M47 Patton II - America's "MBT" of the 1950s

For players familiar with playing the M46 with its HEAT-FS and decent mobility, it is no different when playing in the M47 Patton II, as it still retains the APCBC with HE filler and HEAT-FS for long-range engagements, all with a similarly powerful gun to boot. However, this tank differs from the M46 in a couple of things, which we’ll dive into in this article.

Introduced in 1953 as an upgrade over to the M46 Patton, which was used in the Korean War as a replacement for the M26 Pershing, this tank was America’s first MBT, or Main Battle Tank, made to counter the latest Soviet tanks such as the T-54 (1949-1954). However, this tank would be the only Patton series tank never to see combat against either, as it would be replaced immediately by its successor, the M48 Patton III. Despite this, it would be used in NATO and SEATO countries like West Germany, France, South Korea, Italy, and Japan.

Armor and Survivability:

The frontal hull of the M47 Patton II has about 101mm of protection. However, the frontal armor is slightly improved with a new front glacis profile, sloped at a larger degree to help grant more effective armor for a greater chance of survival. The side and the rear remain relatively weak, 76mm and 60mm thick for their places on the tank. The front of the turret has about 121mm of protection, with the side of the turret at 63mm, and the rear of the turret at 76mm.

At rank V, the M47 does not have suitable armor to survive direct hits from the numerous 88, 100, and 122 mm caliber cannons fielded. Its best chance for survival is to flank enemies, thanks to its mobility and decent firepower. While the RHA of the hull allows you to survive for a bit and/or bounce some shots, the CHA spherical turret will be penetrated regardless of angle, although the penetrating round must be strong enough, or be a HEAT-based round to penetrate the front of the turret.

Firepower and Ammunition:

The M47 Patton II sports a 90mm M36 cannon, with a different look from the M46's M3A1 90mm cannon but sporting a similar playstyle. The tank has a 9.7s reload time (7.5 if aced), 19/-10° of elevation and depression, and an impressively swift turret traversal rate at 34.3°/s in Arcade, and 21.4°/s in Realistic (47.4°/s if upgraded in arcade, 25.2°/s if upgraded in Realistic). This tank, like the M26 and M46, has a First-Stage Ammo Rack, meaning that once it is depleted, the reload speed will be decreased until replenished. Unlike the M46, the M47 utilizes a rangefinder in its armament, allowing players to effectively calculate the range of an idle or moving target from a long distance (note that this only works in Realistic, not Arcade). It also has dual control for the commander to take control, quickly allowing you to control the tank turret should the gunner be put out of commission. This tank has a coaxial-mounted .50 cal M3 Browning and the pintle-mounted roof MG, allowing you to easily bite off the enemy’s tracks and reduce their mobility to allow you or your teammates to finish them off.

The stock ammo of the M47 Patton II, M318A1 Shot, has 193mm of maximum penetration. Like all U.S tanks, this is the stock shell that requires careful placement of casting this APBC round on any medium or heavy target, because the more armor there is, the less spall it generates from penetration, therefore you should study the types of tanks find any weakpoints (Ammo, crew placement, etc.) For light targets, this is unnecessary, as they have less armor which will cause more spall, but some of the light tanks have sloping, so it might also be a viable option to flank.

The APCBC round with HE filler, M82 shot, has 185mm of maximum penetration. While a little less in penetration than the stock APBC round, it makes up for it with its HE filler, allowing you to wipe out the entire crew in a tank and switch on to another target. For any target, this should be no problem, but keep in mind that ricochets are still possible and some heavies cannot be penetrated from the front, so flanking remains a viable option that works on any kind of tank, whether it be a heavy or SPAA.

The APCR rounds, M304 Shot and M332 Shot are both an improvement over penetration for AP rounds over the M82 Shot, with, but have significantly reduced post-penetration effect than either the stock APBC round with more spall generation or the APCBC with its HE filler. Only use this to target critical weakpoints on tanks like the Tiger II (P and H) and Russian Heavy Tanks with easier penetration.

The HEAT-FS round, M431, is the best replacement for the APCR rounds (assuming you used the APCR) for long-distance engagements thanks to its constant 320mm of armor penetration. This is particularly useful in penetrating any tank, especially the Tiger II (P and H) and the Russian heavies that would otherwise be impenetrable, and its chemical composition gives it the ability to overpressure most light tanks and SPAA you will encounter. Keep in mind that while the shell allows for maximum effectiveness in penetration values, the aggressive jet stream goes in a narrow direction, while similarly spreading spall, and may miss certain critical components or crew members, like ammunition or the tank gunner. Therefore, like the APBC and APCR, make sure you know where everything is to maximize the maximum of this shell against the enemy, whether close or long range.

The HE round, M71A1, is almost useless against most targets, serving only to overpressure light tanks with weak rook armor and SPAA, so when the HEAT-FS round becomes available, replace this with the fin-stabilized round.

Mobility:

The M47 retains the same engine and transmission as the M46 Patton, giving it impressive forward and reverse speed at both 54/-22 km/h in Arcade and 49/-20 in Realistic. This impressive speed allows you to reach strategic choke points and pull out quickly after firing a shot off or recovering from a hard hit on your tank.

Playstyle:

Due to the weakness of the armor on this tank, the familiar gun elevation and depression, and its impressive mobility, three playstyles can be played:

• Sniper: In maps with hills and flat plains, this playstyle is favorable with your HEAT-FS, APCR, and APCBC (HE), as it allows you to effectively hit targets, and your tank’s rangefinder allows you to measure the distance as well, making this role more helpful against distant targets. 
• Flanker: If you find yourself in a Suburban or Urban environment, where your armor will be exposed due to fewer hiding spots, your mobility and your choice of AP and HEAT-FS shall give you the ability to flank the enemy, but make sure you watch your corners, as a camper can be hiding, waiting for an unsuspecting player (you or a teammate) to pass by for them to eliminate. 
• Support: Self-explanatory, with its armament and mobility, you can rush to any teammates who are taking the heat from the enemy, and assist them using whatever round you have, whether it be APCR or HEAT-FS or even your stock APBC round, close or long range.

Enemies worth noting:

There are a couple of tanks that you may face that can (and may) destroy your tank or critically cripple it:

• Tiger II (P and H): While the Porsche version has the familiar shot trap that is easily penetrable by the APCR, APCBC, and HEAT-FS of your M47, the Henschel variant removes said shot trap and replaces it with an almost impenetrable RHA mantle plate, though you can still penetrate it with APCR and HEAT-FS. These German heavies can penetrate you regardless of where they aim, so make sure to flank them and hit them with your APHE round or use HEAT-FS to cripple them from the front (Hull and Turret).
• Ho-Ri Production: This Japanese tank destroyer, while not actually in production, has a real enough gun that will fire an APHE round that makes tanks turn into burnt rubble. Because of its insanely powerful front armor, make sure to use your APHE when flanking, or HEAT-FS when attacking from the front, but do not aim at the front of the hull because it will not go through.
  

• IS-3, IS-4M, IS-6, T-10M: These Russian heavy beasts can and will bounce either your APHE round or make the HEAT-FS unable to penetrate from a distance. Their firepower is similar to the Tiger IIs, and can also turn you into rubble if you’re not careful. Flanking is the only way you’ll take these guys out.
• Rakentenautomat, RakJPz 2: One has HEAT-based rockets, the other one has ATGMS; both can kill you with ease if you allow them the opportunity, which makes getting the first shot off, or simply flanking these relatively lightly armored targets, important. Thankfully, both tanks can be penetrated at the front of the hull with APHE, along with a tightly packed crew, so it would be better to use your APHE round, or even your HEAT-FS if you want to. The ATGM launched from the RakJPz 2 (MCLOS or SACLOS) is a little slow, so you’ll be able to reverse away from it (unless you’re in open space).
• ZSU-57-2: Do not underestimate this SPAA, despite its light armor, as it is more than capable of taking out tanks like yours, thanks to its ammunition belt with APHE in store, allowing it to take out targets and/or cripple them. Make sure you have your HEAT-FS or HE round to put it out of commission if it gets close or if you spot it; APHE works just as well on this tank, but may bounce off the T-54 upper glacis of the hull. Almost all the ammo in this SPAA is in the turret, so firing any kinetic or chemical round at it will almost always result in an ammo cookoff.