[8][9] It was produced by Cadillac between 1951 and 1954 and marketed successfully to the United States Army as a replacement for its aging fleet of World War II-vintage M24 Chaffee tanks.

[5] The haste with which it was initially produced led to technical problems,[5] which, coupled with the relatively cramped dimensions of its hull interior, and poor armament gave it a mediocre reputation among American tank crews.

[12] It was to utilize automotive parts and components already common to other US military vehicles[8] and incorporate a modular hull capable of being converted for a variety of other specialized roles.

[12] Weighing nearly 52,000 pounds, the T41E1 was so heavy it would have easily been classed as a medium tank in its own right only about five years earlier, and was no longer deemed suitable for frequent airborne deployments.

[8] A renewed sense of urgency introduced by the outbreak of the Korean War and increasing demands by the US Army for more tanks resulted in production hurriedly commencing in mid-1951.

[5] As early as mid-1952 the US government had become so disillusioned by the M41's perceived shortcomings that it recommended the M41 acquisition process be terminated and a new light tank development project initiated; however, General J. Lawton Collins, then Army Chief of Staff, successfully argued for the existing purchase orders to be filled.

[15] With the introduction of increasingly well-armored Soviet main battle tanks, the M41 was no longer perceived as powerful enough for frontline service, and it was replaced by the much lighter and more heavily armed Sheridan during the late 1960s.

The US Army wanted the M41 series to include various supporting vehicles built using the same chassis, engine, tracks and as many as other associated automotive components as possible to simplify logistics.

[15] Cadillac obligingly produced the M42 Duster anti-aircraft vehicle, as well as the M44 and M52 self-propelled howitzers, and the M75 armored personnel carrier, all based on an M41 chassis and drive train.

[18] The tanks were transported to the Cuban coast by a single Mechanized Landing Craft on April 17, then came ashore with infantry support in a combined arms amphibious assault on Playa Girón.

[19] Due to a lack of adequate air support, the brigadista M41s had to land under heavy fire from circling Cuban aircraft, although all of the tanks succeeded in advancing past the beach intact.

[19] Four infantry battalions and two companies of Cuban T-34-85 tanks were ordered to retake the airfield and beachhead, but their radio transmissions were intercepted by the exiles, allowing them to plan their defense accordingly.

[21] With the formation of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) in 1962, US influence on ARVN doctrine grew; all armored units were subsequently reorganized and patterned after the US cavalry regiments.

[21] American advisers also made a concerted attempted to refurbish the ARVN M24 fleet but encountered sourcing problems with the US Army supply system's dwindling stock of M24 parts, most of which had already been disposed of or donated to other countries.

[21] In mid-1964, as part of a greater effort to introduce more modern equipment to the ARVN, the MACV proposed that the South Vietnamese armored corps be increased by five tank squadrons.

[22] Seventeen ARVN M41s were initially sent into Laos as part of Operation Lam Son 719 between February and March 1971, an abortive cross-border incursion to disrupt strategic supply lines for the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong.

[21] Failure to maintain a cohesive withdrawal led to individual infantry or mechanized units with no armor support of their own being cut off and surrounded by PAVN tanks.

[21] This prevented the ARVN from taking full advantage of their mobility, and units elsewhere had to depend solely on well-timed air support from South Vietnamese or US bombers to stave off PAVN tanks.

[24] Due in part to conflicting orders, the final ARVN withdrawal from Laos, conducted while under pursuit from PAVN T-54s, was disorderly and resulted in a number of M41s being abandoned intact by their crews.

[31] The Lebanese Army M41s first saw action in 21 November 1969, when they engaged Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) guerrillas at the town of Nabatiyeh during the border clashes in the Rashaya district of southern Lebanon, and again at the Souk el-Khan sector of "Fatahland" in the early 1970s.

[38][39] At least 18 M41s were eventually returned by the militias to the Lebanese Army in 1977–78, and remained in service until the 1983-84 Mountain War, when they were retired and quickly replaced by M48A1 and M48A5 main battle tanks provided by the US and Jordan.

[40] In 1960, the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps procured ten[28] M41s from the US to replace its obsolete Valentine tanks, which had been inherited from its close association with the British Army during World War II.

[49][50][51] As a voluntary arms embargo had been imposed on South Africa due to the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 181, Gervasi was invited to testify on this claim before the US House of Representatives, which had a subcommittee on African relations.

[52] According to the minutes from the discussion, the delivery of one M41 Walker Bulldog to South Africa was acknowledged by the Department of State, presumably for evaluation purposes, although this took place in the early 1950s and predated the arms embargo.

[53] William H. Lewis, director of the Bureau of Inter-African Affairs at the State Department, debunked Gervasi's allegations that the US had supplied South Africa with a large stockpile of tanks.

[28] The tanks underwent a significant rebuild prior to their export, including the installation of new armor plate by a German contractor, and replacement of the turret armament with a 90 mm Cockerill Mk.

[1] All M41 tanks utilize a torsion bar suspension, which supports five road wheels with the drive sprocket at the rear and idler towards the front, and three track return rollers.

[1] Crew commanders have a day periscope and a turret cupola with five vision blocks for observation; this is also provided with a hinged hatch cover opening forwards.

[60] The M41 has a very distinctive, well sloped glacis plate with a horizontal top, and may also be readily identified by its large exhaust pipes on each side of the upper hull rear.

[2] Other identifying features on the turret include the bustle and stowage box at the rear, the commander's cupola to the right, and the muzzle brake with fume extractor on the main armament.