M24 Chaffee

Light Tank, M24
A preserved M24 at Tankfest 2023
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 1964 Ethiopian–Somali War Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Sino-Vietnamese War Algerian War Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Production history
Manufacturer	Cadillac Massey-Harris
Unit cost	$39,653[1]
Produced	April 1944–August 1945
No. built	4,731
Specifications
Mass	40,500 lb (20.3 short tons) (18.37 tonnes)
Length	18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) including gun 16 ft 6 in (5.03 m) excluding gun
Width	9 ft 10 in (3 m)
Height	9 ft 1 in (2.77 m)
Crew	5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, assistant driver/radio operator)
Armor	0.40–1.50 in (10–38 mm)
Main armament	75 mm Gun M6 in Mount M64 48 rounds
Secondary armament	.50 BMG Browning M2HB machine gun 440 rounds 2 × .30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns 3,750 rounds
Engine	Twin Cadillac Series 44T24 220 hp (160 kW) (164 kW) at 3,400 rpm (total)
Power/weight	12 hp (8.9 kW) / tonne
Transmission	Hydramatic 8 speeds forward, 4 reverse
Suspension	Torsion bar
Ground clearance	1 ft 6 in (0.46 m)
Fuel capacity	110 US gal (420 L)
Operational range	100 mi (160 km)
Maximum speed	35 mph (56 km/h)

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. 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.