The M46 Patton is a new, fresh change from the M26 Pershing. The two biggest shortcomings of the M26, mobility and firepower, have been improved to allow a better player experience with the tank. On top of the upgrades it achieved, the M46 has also acquired add-on turret protection against chemical rounds (though still vulnerable to high-mass explosive rounds) and even possesses an ace up its sleeve, HEAT-FS, for all ground vehicles. Even though its armor remains relatively weak against enemy kinetic and chemical rounds, it can be a versatile vehicle on the field when played to its advantages and upgrades.
The U.S Army, seeking to improve on the issues due to a lack of funding for implementing M26s into their army and the already existing problems with the engine of said M26, sought to modernize a sizable number of them, installing a much larger and stronger engine alongside a new 90mm gun that could fire improved ammunition, which would become the M46. The M46 would see itself put into action sooner than expected with the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, where they served alongside their predecessors against Korean and Chinese troops. By the end of the war, with newer tanks like the M47 coming into service, the M46 was retired from US service but continued to serve for a few more years as foreign aid.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Superb mobility thanks to the newer engine, and sweet reverse speed | Armor is rather mediocre, and can be penetrated from most angles by most medium and heavy vehicles encountered |
| Access to improved-penetration rounds | Reload time of 9.5s |
| Large crew count of 5 | Cramped interior; crewmembers can be wiped out by one penetrating shot |
| Access to turret add-on armor, protecting from chemical rounds | Heavy chemical rounds can cause overpressure if the mesh screens are hit |
| Vertical guidance of -10 / 20°, allowing for effective hull-down engagements | Large hills could force players to reposition or drive over the hills, letting enemies pick them off |
Mobility
The forward speed of the M46 is beautiful at the BR it's at, where heavy tanks become slightly more common and stronger, allowing the medium tank to drive to flank points and ambush enemies with ease, and being able to pull out as well, thanks to its superb reverse speed. It also has access to neutral steer, though, like any vehicle with neutral steer, it's rather slow.
| Forward: | Reverse: |
| 48km/h | 19km/h |
Armor and Survivability
With the superb forward and reverse speed at hand, the M46 is bound to have a few weaknesses, and one weakness listed is the mediocre armor it boasts. While the front of the hull has enough armor paired with minimal sloping to prevent some rounds from penetrating, that's only for a mere moment until the true shot destroys the vehicle from the front, side, or rear of the hull. The turret front is the same as the M26: survivable against penetrating rounds, but weak to higher-penetration rounds or chemical rounds.
The M46 benefits from a somewhat small profile, allowing it to hide the hull behind cover and expose only the turret, though this contributes to the cramped interior of the crew, meaning that a single penetrating APHE at the sides or front of the vehicle will eliminate it from the match. The M46 has the modification option of mesh screens around the turret, keeping it safe from chemical rounds that could penetrate the left side of the turret where the first-stage ammo is, or any spot of the turret. However, if a heavy chemical round (particularly HE-based) hits the fence, it'll trigger overpressure and wipe out the entire crew regardless.
| Armor: | Turret: | Hull: |
| Front: | 101mm | 105mm |
| Side: | 76mm | 76mm |
| Rear: | 76mm | 50mm |
Firepower and Ammunition
The M46 possesses a newer 90mm M3A1 cannon, with a thinner and sleeker gun design with a bore excavator compared to the M26's M3 90mm cannon. The M46 possesses first-stage ammunition, meaning that once those are emptied, reload is significantly hindered until replenished. The 9-second reload doesn't help too much in CQC (Close Quarters Combat) or sniping, but that should be the least of one's worries if the first-stage rack is emptied.
| Ammo Name: | Ammo Type: | Penetration Value: | Info: |
| M318 shot | Solid Shot | 175mm | Stock kinetic round. Effective at causing spall to wipe out all vehicles. Requires knowledge of enemy weaknesses due to mediocre post-penetration effect. |
| M71 shell | HE | 20mm | Stock chemical round. Useful for overpressuring light vehicles or SPAA. |
| M82 shot | APCBC (APHE) | 185mm | APCBC round with HE filler. Considerably better than the stock AP round in terms of post-penetration. Less effective against heavy or sloped armor, like APBC. |
| M304 shot | APCR | 287mm | One of the two acquirable APCR rounds. Helpful against heavy targets, but boasts poor post-penetration. Spall made is minimal. Requires knowledge of enemy critical spots. |
| M332 shot | APCR | 291mm | The second acquirable APCR. Same as first, only with more penetration value. Again, spall made is minimal, and requires knowledge of enemy critical spots. |
| M348 shell | HEAT-FS | 305mm | Best chemical round acquirable. Useful for overpressure like HE, and effective to penetrate enemy targets like Panthers and Tiger IIs. Can wipe out nearly the entire crew when fired at the front of vehicles. Similarly to APBC and APCR, requires knowledge of enemy weaknesses to clean them out, but has semi-decent post-penetration effect. |
| M313 | Smoke | 5mm | Smoke round. Effective for blinding opponents or assisting allies for cover. |
Playstyle
Since the M46 Patton boasts superb mobility and impressive firepower, three playstyles can be played:
Assault: With the mobility the M46 Patton possesses, one should take advantage of that and press the offensive against enemy vehicles, and can flank enemies with ease, particularly with its APCBC (essentially APHE) and APCR. Do note that the enemy has a full view of your tank, and may or may not have a similar loadout that can wipe you out with ease, so one must be careful, especially if a second T-44 attacks you while you're aggressively dealing with the first one.
