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By 1942 it was evident that the day ofthe 37-mm (1.46-in) tank gun had passed,and requests were coming fromthe field for a light tank with a 75-mm(2.95-m) main gun, Attempts to fit sucha gun into the Light Tank M5 wereunsuccessful, so a new design wasstarted by Cadillac, The first wasready by late 1943 and it carried overseveral features of the MS, includingthe twin engines, but the main changewas to the turret and gun.The new turret mounted the required75-mm (2.95-in) gun, whose developmentwas lengthy. Originally ithad been the old French '75' field gunaltered for use in tanks. Various effortswere made to lighten the gun to theextent that it could be mounted in B-25bomber aircraft for anti-shipping use,and in this form the T13E1 was easilyadapted as a light tank weapon.The new light tank was initiallyknown as the T24 but when acceptedfor service it became the Light TankM24 and was later given the nameChaffee. It was not in full service untillate 1944, and thus was able to takeonly a small part in the fighting inEurope during 1945. Perhaps its biggestcontribution was not really felt untilthe war was over, for the M24 wasdesigned to be only a part of what thedesigners called a 'combat team' ofarmoured vehicles. The idea was thata common chassis could be used toprovide the basis for a whole family ofarmoured vehicles that included selfpropelledartillery, anti-aircraft tanksand so on. In fact this concept did notmake the impresion that it might havedone as the war ended before it couldbe put into full effect, and indeed theM24 did not make its full combat impactuntil the Korean War of the early1950s.The M24 was a good-looking littletank, well armed for its size andweight, but the armour (minimum12 mm/0.47 in and maximum 38mm/1.5-in) had to be lighter than in heaviertanks to give the vehicle its agility. TheM24 had a surprisingly large crew offive men (commander, gunner, loader,radio operator who sometimes actedas assistant driver, and driver). Apartfrom the main gun there were two 7.62-mm (0.3-m) machine-guns (one coaxialwith the main gun and one in thefront hull) and a 12.7-mm (0.5-in) gunon the turret mounted on a pintle. Toadd to this array there was a 51-mm(2-in) smoke mortar. All this was a considerablearmament for a vehicle witha tactical responsibility that was limited mainly to reconnaissance, butby the time the M24 entered service itwas a luxury that the Americans couldwell afford.As mentioned above, the M24 wenton to make its greatest impact after1945 and many nations retain the M24to this day, several of them going to thetrouble of re-engining the vehicles andupdating their fire-control systems.Performance: maximum road speed56 km/h (35 mph); maximum roadrange 161 km (100 miles); fording1,02 m (3 ft 4 in); gradient 60 per cent;?vertical obstacle 0.91 m (3 ft); trench2.44 m (8 ft)SpecificationLight Tank M24Crew: 5Weight: in action 18.37 tonnesPowerplant: two Cadillac Model 44T24V-8 petrol engines developing 82 kW(HOhp)eachDimensions: length, with gun 5.49 m(18ft)andoverhull4.99m(16ft4,5in);width 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in); height 2.48 m(8 ft 1.5 in)Armed with a 75-mm (2.95-in)gun, theM24wasintroduced into serviceduring late 1944and post-war itformed the basisfor a new familyof armouredvehicles.
 Light Tank M24 Chaff ee cutaway drawing key6 0.50 HB Browning MGM2(anti-aircraft)7 Commander's cupola8 Direct vision blocks9 Commander's periscope10 Stowage box11 Pistol port12 Radio set, SCR 50813 M3 grenade launcher14 Assistant driver's door15 Hull ventilator16 Front cover plate17 Portable fire extinguisher18 Controlled differential19 Differential output yoke20 Driver's hand levers(steering brake)21 Range selector/transmission lever22 Hand levertransferunitshift control23 Driver's seat24 Fire escape hatch door25 Turret control box26 Turret driving mechanism27 Stabilizerandturret motor28 Firing solenoid29 Ammunition storage boxes30 Leftgeneratorregulator31 Left starter relay32 Ventilating door33 Master battery switch34 Four 6-volt batteries35 Fixed fire extinguisher36 Radiator37 Radiatorairinletgrille38 Two Cadillac 90 V-type 8-cylinderModel44T24engines39 Fuel tank covers40 Fuel compartment vents41 Final drive sprocket42 Shock absorber43 Support arm44 Track guide45 Track wheel46 Torsion bar47 Bumperspring arm bracket48 Track support roller49 Compensating wheel andtrack wheel supportlinkage50 Track compensating wheel51 Compensating wheel link52 Track wheel link53 Loader's hatch331 M6 75-mm gun2 M64 combination gunmount3 0.30MGM1919A4co-axialwith main armament4 Telescope M71K5 0.30MGM1919A4bow gun |
