M48A1 (MTU) (90) - Prototyping For Turkey

[DMYEugen 688]

TL;DR: An M48A1 modified to use the MB-837 Ea-500 diesel engine.

 

History:

After WW2, Germany was split into two halves, East and West. The end of WW2 also brought about NATO and immediately after the signing of the treaty that brought it into existence, the question about West Germany's entrance into the organization was brought up. West Germany's entrance into NATO would essentially mean that Germany would be allowed to rearm itself, which wasn't a popular decision with many parties for obvious reasons, however, it was eventually reasoned that German engineers were some of the best in the world and if led properly, they could become an incredibly strong ally. It was decided that the most logical course of action was to rearm both sides. The West would enter NATO on May 9th, 1955, with the Bundeswehr being created only a few months later on November 12th, 1955. To be able to defend itself, it was predicted that the Bundeswehr would need at least 3,000 tanks the first 1,100 of these would be M47s cheaply acquired from the US. After evaluating the Centurion Mk. VII and the M48A1 in 1957, it was decided that the remaining 1,900 tanks would be M48s, the first of which would be M48A1s, however, these tanks wouldn't serve for long as they were soon replaced by M48A2s. There were now a few unused M48A1s lying around that the Bundeswehr didn't really have a use for. Someone who did have a use for them, however, was Turkey who was looking to expand and modernize their military. Motoren-und-Turbinen Union (MTU), noticed this and proposed an M48A1 equipped with their MB-837 Ea-500 diesel engine, which developed 750 gross horsepower and had previously been mounted on an M47, meaning that they could preform the conversion rather quickly. Turkey took them up on this offer and development began. The first prototype of was based on a standard M48A1 equipped with the 90mm M41, however, the 90mm cannon would eventually be swapped out for the British L7A3.

 

Place In War Thunder:

Squadron vehicles have been a vehicle type in-game for quite a while now, yet the majority of the newer squadron vehicles are at very high tiers. This not only results in unpleasantly long research times, but also allows less experienced players to buy in to the higher ranks with a stock vehicle causing the losses of countless games. High tier premiums are also guilty of this but at least they aren't stock. There hasn't been a good low/mid tier squadron vehicle added for quite a while and this M48A1 equipped with a slightly more powerful engine would fit this role rather nicely. It's not an overly iconic vehicle so new players won't GE it and it has a tech tree equivalent. Playstyle would be near identical to the M48A1 in the US tech tree with the exception of the just a tad bit more mobile.

 

Specifications:

Spoiler

Armament: 90mm M41 cannon, 1x .30 cal, and 1x .50 cal

 

Dimensions: 9.30m, 3.65m, 3.10m

 

Weight:  45010kg

 

Armor: Same as M48A1 in-game

 

Crew: 4

 

Ammunition: Same as M48A1 in-game

 

Speed: 48kph

 

Horsepower: 750hp

 

Pictures:

Spoiler

With The Turret Removed:

 

Excerpt from Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank by R.P. Hunnicutt:

 

Sources:

Spoiler

Der Kampfpanzer M 48 in der Bundeswehr  by Stefan Marx

Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank by R.P. Hunnicutt

 

Edited July 19, 2022 by DMYEugen

[kurururocks 210]

Open for discussion

[DMYEugen 688]

4 hours ago, kurururocks said:

Open for discussion

Thanks!

[eleks12 1,079]

+1

[Milocat 4,854]

+1, would be a nice tank to have in the game.

[hienapunk 1,064]

I say premium for Germany and a tech tree for however turkey gets implemented

[DMYEugen 688]

29 minutes ago, hienapunk said:

I say premium for Germany and a tech tree for however turkey gets implemented

Unfortunately, Turkey has no real claim to this vehicle as it was made and tested by Germany alone. As far as I know, Turkey never tested this specific vehicle. This was pretty much just an engine testbed built to make sure the engine fit and worked before they went any further with Turkey's order. They can get the 105mm prototype though as that one was at least test driven by Turks.

[Spr4yz 59]

Do you know the date they started testing this? The best I can deduce is 1958, when West Germany received their first M48A2, and final deliveries at 1959. But it could just as well be later depending on availability and decision making, hence why I ask.
Really cool suggestion with an interesting story. I like the fact that the early M48 variants can depress their gun while aiming backwards, which the M48A2 lacks. Gives you some more survivability.
+1

[DMYEugen 688]

10 minutes ago, Spr4yz said:

Do you know the date they started testing this? The best I can deduce is 1958, when West Germany received their first M48A2, and final deliveries at 1959. But it could just as well be later depending on availability and decision making, hence why I ask.
Really cool suggestion with an interesting story. I like the fact that the early M48 variants can depress their gun while aiming backwards, which the M48A2 lacks. Gives you some more survivability.
+1

Unfortunately, neither of my sources specify a date for this specific vehicle, however, the Turkish M48T5, the final form of this vehicle, is listed as being developed between 1982 and 1984.