Everything about M24 Chaffee totally explained
The
Light Tank M24 was an
American light tank used during
World War II and in postwar conflicts including the
Korean War. In British service it was given the service name
Chaffee, after the
United States Army General Adna R. Chaffee, Jr., who helped develop the use of tanks in the
United States armed forces.
Development and production history
Combat experience indicated several shortcomings of the
Light Tank M3/M5, the most important of them being weak armament. The T7 design, which was initially seen as a replacement, evolved into a mediocre Medium Tank M7 and was eventually rejected in March 1943, which prompted the Ordnance Committee to issue a specification for a new light tank, with the same powertrain as the M5A1 but armed with a 75 mm gun.
In April 1943 the Ordnance together with Cadillac division of
General Motors started work on the new project, designated
Light Tank T24. Every effort was made to keep the weight of the vehicle under 20 tons. The
armor was kept light, with the glacis plate only 25 mm thick (but
sloped at 60 degrees from the vertical). A new lightweight 75 mm gun was developed, a derivative of the gun used in the
B-25H Mitchell bomber. The gun had the same ballistics as the
M3, but used a thin wall barrel and different recoil mechanism. The design also featured wider (16 inch) tracks and
torsion bar suspension. It had relatively low silhouette and a three-man turret.
On October 15, 1943 the first pilot vehicle was delivered and production began in 1944 under the designation
Light Tank M24. It was produced at two sites; from April at
Cadillac and from July at
Massey-Harris. By the time production was stopped in August 1945, 4,731 M24s had left the
assembly lines. Some of them were supplied to the British forces.
Combat history
The first M24s reached Europe in December 1944 (actually, the U.S. 2nd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) received thirty-four M-24 Chaffee's in November 1944 while in France, 17 each being issued to F Company, 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Battalion, and F Company, 42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Battalion, all of which were rushed to the southern sector of the
Battle of the Bulge in December). Two of them took part in the Battle of the Bulge with the 740th Tank
Battalion of the
U.S. First Army. The M24s were intended to replace the
Light Tank M5 which were used entirely for scouting and screening along the flanks of the main armored forces. They were slow in reaching the front line combat units, and by the end of the war many armored divisions were still mainly equipped with the M5. Some armored divisions didn't receive their first M24s until after the end of the war. Reports from the armored divisions that received them prior to the end of hostilities were generally positive. Crews liked the improved off-road performance and reliability, but were most appreciative of the 75 mm main gun, as a vast improvement over the 37 mm. The M24 wasn't up to the challenge of fighting German tanks, but the bigger gun at least gave its crews a chance to fight back when it was required. The M24's light armor made it vulnerable to virtually all of the German tanks, anti-tank guns, and hand-held anti-tank weapons. The contribution of the M24 to winning the war in Europe was insignificant, as they arrived too late and in too few numbers to replace the worn out M5s of the armored divisions.
In the
Korean War, M24s were the first U.S. tanks to see combat against the
North Korean
T-34-85s. The M24 fared poorly against these much better-armed and armored medium tanks. M24s were more successful later in the war in their reconnaissance role, when they were supported by heavier tanks such as the
M4,
M26, and
M46.
Like other successful
World War II designs, the M24 was supplied to many armies around the globe and was used in local conflicts long after it had been replaced in the
U.S. Army by the
M41 Walker Bulldog.
France employed its M24s in
Indo-China in infantry support missions, with good results. They employed ten M24s in the
Battle of Dien Bien Phu. In December
1953 ten disassembled Chaffees were transported by air to provide fire support to the garrison. They fired about 15,000 shells in the long siege that followed before the
Viet Minh forces eventually conquered the camp in May 1954.
France deployed also the M 24 in Algeria. The last known time the aging tank saw action was in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, where some 66
Pakistani Chaffees stationed in
Bangladesh were easy prey for the
Indian Army T-55s,
PT-76s and anti-tank teams. Although both
Iran and
Iraq had M24s prior to the
Iran-Iraq War, there's no account of their use in that conflict.
In the mid-70s
Norway upgraded some of their M24s, installing a 90-mm French gun, modern fire controls and a diesel engine. These vehicles, known as NM-116, served in the
Norwegian Army until 1992–93.
Similarly, the
Chilean Army upgunned the tank during the mid-80s to the IMI-OTO 60mm Hyper Velocity Medium Support (HVMS) gun, with comparable performance to a standard 90mm gun.
Chile operated this version until 1999.
Uruguay continues to use the M24. These Uruguayan Chaffees have been modernized with new engines and 76mm guns which can fire
APFSDS rounds, according to one web site.
In Popular Culture
Chaffees were employed in the 1965 film
Battle of the Bulge to portray American M-4 Sherman tanks. They are also featured in the movie
Bridge at Remagen (where their portrayal is historically accurate) and
Castle Keep to portray German Tanks. In addition to war movies, Italian Army variants are featured in the science fiction
20,000,000 Miles to Earth and there's an American one in
The Day the Earth Stood Still. The animated tank in the opening credits of
Jonny Quest (from "The Robot Spy" episode) also appears to represent an M24. Also, Chaffee tanks appeared in several of the Japanese
Godzilla movies as part of the Japanese army.
Variants
- Light Tank T24 - prototype, was standardized as Light Tank M24.
- Light Tank T24E1 - prototype with Continental R-975-C4 engine and Spicer torque converter transmission. One vehicle was converted from the original T24 prototype and tested in October 1944. The vehicle had superior performance compared to the M24, but suffered from transmission reliability problems.
- M19 Gun Motor Carriage » Engine moved to the center of hull, twin 40 mm M2 AA mounted at hull rear (336 rounds). 904 were ordered in August 1944, but only 285 were delivered.
- M37 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage » Carried a 105 mm howitzer M4 (126 rounds). Was intended to replace the 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7. 448 ordered, 316 delivered.
- M41 155 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage (Gorilla) » Engine moved to the center of hull, 155 mm howitzer M1 mounted at rear. 250 ordered, 60 delivered.
- T77 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage. » Had 6 0.5" machine guns mounted in a new designed turret.
- T9, T13 Utility vehicles.
- T22E1, T23E1, T33 Cargo carriers.
- T42, T43 Cargo tractors. » Based on the T33, the T42 had itorque converter transmission from the M18 Hellcat. The M43 was a lightened version of the T42.
- T9. » Had bulldozer kit installed.
- T6E1 Tank recovery vehicle.
- NM-116 » Norwegian upgrade from 1974-75.
- In mid-1950s, in an attempt to improve the anti-tank performance of the vehicle, some French M24s had their turrets replaced with those of the AMX-13 light tank. Interestingly, AMX-13 variant with Chaffee turret also existed.
- The M38 Wolfhound prototype armoured car was experimentally fitted with an M24 turret.
Additional Equipment
M4 » Earth Moving Tank Mounting Bulldozer. Bulldozer kit for the M24 series.
Operators
Further Information
Get more info on 'M24 Chaffee'.
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