The Flame Thrower Tank M67 (also known as M67 "Zippo",[1] nicknamed after a popular brand of cigarette lighter) is an American flame tank that was briefly used by the U.S. Army, and later by the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. It was the last flamethrower tank used in American military service.
![]() | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2015) |
![]() | This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (September 2012) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Flame Thrower Tank M67 | |
---|---|
![]() US Marine Corps M67 in action near Da Nang during Vietnam War. | |
Type | Medium flame tank |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1955–1974 |
Used by | United States |
Wars | Vietnam War |
Production history | |
Designer | Chemical Corps |
Designed | 1954 |
Manufacturer | Detroit Arsenal |
Produced | 1955-1956 |
No. built | 109 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 48 metric tons |
Length | 22 ft 7 in (6.871 m) 26 ft 6 in (8.138 m) (with gun forward) |
Width | 11 ft 11 in (3.632 m) |
Height | 10 ft 1 in (3.089 m) |
Crew | 3 |
Armor | 178 mm maximum |
Main armament | M7-6 tank flamethrower |
Secondary armament | 1 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 MG 1 × .30 cal (7.62 mm) M1919A4 MG |
Engine | Continental AV-1790-5B V12, air-cooled carburetor petrol engine 810 hp (604 kW) |
Transmission | General Motors CD-850, 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse |
Suspension | Torsion bar suspension |
Ground clearance | 1 ft 4 in (0.42 m) |
Fuel capacity | 757 litres (M67) 1268 litres (M67A) 1457 litres (M67A2) |
Operational range | 115 km (71,5 miles) |
Maximum speed | 48 km/h (30 mph) |
Drawing on the experiences of crews of M4 Sherman tanks that were converted into flamethrower tanks and used during World War II, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps began work on a successor tank that was designed for the battlefields of the Cold War. Work on the design took place between 1952 and 1954, utilizing a modified M48 tank chassis, at the initiative of the US Marine Corps. Production commenced in 1955 and ran for either a single year or four, depending on some estimates. A total of 109 M67 tanks were produced for the Marine Corps and US Army.
The M67 was primarily used for mop-up style operations, and like all flamethrower tanks, it was intended to be used primarily against infantry. The "Zippo" featured no main cannon; the M48's 90mm gun was replaced with the tank's flamethrower. While firing in quick bursts, the M67's firing was described as appearing as "rods of flames".[2] The natural fear of being burned to death gave an added shock factor to the M67.[3]
The M67 remained in service until 1974, when it was retired from use without a replacement. The modern-day United States military has no flamethrower tanks in service.
![]() | This military vehicle article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |