M24 Chaffee

Envisioned as a replacement for M3/M5 light tanks late in 1944, the M24 had thin (but sloped) armor and a lighter-weight version of the 75 mm main gun (75 mm Gun M6 (L/39)). It also carried one .50 cal Browning M2HB and two .30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns. A crew of five operated the Chaffee, and the vehicle had a maximum speed of 35 mph. The M24 started to enter widespread use in the European theater 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 American armored divisions were still mainly equipped with the M3/M5 Stuart. Aside from the U.S. Army, the British Army also used the Chaffee during the war, obtaining at least several hundred through the Lend-Lease program. The type saw action mainly in northwestern Europe and the North German Plain where British forces saw action against German troops. The M24's contribution to winning the war in Europe was insignificant, as too few arrived too late to replace worn-out M5s. However, relative to the M3/M5 Stuart tanks, the M24 provided improved off-road performance and reliability, and a much more effective main gun. While generally inferior to front-line German tanks of the period, the bigger gun at least gave its crews a much better chance to fight back when it was required. The M24's light armor made it vulnerable to virtually all German tanks, anti-tank guns, and hand-held anti-tank weapons.