Armored, attention!
Today we're going to talk about a light armored vehicle that arrived near the end of WWII, but had a long career in the post-war period and even at the beginning of the Cold War, influencing an entire era of light reconnaissance armored vehicles in many countries. The subject of our report is the amazing M24 Chaffee light tank.
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| Troopers from the 18th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, 14th Cavalry Group, man their M24 in Petit-Tier, Belgium, in early February 1945. (National Archives) |
History:
The M24 Chaffee (officially light tank M24) was an American light tank used during the later part of World War II; it was also used in post–World War II conflicts including the Korean War, and by the French in the War in Algeria and the First Indochina 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.
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| General Adna Romanza Chaffee Jr. (23 September, 1884 – 22 August, 1941) |
Although the M41 Walker Bulldog was developed as a replacement, M24s were not mostly removed from U.S. and NATO armies until the 1960s and remained in service with some Third World countries.
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| M41 Walker Bulldog and M24 Chaffee tanks, side by side |
Development and production history
British combat experience in the North African campaign identified several shortcomings of the M3 Stuart light tank, especially the performance of its 37 mm cannon.
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| M3 light tanks and A-20 bombers training in the California desert in 1942 (Official U.S. Army Signal Corps photo 111-SC-143198 - National Archives) |
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| Royal Tank Regiment, training on the new American M3 Stuart tank, being inspected by Mr Walter Kirk, American Minister to Egypt. 17 August 1941- IWM (E 3450E) |
A high-velocity 75 mm gun was experimentally installed on an M8 howitzer motor carriage, resulting in the M8A1 variant. Tests indicated that a 75 mm cannon on the M5 light tank, derived from the M3, was possible. However, the M3/M5 design was already quite outdated, and the 75 mm cannon significantly reduced ammunition storage space.
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| The prototype M8A1, a M8 HMC armed with 75mm M3 gun. Aberdeen Proving Ground - 13 January, 1943. |
The T7 light tank design, which was initially seen as a replacement, grew in weight to more than 25 short tons, taking it out of the light tank classification, and so was designated as the Medium Tank M7.
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| Third production M7 medium tank at the General Motors Proving Ground 11 January, 1943. |
The weight increase without increased power gave it unsatisfactory performance; the program was stopped in March 1943 to allow standardization on a single medium tank – the M4 medium Sherman. This 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.
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M5 Light and M4 Medium Tanks, in Coreno, 1 hour after its fall, await word to continue advance. Fifth Army, 755th Tank Battalion, Coreno area, Italy. 14th of May 1944 |
In April 1943, the Ordnance Corps, together with Cadillac (who manufactured the M5), started work on the new project, designated Light Tank T24. The powerplant and transmission of the M5 were used together with some aspects of the T7. Efforts were made to keep the weight of the vehicle under 20 tons. The armor was extremely light and was sloped to maximize effectiveness. The turret armor was 25 mm thick with a 38 mm thick gun mantlet. The glacis plate was 25 mm thick. Side hull armor thickness varied: the frontal section was 25 mm thick but the rear third of the armor (which covered the engine compartment) was only 19 mm.
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| Light tank T24 p, climbing up a hill at Aberdeen Proving Ground - 15 out. 1943. |
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| Light tank T24 pilot - right side. Aberdeen Proving Ground - 21 Oct. 1943. |
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| Light tank T24 pilot - rear right view. Aberdeen Proving Ground - 21 Oct. 1943. |
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 75 mm M3 in use by American tanks but used a thinly walled barrel and different recoil mechanism.
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| B25 G/H Mitchell medium bomber with 75mm gun |
The design featured 41 cm tracks and torsion bar suspension, similar to the slightly earlier M18 Hellcat tank destroyer, which itself started in production in July 1943.
