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Battle Tanks for the Bundeswehr
This article will give ARMOR readers an overview of the Bundeswehr's development of main battle tanks since World War II. It will cover Germany's initiation of its own MBT development, beginning in 1956; the introduction of the two new tank series that resulted, the Leopard 1 and Leopard 2; and some details of the test bed projects and studies completed during this period.
Introduction
The Bundeswehr obtained its first series of tanks from the U.S. in January 1956. They were M47s, and while their performance was not the best, these 1,100 tanks provided German tank crews with solid, basic tactical skills in the Bundeswehr's early days.
The M47s boasted modern suspensions and automatic transmissions, which contributed to a substantially easier driver's operation. But their disadvantages were considerable. They consumed enormous amounts of fuel, about .33 miles per gallon on the road, and this could double when driving in difficult terrain. Handling was not the best, nor were the optical components in the turret, in particular the optical range finder, which led to frequent difficulties.
For the U.S. Army, the M47 was an interim solution, and the U.S. fielded the M48 beginning in 1953. But a delivery of this MBT to friendly states was not possible before 1958, when the first of 1,462 M48 tanks were delivered to the German Army. The M48 was more reliable than the M47 and exceeded the earlier tank in all parameters of firepower, mobility, and protection. The M48 had a crew of four, compared to five on the M47, so there was a relatively spacious compartment for crew and components. There was also room for growth: its 90mm cannon was easily replaced with the NATO-standard L68 105mm gun in 1978. Germany even explored putting a 120mm smoothbore cannon on the M48!
This tank remained in service with the Bundeswehr until 1993, and in a way, it is still in service. Some M48 hulls have been converted into Keiler mine-clearing vehicles.
A Joint Project Falls
Because U.S. tanks did not fulfill all German requirements, specific national requirements for a future main battle tank were established by the chief of staff of the German Army in 1956. German objections to the U.S. MBTs were that they...