| 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 Guatemalan Civil War 1964 Brazilian coup d'état Vietnam War Ethiopian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Ogaden War Sino-Vietnamese War Somali Civil War 2006 Thai coup d'état |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1944[1] |
| Manufacturer | Cadillac[2] |
| Unit cost | USD $162,000 (secondhand, FY1988)[3] (equivalent to $360,141 in 2023)[4] |
| Produced | 1951[1]–1954[5] |
| No. built | 5,467[3] |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 23.49 tonnes (25.89 short tons; 23.12 long tons)[6] |
| Length | 5.81 m (19 ft 1 in) (hull)[1] |
| Width | 3.19 m (10 ft 6 in)[1] |
| Height | 2.72 m (8 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)[1] |
| Armor |
|
Main armament | 76 mm M32A1 rifled cannon (65 rounds)[1] |
Secondary armament |
|
| Engine | Continental AOS-895-3 six-cylinder air-cooled petrol[3] 500 bhp (370 kW)[1] |
| Power/weight | 21.2 hp (15.8 kW)/tonne[3] |
| Suspension | Torsion bar[7] |
| Ground clearance | 0.45 m (1.5 ft)[6] |
| Fuel capacity | 530 L (140 US gal)[6] |
Operational range | 161 km (100 mi)[6] |
| Maximum speed | 72.4 km/h (45.0 mph)[6] |
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, and poor armament 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 when the gun could not longer penetrate fielded medium tanks.[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.