Guideline Publications is the UK's leading publisher of modeling and hobby-related magazines. With a world-class portfolio of titles and an international Social Media presence, Guideline Publications has a dedicated readership that is constantly expanding into new areas. This English language book, The M47 Patton Tank, is authored by David Doyle. This English language volume was published in 2025 and is published in conjunction with Military Modelcraft International. A digital edition will soon be available. The latest of Guideline’s publications can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/guidelinepub/.

After many years of being published in enthusiast publications focused on military vehicle restorations, David Doyle 'graduated' to full-fledged books in 2003. His first book was a hefty 512-page history of US military vehicles. He has now had more than 175 books published on military vehicles, aviation, and naval topics. David and his wife Denise have amassed a collection of ten Vietnam-era military vehicles that they still display at shows. In June 2015, he was honored with the Military Vehicle Preservation Association's Bart Vanderveen Award, given in recognition of "...the individual who has contributed the most to the historic preservation of military vehicles worldwide." Be sure to check out David's website.

Guideline’s latest is their standard portrait A4 [8.32 inches x 11.75 inches] format, square-back, softbound publication that is 94 pages. I counted 53 color photographs and 109 black and white photographs. There are also four scale line drawings in the Appendix, probably in 1/35-scale. The front cover features a black and white photograph of an M47 during Exercise Sledgehammer in Germany. This September 1953 picture shows crewmen of Company A of the 29^th Tank Battalion, 2^nd Armored Division. Notable is the heavy wear on the T84E1 rubber track link chevron grousers.

David Doyle opens with an overview of the origins of the M47 Patton. A successor to the M46 Patton, with an updated turret, it was viewed as a stopgap until the T42 development was completed. The Korean War substantially changed the US Army’s views. Scrambling, the T42 90mm gun turret was placed on top of the M46 Patton chassis, and the M47 was born. This ‘prototype’ can be seen on Page 11 as the M46E1. Production orders for the M47 Patton were placed before testing of the M46E1 was completed. Production of the M47 Patton took place at two different facilities by three different manufacturers and was impacted by the next improvement, the M48 Patton medium tank. A unique view of the underside of a Chrysler M47 at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant can be spotted on Page 29. Note the printing on the rear of the tank showing it was the final M47 Patton produced by Chrysler above and below the American flag.

M47 Patton tanks leaving the production line were tested at a test track at Niskayuna, New York [near Schenectady]. This test track was 1.1 miles long and each M47 was tested on the track for at least 45 miles. A head-on view of a M47 Patton crew can be spied on Page 45 on this test track. A good view of the blast deflector on the end of the 90mm gun can also be viewed. A total of 8,576 M47 Patton tanks were manufactured, but they saw a short service life in the US Army due to the impending arrival of the M48 Patton tanks. The entire rationale for the M47 was pushed by the Korean War, but in the end, none saw service there. Operational service initiated at Fort Hood, Texas, with the 2^nd Armored Division, in the spring of 1952. M47 Pattons were deployed to Europe late in 1952. The M47 implemented new tactics due to its improved fire control system, which permitted longer range firing solutions. M47 Pattons on training exercises near Vilseck, Bavaria, Germany in November 1952 are on Page 57. Both photographs depict accessories strapped to the tank in the form of knapsacks, bedrolls, and chocks.

The US Army began phasing out the M47 Patton in 1955 as the M48 Patton became operational. Many M47 Pattons actually never entered US service as they were distributed via the Military Assistance Program to NATO and other allied countries. The M47 Patton saw combat in many wars, including the 1956 Suez Crisis, the Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971, and the Israel Six-Day War in 1967, to name just a few. The M47 remains in service with Iran. The M47 Patton saw many upgrades during its service and this is addressed in Chapter 4. Many of these changes involved changing the gasoline engine in favor of a diesel engine to enhance fuel efficiency, reliability, and safety. The top of Page 85 features a former Italian M47 that was acquired by a private armor collector, Fred Ropkey. Notable are the rain gutters on the sides of the turret. Several countries traded out the 90mm gun in favor of the 105mm gun that was used on the Leopard I and M60 tanks. The color photograph at the bottom of the page depicts a tank where the compensation idler wheels were removed. A standard feature for Guideline books is an In Detail section that can be found on pages 88 through 91. These color photographs are provided by David Doyle and Chris “Toadman” Hughes. The Chapters include:

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Design and Specifications [Page 11]
• Chapter 2: Production History
  • Production Variations
  • Government Production at Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant (1951-1952) [Page 29]
  • Chrysler Production at Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant (1952-1953)
  • American Locomotive Company Production (1951-1953) [Page 45]
• Chapter 3: The M47 In The Field
  • M47 In US Service [Page 57]
  • M47 In Foreign Military Service
  • Operational Experiences and Combat History
• Chapter 4: Technical Evolution and Modifications
  • Field Modifications
  • Engine Replacements [Page 85]
  • Armament Upgrades
  • Fire Control Improvements
  • Automotive Improvements
  • Role-Specific Modifications
  • Comprehensive Upgrade Programs
  • M47M (Turkey)
  • M47E (Spain)
  • In Detail
• Appendix
• Technical Specifications
• Scale Drawings

The M47 Patton is readily available in many of the normal armor scales, including: 1/144, 1/87, 1/72, 1/35, 1/32, with only a 1/48-scale kit being missing. Even then, there were vendors advertising 3D-printed M47 Pattons in 1/48-scale. Many consider the 1978 new tool, vintage Italeri 1/35 M47 Patton, one of Italeri’s best efforts, and it has been re-released by TOMY, Revell, Testors, Academy, and Tamiya. The latest and greatest kit in 1/35-scale goes to Takom, who released a new tool kit in 2017.

I was able to read David Doyle’s monograph over two days, and it really kept my attention. The text is well supplemented with very clear photographs along with good captions. Typical of David Doyle are the plethora of newly published archival photographs. This is a nice reference on the M47 Patton and would be a handy addition to your reference library. The depth of detail in the M47 Patton’s production history is fascinating and should intrigue historians. If you are building any of the model kits, I would consider this edition essential as an aide to your build.

My thanks to David Doyle Books, Guideline Publication, and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great monograph.

Highly recommended!