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| During a lull in the fighting in Brest, France, on 12 September 1944, crewmen of an M18 Hellcat nicknamed “Big Gee” inspect their vehicle. (National Archives) |
The torsion bar system was to give a smoother ride than the vertical volute suspension used on most US armored vehicles. At the same time, the chassis was expected to be a standard used for other vehicles, such as self-propelled guns, and specialist vehicles; known together as the "light combat team". It had a relatively low silhouette and a three-man turret.
On 15 October 1943, the first pilot vehicle was delivered. The design was judged a success and a contract for 1,000 was immediately raised by the Ordnance Department. This was subsequently increased to 5,000. 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 been produced.
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| Light Tank M24 - Cadillac production Aberdeen P.Ground - 2 August, 1944. |
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| Light Tank M24 - Massey Harris production Tank division factory located in Racine, Wisconsin (USA). July, 1944. |
Service history
The M24 Chaffee was intended to replace the ageing and obsolete Light Tank M5 (Stuart), which was used in supplementary roles.
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| M5A1 crews from Company D, 761st Tank Battalion, stand by awaiting call to clean out scattered German machine gun nests Coburg, Germany - 25 April 1945 |
World War II - European theater
The first 34 M24s reached Europe in November 1944 and were issued to the 2nd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) in France. These were then issued to Troop F, 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron and Troop F, 42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, which each received seventeen M24s. During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, these units and their new tanks were rushed to the southern sector; two of the M24s were detached to serve with the 740th Tank Battalion of the U.S. First Army.
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| Whitewashed M24 Chaffee Ardennes, late 1944. |
The M24 started to enter widespread use in December 1944, but they were slow in reaching the front-line combat units. By the end of the war, the light tank companies of many armored divisions were still mainly equipped with the M3/M5 Stuart. Some armored divisions did not receive their first M24s until the war was over.
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| M24 Chaffee light tank from 743rd Tank Battalion 30th Infantry Division, February 1945 |
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| M24 Chaffee light tank of the U.S. 9th Army crossing Rhine 24 March 1945 |
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| M24 Chaffee of Company D, 18th Tank Battalion, 8th Armored Division, being loaded onto an LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanical) for transport across the Rhine River. March 1945 |
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| M24 Chaffee light tank providing fire support to 35th Infantry Division, clearing Lintfort, Germany - March, 1945. |
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| M24 Chaffee from 20th Armored Division enters Munich, Germany. April 1945 |
Aside from the US Army, the British Army was another main user of the Chaffee during the war, with at least several hundred obtained through the US Lend-Lease program. These saw action mainly in northwestern Europe and the North German Plain where British forces saw action against German troops.
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| M24 Chaffee light tank from 9th Armored Division, resting in some German village, 1945 |
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| British M24 light tank used by the British |
Reports from the American 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, which was a vast improvement over the 37 mm. The M24 was inferior in armor to German tanks, but the bigger gun at least gave its crews a much better chance to fight back when it was required, especially in infantry support.
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| Soldiers from 30th Infantry Division, advance near Wesel, Germany with an M24 Chaffee in pursuit of retreating German forces. 26 March, 1945 |
The M24's light armor made it vulnerable to virtually all German tanks, anti-tank guns, and hand-held anti-tank weapons. The contribution of the M24 to winning the war in Europe was minor, as too few arrived too late to replace the M5s of the armored divisions. At the end of WWII, the US Army displayed its Chaffees alongside the British Comet tanks and the Soviet IS-3 heavy tank, in the Berlin Victory Parade in 1945.
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| M24 Chaffee light tanks drive down the Charlottenburg Chaussee in Berlin, during the Four Nations VJ Day parade - IWM (BU 10264) |
World War II - Italian Front:
In the Italian theater of operations during World War II (under the U.S. Fifth Army), the M24 Chaffee tanks arrived quite late, in the final months of the conflict. Initial deliveries took place between February and March 1945, replacing the older M5A1 Stuart light tanks. The units that received the Chaffees in Italy were:
- 81st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized) - They began receiving the first units between February and March 1945. This was the main unit in Italy to employ the M24 Chaffee in active reconnaissance and infantry support operations during the final offensive in the spring of 1945 in the Po Valley, participating in the liberation of cities such as Bologna and Milan.
