Tanks in the Cold War Korean War M24 Chaffee's were the first U.S. tanks to fight the North Korean T-34-85s. The Chaffee fared poorly against these much better-armed and armored medium tanks. Chaffees were more successful later in the war in their reconnaissance role, supported by heavier tanks such as the M4 Sherman, M26 Pershing, and M46 Patton. The heavier but older Pershing was deemed unsatisfactory due to its inferior mobility, which was unsuitable for a medium tank role as it used the same engine that powered the much lighter M4 Sherman, and 1949, the upgraded M26 received a new power plant and a main
Ethnic minorities in the US armed forces during World War II Ethnic minorities in the US armed forces during World War II Ethnic minorities served in the US armed forces during World War II. All citizens were equally subject to the draft. All minorities were given the same rate of pay. The 16 million men and women in the services included over 1 million African Americans, along with 33,000+ Japanese-Americans, 20,000+ Chinese Americans, more than 20,000 American Indians, and 16,000 Filipino-Americans. About 65,034 Puerto Ricans served as well as about 500,000 Mexican-Americans (both white and mestizo) and smaller numbers of other Hispanics. Group totals for European ethnic groups were not tabulated.