Battle of the Bulge (film) historically accurate. Although the M24 Chaffee light tanks used in the scene were World War II-era vehicles, they were not in use in the scale shown in the film and were relatively rare. The US M47 Pattons representing German King Tiger tanks and the M4 Shermans, as represented by the M24 Chaffees, contributed much to the myth of the superior size and firepower which US armor had to contend with. However, in World War II, while it was true that, tank for tank, the Tiger II was superior to the Sherman, most of the anti-tank duties were actually the task
Tanks of the U.S. in the Cold War its derivative M46 Patton were credited with almost half of the North Korean T-34s destroyed by US tanks. Being underpowered and unreliable in the mountainous Korean terrain, all Pershings were withdrawn from Korea in 1951, and replaced with M4 Shermans and M46 Pattons. The M103 was manufactured at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant and the first units were accepted in 1957. The M103 was designed to counter Soviet heavies. Its long-ranged 120 mm cannon was designed to hit enemy tanks at extreme distances, but it was never used in combat. Of the 300 M103s built, most went to the Marines.