Produced by the Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Tank Automotive Command, Quality Assurance Directorate, this U.S. Army film was made to familiarize contractors, and also the public, about the process of quality assurance testing and how it is critical to every vehicle the military purchases. The film provides a fascinating look at some of the tests that armored vehicles would be put through to confirm fulfillment of their roles, including driving and amphibious operation, weapons tests, and more. No copyright but this is circa the mid-1960s.

Opening: Contractors walk into a building. Inside a factory, men walk by M60 tanks. Maint Title: Quality Assurance Testing (:07-1:03). A man removes chocks from under a brand new M60 Patton main battle tank. The tank is pulled slowly on a U.S. Army railroad flatcar. Civilian contractors sit around a table and discuss quality control testing with an Army officer overseeing their contracts. Close on the M60 Patton tank picture on the wall of the office (1:04-2:53). A brand new M60 Patton is being put through its paces. The tank goes backward up a steep grade. Tread of tank is shown close. Tank goes down the steep grade. Tank moves quickly. A tank goes over a bridge (2:54-4:29). Tank backs up. Goes over a high wall. Tank bounces up and down over rough terrain. It goes into mud and water. Tank over dirt with fast acceleration (4:30-5:30). Tank is hosed off. A mechanic works on and cleans the tank’s wheels. Tank bursts through trees in an exercise. Tank goes onto a dirt road, down a hill pretty fast, takes a corner. Twists and turns as tank moves up a road. Tank is partially submerged. Tank then drives into water and moves fast through it. Tank slowly drives out of the water (5:31-8:24). Armored personnel carrier APC is shown on an amphibious test, driving through deep water, heads toward land and comes onto the shore. The contractors discuss the tests with the Army officer (8:25-10:17). Tractor Truck M931/M932 gasoline or fuel truck goes down a rough road, simulating a European ” Belgian Block” road. Underneath the truck as it goes. Tractor trailer drives quickly down a road and then on a sloped road, test to see if truck will tip over 10:18-11:47).Tractor trailer performs emergency stops. Men sit around a table and listen as an Army officer speaks. M54 5-ton, 6×6 cargo truck drives through field, wheels cut through dirt and water. M54 cargo truck takes a turn on a rough, dirt road (11:48-13:15). A tank is shown stuck in the mud at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. Two uniformed men pull a tow cable from what might be a M88 Recovery Vehicle. The recovery vehicle pulls the tank out of the mud. Tank is pulled out, it begins moving again. Tank on asphalt. An M-60 tank fires. Tank practices firing test at a target. Tractor trailer drives on a slope. Tank goes up hill. Tank on dirt roads, through grass and mud. Truck drives into muddy water. Tank splashes into water (13:16-16:00). End credits (16:01-16:16).

The M60 is an American main battle tank (MBT), standardized as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60 in March 1959. Although developed from the M48 Patton, the M60 tank series was never officially classified but sometimes informally grouped, as a member of the Patton tank family. The design similarities can be noted in the original variant of the M60 and the M48A2. The US Army considered it as a “product-improved descendant” of the Patton tank’s design. The United States fully committed to the MBT doctrine in 1963 when the Marine Corps retired the last (M103) heavy tank battalion. The M60 tank series became America’s primary main battle tank during the Cold War. Over 15,000 M60s were built by Chrysler. Hull production ended in 1983, but 5,400 older models were converted to the M60A3 variant ending in 1990. The United States’ largest deployment of M60s was in the 1991 Gulf War, where the US Marines equipped with M60A1s effectively defeated Iraqi armored forces, including T-72M tanks. The United States readily retired the M60 after Operation Desert Storm, with the last units being retired from active service in 1997.

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