- 752nd Tank Battalion (GHQ / Separate) - They received a batch of 17 M24 Chaffee tanks in March 1945, to re-equip their D Company (Light Tank Company). They operated the Chaffees during the final advance across the Po River until the end of hostilities in Italy (May 1945).
- Other infantry and divisional reconnaissance elements (in very small quantities): A few organic reconnaissance Troops of Fifth Army divisions received individual M24 units as replacements in late March and April 1945, but in residual numbers compared to the 81st Recon and the 752nd Tank Battalion.
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| A rare color picture of an M24 Chaffee of the 1st Armored Division, 81st Recon Squadron in Gergato Italy - 1945. |
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| Soldiers from the 752d Tank Battalion cover their M24 light tank, with a tarp after a day of maneuvers in Cormons, Italy, 8 November 1946. |
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| M24 Chaffee light Tank of the 752nd Battalion, shortly after WWII, in Italy. |
After World War II - Pacific theater
The M24 was virtually the only tank that the U.S. Far East Command could immediately dispatch to the Korean Peninsula at the time of the Korean War. During the same period, there were a total of four tank battalions (71st, 77th, 78th, and 79th) under the Far East Command, and each battalion maintained one company composed of M24s for the purpose of defending Japan's narrow road network and bridges. The first battle took place on 10 July 1950, when A Company of the 78th Tank Battalion, assigned to the 24th Infantry Division, fought a North Korean tank and destroyed it while losing two.
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| M24 light tank EAGLE CLAW belonged to the 3rd Reconnaissance Company of the 3rd Infantry Division - USA. Korea, 1950. |
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| M24 light tank from the 24th Infantry Division passes by a group of Korean civilians as it heads to the front to combat North Korean forces. 8 July, 1950. (NA) |
The M24's 75 mm main gun lacked penetration power against the frontal armor of the T-34-85. In addition, the armor of the M24 could be penetrated by the main guns of enemy tanks, artillery, and even anti-tank rifles used by the North Korean military. Moreover, most of the tanks dispatched from Japan had not been repaired for a long time, so turrets and main guns frequently broke down during battles. A Company of the 78th Tank Battalion, who first arrived on the Korean Peninsula, suffered heavy damage, with only two of the 14 tanks remaining in about a month.
This unfavorable situation was resolved in August of the same year when U.S. medium tanks were finally deployed on the Korean Peninsula. All of the tanks units that operated the M24s were replaced with the M4A3E8.
Afterward, the M24 was given to the reconnaissance squadron under the tank battalion or the infantry division for most of the period and was used for scouting purposes as it should have been.
Variants and related vehicles
- Light tank T24: Original prototype. Tested at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in October , 1943. Was eventually standardized as light tank M24.
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| Light tank T24 original prototype - right side. Aberdeen Proving Ground - 21 out. 1943 |
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| Light tank T24 original prototype - left rear view. Aberdeen Proving Ground - 21 out. 1943 |
- Light tank T24E1: Prototype with Continental R-975-C4 radial 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.
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| Light tank T24E1 prototype - left rear view. Aberdeen Proving Ground - 16 out. 1944. Notice the rear engine deck |
- M19 multiple gun motor carriage: Developed from the T65 40 mm GMC (anti-aircraft gun on extended M5 chassis). Lengthened M24 hull with engine moved to center, twin 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns mounted at hull rear (336 rounds). 904 were ordered in August 1944, but only 285 were completed by the end of the war.
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| Cadillac M19A1 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage - 1945. |
- M37 105mm howitzer motor carriage: Developed in 1945. Carried the 105 mm howitzer M4 (126 rounds). It was intended to replace the 105 mm howitzer motor carriage M7. 448 ordered, 316 delivered. Saw service in the Korean War.
