mm at 1000meters. The first version had faulty fire controls, but the M103A1 had the new sight (Steroscopic T52) and T33 ballistic computer. This gave the M103 imense accuracy and performance.(Just like the 105mm, the 120mm was so accurate it could easily hit captured german stahlhelms at ranges up to 1000 meters).

This is the only ammo information I could find (found TONS of stuff on the powder charges tho).


Starting at pg 190
M103 Info

Tanks Net
American Military History
AFV Blog (1)
AFV Blog (2)

[DRG]

Is there some hint as to how the ammo load was distributed between HE and AP ?? ( and HEAT for the A2 )


Don

[Pibwl]

...I had just improved text in M103 Wikipedia article, adding info on about T43E1 tank, its storing and conversion to M103, basing upon Hunnicutt's book (on which existence I've learnt from that article)

Regards,
Michal

Edit:
No hint as for ammo as for now

[Pibwl]

Originally Posted by Suhiir

M103 Info

Since you gave link to the AFV Profile 41 (also quoted by me): it contradicts with Hunnicutt in dates, but Hunnicutt is newer source and more precise on this subject, so it's more reliable IMO. (I've found a copy in the net, unfortunately, without pages on A1/A2, for which I used the Polish article, clearly basing upon Hunnicutt anyway).

Michal

[Suhiir]

Originally Posted by DRG

Is there some hint as to how the ammo load was distributed between HE and AP ?? ( and HEAT for the A2 )

Don

Zero info on ammo distribution.
But it was mentioned the USMC used them in the infantry support (CS) role.

((Probably because they were too slow and short legged to be of much use in the traditional tank role))

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Ready for USA in late 1953/early 1954 however due to many issues were put back in storage. Fielded in Europe in JAN. 1958.
No specific ammo load out info on the M-103 as well except 33 or 34 rounds carried sourced based and many blogs mentioned preference for the AP-T and HEAT-T rounds as they had a much higher velocity then the main rival JS series tank AP rounds of 750m/s vs ~1075m/s for both types mentioned above. It was to be a tank killer for the USA, 11 years to develop and of a poor design. What surprised me was some made comparisons saying it's still the largest tank we ever built to include the ABRAMS.
http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/m103heavy.html
http://panzerfaust.ca/AFV%20interiors/m103a.html

The second ref. is very detailed on the M-103 especially Photo 12 on ammo types carried for this tanks 120mm Gun M58. I bet the answers lie in the Part 2 or Part 3 section which when I tried linking to them I got a 404 error. Did not somebody know or was involved with that website on here? Seems I recall something about that beyond it being used as a ref. somewhere.

http://military-photo.blogspot.com/2...ank-specs.html

Ah crap almost 5am, boy will I be in the "pooper" now!?! GOOD NIGHT!

Regards,
Pat

[DRG]

They've screwed up their links. The correct ones for parts 1, 2 and 3 are

http://panzerfaust.ca/AFV%20interiors/m103a.html
http://panzerfaust.ca/AFV%20interiors/m103b.html
http://panzerfaust.ca/AFV%20interiors/m103c.html

Don

[DRG]

Note in part three they say the stereoscopic ranging system....

"required the commander to have equally dominate eyes to determine when the image was in perfect focus"

It's a rare individual that does not have one eye dominate.

Don

[Basileus Ioannis]

quote from a now defunct discussion group:

--- begin quote ---
Per an aritcle in Journal of Military Ordnance, March 2002 by Thomas D. Dinackus.

508th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Ft. Hood Texas was issued 72 x M103s in late 1956 or early 1957 for testing. "The tests were a qualified success"...

M103s shipped to Amsterdam, Netherlands beginning in early December 1957.

Issued to 899th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Group, 7th Army.
Battalion HQ & HQ Company and D Company stationed in Hanau.
A Company stationed in Aschaffenburg.
B Company stationed in Frankfurt, moved to Kirch Goens (Feb 58<>Feb 59), moved to Kitzingen (Feb 60<>April 60).
C Company stationed in Erlangen.

When the Army switched to the CARS system (changed the name of most all units), the 899th Battalion became the 2nd Heavy Battalion, 33rd Armor.

Dec 1958, HQ Company was dissolved. The four remaining companies remained designated as 2nd Bn. 33rd Armor.

December 10, 1962, 2nd Heavy Tank Battion was converted to the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 33rd Armor and converted to 105mm Medium Gun Tank M-60.
--- end quote ---

battalion level info is corroborated by www.usarmygermany.com

however, on page 42 of Tankograd American Special No.3015, "U.S. Army Germany 1945-1969", there is photographic evidence of M103s also used by E Company, 34th Tank Battalion, 24th Infantry Division out of Munich (A-D companies had M48A1s at that time)

John