M41 Walker Bulldog - US Army camouflage created by JoKeR_BvB09 | Download here!

History:

The M41 started from a program that was initiated near the end of World War 2 by General Joseph Stilwell. It called for a 25 ton light tank to replace the M26 Light tank. It called for a vehicle that was mobile armed with a 3 inch gun(76mm) capable of piercing 5 inches of armor (127mm) at a 30 degree angle from 1000 yards.

By 1949 the new pilot, the T37 was produced. It was ran in 3 stages to evaluate 3 different guns, one of which was an autoloader. A few issues were found in the design that were not problematic, but the design board wanted a bit more. In comes the T41 with some improvements over the initial T37. There was a problem however with the requirements for the T41, those being the Vickers gun system and coincidence rangefinder. The Rangefinder worked fine, but failures in the gun system and problematic upkeep forced them to omit it from the design.

By 1951 the M41 was a combination of concepts from the T37 and T41 program into a more stable platform. Those including a rear drive system with automatic transmission for ease of use with drivers as well as a stereoscopic range finder to replace the coincidence rangefinder.

In War Thunder:

X-ray view of M41 in War Thunder.

In game the Vehicle should be used as a rapid deployment support vehicle. In conjunction with a heavier vehicle, like a T32, you run rapid insertion and flanking operations while letting the heavier tanks absorb the brunt of the attack. They work well with M26 Medium tanks as the M26 has a harder hitting gun to support your advance, but you maintain a much better climb rate for hills and a much faster acceleration. Your top speed does cap off road which can leave a bit to be desired, but this requires you to play with the terrain to your advantage.

You lack any real armor and should remember such, try to abuse terrain to hide yourself and relocate after shots. Generally attempt to engage targets already engaging other foes. Your 76mm gun has great penetration, but due to the solid shot AP rounds you need to make your shots count by hitting either ammo racks or fuel tanks/engines to disable and or destroy an enemy vehicle. HVAP later on makes this job easier for vehicles with better side armor such as the IS-3 which has an amazing side profile and nothing to be taken lightly.

The M41A1 can be a very fun and rewarding vehicle, especially for experienced players. It requires precision, situational awareness, and constant vigilance to continue to support and flank your enemy..

Author: Stephen "Azumazi" Hembree

With an upcoming update, we will add the following decals to War Thunder,
which have been historically used on the Walker Bulldogs of different countries:

"Exército Brasileiro" insignia	1st “Tabak” Infantry Division (Philippines) Coat of Arms	"Daisy Mae" Text