Sniper: The gun depression of -10° allows this vehicle to aim over hills, allowing players using both HEAT-FS and APCR to attack enemies from a distance and penetrate their armor from safety. This is further safer with the mesh screens around the turret, preventing attacking chemical rounds or unlucky kinetic rounds from penetrating the turret. The only things that can kill you while you're behind cover are high-explosive mass HE rounds and/or heavy tanks with high-penetration AP rounds.
Support: With the mobility, assortment of penetration rounds, and good gun zoom, the M46 can help support enemy troops, whether from cover with a clear view of the battlefield, or right next to their allies and finishing off the enemy for them. Just be careful about making a small group of tanks. A group of tanks in a single spot is an SL treasure trove for aircraft with bombs or artillery fire.
Notable Enemies and Ways to Counter:
Like any American medium ground vehicle, the M46 Patton is a balance of firepower, mobility, and protection, providing decent reliability against enemy fire. Therefore, there are three vehicles that the Patton can encounter at its BR, which can (and will) pose a threat to it
T-44 Family: The T-44 family boasts not only impressive frontal armor sloping that defeats kinetic rounds (like the T-34s before them), but also possesses powerful guns and strong kinetic rounds of its own that can (and will) penetrate the M46 from any side, both hull and turret. It also possesses impressive forward speed to flank enemy targets, weaker or stronger than itself.
To counter it, use the M46's likewise impressive mobility to its advantage and flank the Russian medium tank, attacking it with the APCBC with HE filler. Another tactic is to use APCR and HEAT-FS when attacking the front, though APCR won't cause as much damage on the hull or turret like the HEAT-FS could.
Panther Family: These German medium tanks are true to their names: powerful beasts on the battlefield with a powerful gun and strong frontal armor protection, as well as being able to use smoke grenades to conceal themselves like panthers using their environment when hunting prey, with both early and later variants of the Panthers being able to snuff out the M46 regardless of angle. The few exploitable downsides of the Panthers are their horrible side armor that can be penetrated by an XM800T or BT-5, their vulnerability to the growing number of chemical rounds as the BR rises, and the commander's cupola that can be attacked with APHE to wipe out the interior.
The M46 Patton's HEAT-FS can attack it frontally, clearing out the crew or hitting the ammo located on the front sides of the hull, or use the APCBC round at either the cupola or the sides of the turret and hull. Bouncing the APCBC round from the curved turret mantlet into the hull is also possible, but later Panther variants eliminate such a weakness.
Tiger Family: The true beasts of the battlefield, the Tiger Is and IIs boast both the infamous Flak 88 gun with high penetration rounds and strong frontal armor to protect them against armor-piercing rounds. The Tigers I and II both utilize the concept of angling, bouncing almost any round fired at them. While the Tiger 1s can be penetrated by higher penetration AP rounds at the hull front, the Tiger IIs eliminate this with sloping hailing from Panthers, all while increasing the protection of said front.
Countering these may prove difficult, but it isn't impossible. For Tiger Is, the APCBC is the best bet since it can clear out ammo and tank crew members when engaging it at the front. If the Tiger I is angling, attack it with HEAT-FS since chemical rounds penetrate regardless of angle, or flank and attack with the APCBC round, as the HE filler will take out the ammo or the crewmembers all at once. The same tactics can be used for Tiger IIs, only this time players must equip HEAT-FS if they wish to penetrate the front of the hull and turret of all variants of the Tiger II, though the P variant can be penetrated by APCBC. When flanking, it's better to aim at the rear of the turret, or the rearmost side of the turret, where the ready racks of all Tiger IIs are.
Variants:
There are two variants of the M46 Patton: the premium American one and the French one. The American premium variant, named the M46 "Tiger", is recognized by the difference in color scheme and the tiger decal in the front of the tank. This variant boasts the same configurations as the M46 itself, the only difference being the lack of add-on turret mesh screens.
The French M46 Patton, like the M46 "Tiger", also lacks the possession of turret mesh screens as an add-on and boasts the same configs as the M46.
