M24 Chaffee

Light Tank M24
A preserved M24
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1944–1953 (U.S Army)
Used by	United States and 28 others; see Operators
Wars	World War II, Korean War, First Indochina War, Ifni War, Vietnam War,Algerian War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Production history
Manufacturer	Cadillac, Massey-Harris
Produced	1944 – August 1945
Number built	4,731
Specifications
Weight	40,500 lb (18.37 metric tons)
Length	5.56 m (18 ft 3 in) including gun 5.03 m (16 ft 6 in) excluding gun
Width	3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height	2.77 m (9 ft 1 in)
Crew	5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver/radio operator)
Armor	15–38 mm (0.60–1.50 in)
Main armament	75 mm Gun M6 in Mount M64 48 rounds
Secondary armament	.50 cal Browning M2HB machine gun 440 rounds 2 × .30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns 3,750 rounds
Engine	Twin Cadillac Series 44T24 220 hp (164 kW) at 3,400 rpm (per engine)
Power/weight	24 hp (17.9 kW) / tonne
Transmission	Hydramatic 8 speeds forward, 4 reverse
Suspension	Torsion bar
Fuel capacity	110 US gallons (420 litres)
Operational range	100 mi (160 km)
Speed	35 mph (56 kph) on road

The Light Tank M24 is an American light tank used during the later part of World War II and in postwar conflicts including the Korean War and, with 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. While long removed from American and British service, it is still found in service as a light tank in third-world countries, along with other hardware from that era.

British combat experience in the North African campaign identified several shortcomings of the M3 Stuart light tank, especially the performance of its 37mm cannon. A 75mm gun was experimentally fitted to an Howitzer Motor Carriage M8 - an M3 tank with a larger turret - and trials indicated that a 75 mm gun on the M5 light tank development of the M3 was possible. The M3/M5 design was dated though, the 75 mm gun reduced storage space, and the armor was insufficient.

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. 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. 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.

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 was used together with some aspects of the T7. 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 to maximize effectiveness. 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. The design featured - 16 in (41 cm) - tracks and torsion bar suspension, similar to the slightly earlier M18 Hellcat tank destroyer. 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".