The M48 Patton (M48 Main battle tank) was the primary tank of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. It was widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, especially other NATO countries. The M48 Patton tank was designed to replace the previous M47 Pattons and M4 Shermans. A year after the M47 entered service, the US Army decided to replace it by the M48 Patton. The M48s saw action during the Vietnam War. Though some M48s were assigned to U.S. Marine Corps units and others were in three U.S. Army batallions. The M48, together with the M47, were used again in tank warfare by the Pakistan army against Indian Centurion and M4 Sherman tanks in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. The M48s were also used extensively in the Middle East during the 1967 Six-Day War, Lebanese Civil War and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July and August 1974. The M48's infantry-support role was admirable during the Vietnam War. The M49s provided adequate protection for its crew from small arms, mines and RPGs.