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| M37 105mm howitzer motor carriage with a 75 mm recoilless rifle |
- M41 howitzer motor carriage (Gorilla): Engine moved to the center of hull, 155 mm howitzer M1 mounted at rear. 250 ordered, 85 produced. Saw service in the Korean War, with some exported to France.
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- T77 multiple gun motor carriage: Had six .50 (12.7 mm) caliber machine guns mounted in a new designed turret.
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| T77 multiple gun motor carriage |
- T42, T43 cargo tractors: Based on the T33, the T42 had a torque converter transmission from the M18 Hellcat. The T43 was a lightened version of the T42.
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| T42 cargo tractor |
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| T43 cargo tractor |
- T9: Had bulldozer kit installed.
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| T9 (M24 with dozer blade) prototype |
Additionally, the M38 Wolfhound prototype armored car was experimentally fitted with an M24 turret.
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| M38 Wolfhound prototype armored car |
And the LVT(A)-1/M24, a prototype of a Tracked Landing Vehicle (LVT) with the M24 turret, for greater firepower, was developed. The vehicle was cancelled in 1945 due to its instability.
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| Right view of LVT(A)-1/M24 prototype |
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| Front right view of LVT(A)-1/M24 prototype |
Even arriving late in WWII, the M24 Chaffee helped to redefine the concept of the light tank, combining mobility, relative protection, and the surprising firepower of the 75mm M6 gun in a compact chassis. Its balanced design ensured a remarkable postwar service life. Widely used in the Korean War and by various armed forces around the globe - most notably its performance with the French army in the Indochina War and the Battle of Dien Bien Phu - the M24 Chaffee established itself as one of the most versatile and influential light tanks of its era.
Specs:
| Light tank M24 Chaffee | |
|---|---|
| Type | Light tank |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1944–1953 (U.S. Army) |
| Used by | United States, UK and 27 others |
| Wars | World War II Korean War and others |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Produced | April 1944–August 1945 |
| No. built | 4,731 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 20.3 short tons |
| Length | 5.56 m including gun 5.03 m excluding gun |
| Width | 3 m |
| Height | 2.77 m |
| Crew | 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, assistant driver) |
| Armor | 0.40–1.50 in (10–38 mm) |
Main armament | 75 mm gun M6 in mount M64 48 rounds |
Sec. armament |
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| Engine | Twin Cadillac Series 44T24 220 hp @ 3,400 rpm (total) |
| Power/weight | 12 hp / tonne |
| Transmission | Hydramatic 8 speeds forward x 4 reverse |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 0.46 m |
| Fuel capacity | 420 L |
Operational range | 160 km |
| Maximum speed | 56 km/h |
The kit:
This construction project was based on an old Italeri kit (6431), which represents the version of the light tank used in WWII, with its tracks from the initial model. This kit, released in 2010, was nothing more than a redesigned version of the original (no. 244) from 1986.
I'm going to use this old kit that I had stored away in my catacombs, but it's still a lot of fun.
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| M24 Chaffe Italeri kit (6431) box art |
And to make things even more interesting, I'm going to use an M24 Stowage Set from Legend Productions (LF1242), cast in polyurethane resin, that was also lying around.
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| Photo of the Legend accessory kit box. |
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| The pieces that make up the Legend kit. |
This project is practically a standard construction, without many interventions, simple and quick. This project is practically a standard build, without many modifications, simple and quick. This version of the Italeri model is quite spartan, with 8 good quality vinyl tracks and no metal details. Italeri released a more sophisticated version of the same model in 2012, with LBL tracks (yay!) and a metal cannon barrel, which was a great upgrade. But my version is the spartan one, from the Jurassic period... So, let's make some lemonade out of this old lemon of ours!!
