Heard back from Ken and:
"Well, we are back to recognition matters for the photos. Pappy's comment under the Saussy tank pic refers to the removal of the idler with the M48A2C and later. The photo label does not make it an A2. Hunnicutt is quite clear in his Patton that the A2s had the three return rollers, and since all USMC M48A3s were converted M48A1 tanks, all had the five return rollers, no exceptions. Most decisively is the travel lock on the Saussy M48. It is raised and stands up right behind the turret. The travel locks for the A2 and A3 were at the the very rear of the engine deck. It is an M48A1.
Pappy's other pic with the caption "M48A2 Rear Photo ?" does not seem to be a USMC tank by any markings I can make out. If you blow it up, you see the tank on the left rear displays a star on its turret, most un-USMC except for the Korean War. It does not look like any of the USMC tank parks of the day. Note the missing components of the subject tank. It might even be an M48A3 with the air cleaners stripped away. In short, a parts tank for some unknown unit. I don't know that the M48A2 and the M48A3 rear engine grills are at all different. Do you? Pappy's M48A3 pics from Vietnam are not very clear in the grill detail. Here's some of mine in the attached pic. There is no date on the "A2" photo, nor place. Pappy has been sloppy before on his blog."
http://www.tank-net.com/forums/index...howtopic=41757
So basically we have a case of poor memory and a mis-labeled picture.