US Marines M60 Tanks

US Marines M60 Tanks By Wayne Turner The M60 tank, first introduced in 1959 to replace the M48 Patton, became the United States’ first Main Battle Tank (MBT) with the adoption of the MBT doctrine following the retirement of the M103 heavy tank in 1963. The MBT doctrine call for a single tank type that retained the manoeuvrability of a medium tank, but the firepower of a heavy tank. The M60 had seen a long and distinguished service history in the US Army and US Marines, as well as with forces around the world. By 1980s it had been well and truly combat tested and had seen a number of improvements and upgrades. Check out the Marine Rifle Company Starter Force in the online store...

The Israelis used the M60 during the 1982 Lebanon War, equipped with upgrades such as explosive reactive armour (ERA) to defeat the HEAT warheads of guided anti-tank missiles, which had proved very effective at destroying Israeli armoured vehicles in previous wars.

The Marines’ M60 tanks saw service in 1983 during Operation Urgent Fury in the amphibious assault on Grenada. The United States' Marines largest deployment of M60s was in the 1991 Gulf War, where the US Marines equipped with M60A1s effectively defeated Iraqi armoured forces, including T-72 tanks.

Improvement to the Marine M60 Tanks

By the mid-1980s the US Marines’ M60A1 tanks had undergone several upgrades and improvements starting with the M60A1 RISE (Reliability Improvement Selected Equipment) in 1974, which included a hull upgrade featuring a new AVDS-1790-2C RISE engine, a redesigned hull electrical system, which allowed for easier access, servicing, and engine removal. These upgrades also included several automotive component upgrades, as well as add-on stabilisation (AOS) for the gun. The original RISE improvements were followed by M60A1 RISE+ upgrades in 1977, which included passive night vision for gunner and commander, and a retrofitted 105mm M68E1 main gun (this improved the performance with APFSDS ammunition over original 105mm M68 gun). The final RISE upgrades were M60A1 RISE Passive, which introduced a further improved engine, the AVDS-1790-2D RISE, the Vehicle Engine Exhaust Smoke System (VEESS), a deep-water fording kit, and explosive reactive armour (ERA). Explosive Reactive Armour disrupts the destructiveness and penetration potential of a HEAT (high explosive anti-tank) round’s shaped charge jet with its outward explosion when hit.

Desert Storm The ground assault phase of Operation Desert Storm began on 24 February 1991. The ground assault was a short affair, lasting roughly 100 hours before the ceasefire. The Marines part of the ground war consisted of them infiltrating a barrier berm that separated Saudi Arabia from Kuwait, punching through two obstacle belts (made up of barbed wire, mines, tank traps, and ditches designed to slow an attacker and make them vulnerable to artillery fire), and advancing to liberate Kuwait City.  ~Wayne

Fielding US Marine M60 Tanks in World War III: Team Yankee With the release of the new Marine Rifle Company Starter Force you can now field your own upgraded M60s with ERA upgrades! The starter force contains upgrade kits to model your M60 Pattons with the Marine upgrades. The upgrade kits are currently only available in this limited run starter force, but will be released separately at a later date.

The Formation and Unit Cards Below are links to download the full PDF for the Marine Tank Company formation as well as the unit cards. Download the Formation PDF Here... Download the Marine M60 Tank Company HQ Unit Card Here... Download the Marine M60 Tank Platoon Unit Card Here...