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| Starting by the book: chassis and suspensions... The wheels were built with their rotational capability maintained, to facilitate subsequent painting. Left view |
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| Right view |
The 75mm cannon in the old Italeri kit is simply atrocious. The muzzle area of the cannon had an injection molding defect in my kit, and I replaced it with a piece of Plastruct tubing of a compatible diameter.
Now I understand why Italeri added a metal barrel to the new kit model. The problem is that I had one of those metal barrels from RB Models, but who said I could find where I put the damn barrel, inside my catacombs??? I had to figure it out and fix the plastic barrel myself!!!
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| The M24 turret and the 75mm gun barrel, with new muzzle area made with Plastruct tube. |
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| The chassis with the mudguards and the upper part of the hull already installed. left view |
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| Right view |
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| And the turret is installed on the body. Now we have a tank on the workbench!! left view |
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| Right view |
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| Rear right view |
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| Rear left view |
With the construction phase finished, let's move on to the decoration. Fortunately, the Italeri kit features an excellent decal sheet, historically accurate, although with few details about the units represented and under which the vehicle served. But nothing that a good search can't solve. I decided to represent our M24 Chaffee with the colors and markings of 1st Armored Division, 81st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Troop F, vehicle number 14, in the Italian Front, near Bologne, in March 1945. I made a color and marking guide for decorating our brave and determined lightweight fighter!!
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| Colors & Markings guide |
I used Vallejo Olive Drab primer, which made the decorating process much easier, allowing me to apply the Olive Drab shades all over the model
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| Application of olive drab and its tonal variations. One thing that's really bothering me is the 75mm barrel... right view |
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| Left view |
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| The sand shields will be installed after the wheels and tracks have been painted and the lower portions of the model have weathered. |
One of the most meticulous steps was cleaning the polyurethane resin parts, cutting off excess casting material and smoothing the surfaces. This work was carried out with great care to ensure the best possible final results.
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| The stowage set after cleaning... After washing the parts with detergent, I'll apply a good coat of white primer. |
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| The resin parts in white primer... |
And now, good news: after rummaging through our storage of spare parts and other odds and ends, Kojak finally found the needle in the haystack!!!
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| Kojak searching our inventory... |
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| Metal barrel for the M24. A good stuff from RB Models!! Thanks a lot, Kojak! |
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| The kit with decals and the new detail... |
I carefully detached the mantlet from the model kit, removed the flimsy plastic barrel, and installed the (excellent) metal cannon barrel from RB Models.
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| Surgery done... |
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| Rear view. Now, it's just painting... |
Painting the resin pieces, after the primer has dried... This phase requires careful consideration, as the colors of the details should be varied, but we must not forget that an operational tank is not a Christmas tree!
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| Starting the painting, with military colors... |
Another important detail, which I left for last, is the headlight lenses. After the decals are applied and the matte varnish seals everything, I can install our girl's bright eyes!
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| headlight lenses in place. Sorry for the blurry photo... |
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| Attaching the Legend accessories. right view |
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| Attaching the Legend accessories. left view |
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| Headlights in place... |
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| And adding the roll bags and backpacks to the turret. Note the suspension straps made with painted Tamiya masking tape. The new 75mm barrel looks great! left view |
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| Rear view |
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| Right view |
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| Front right view |
With all the accessories installed, I painted the tires on the suspension wheels and was finally able to install the vinyl tracks (previously painted and weathered) and glue the sand shields in place, completing the final dusting of the kit. Here is the M24 Chaffee number 14, serving in Troop F, 81st Cavalry Recce Squadron, 1st Armored Division, on the Italian front, near Vergato and Riola, located about 40 km southwest of Bologna, Italy, in March 1945.
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| M24 Chaffee number 14 - Troop F 81st Cavalry Recce Squadron - 1st Armored Division Italian front - March 1945. |
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| front left view |
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| left view |
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| top left view |
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| rear left view |
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| M24 Chaffee number 14 - Troop F 81st Cavalry Recce Squadron - 1st Armored Division Italian front - March 1945. |
So long, guys!
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