The military plans on Friday to officially decommission its M41A3 Walker Bulldog light tanks after more than six decades of service, a military officer yesterday.
The decommissioning ceremony is to be held at the Army Infantry Training Command in Hsinchu County, with retired army generals and military personnel who used to operate the armored vehicles invited to attend, the officer said, asking to remain anonymous.
A parade featuring M41A3s is also set to be held during the event to give the tanks a proper send-off, they added.
Photo courtesy of Youth Daily News
Taiwan has less than 20 M41A3s. Military records show that the first batch of 46 M41A3s Taiwan bought from the US arrived in October 1958.
The tanks have served as the backbone of the army for decades, with more than 700 M41A3s in service at one point.
The army has gradually replaced them with more advanced M60A3, CM11 and CM12 tanks.
The M41D tank, an upgraded version of the M41A3, still serves on offshore Kinmen County’s Lieyu Islet near China.
The M41A3, which is part of the M41 line of light tanks named after US Army General Walton Walker, was developed by the US military immediately after World War II. Mounted with a 76mm main gun, the tank was designed for close infantry support and rapid airborne deployment.
With 5,000 units having been manufactured, the M41A3 played an important role in the Vietnam War.
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