M24

Description

When World War II started, the US Army had the Stuart as their primary light tank. However, the old armour arrangement and anemic 37 mm gun led the US Army to desire a more powerful light tank to replace the Stuart. Starting as the Light Tank T24, Ordnance Department sought to incorporate the Stuart mobility components into a design with better armour and the firepower of the 75 mm gun. This culminated in 1943 as the M24 and was nicknamed the "Chaffee". About 4,731 units were produced between 1944 and 1945 and the M24 saw its first combat service in the Battle of the Bulge. The M24 Chaffee would go on to serve throughout the rest of World War II, the Korean War, and in foreign armies elsewhere.

The M24 Chaffee, introduced alongside the American ground tech tree in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals", is a major improvement over the series of M3/M5 Stuart light tank that players experience beforehand. The Chaffee's mobility is on par with the M5 Stuart, being able to move forwards and backwards at swift speed. The improved sloped armour in the front can allow the Chaffee to better take a hit than its predecessors, not to mention the larger crew size. Most importantly, the 75 mm gun allows the light tank to maintain similar firepower to a medium tank. Players can make use of the superior mobility offered by the Chaffee platform and the firepower benefits of the 75 mm to not only strike enemies where they least expect it but also scout them out in order to make teammates aware of enemy positions.

General info

Survivability and armour

The M24 Chaffee has thin armour on all sides, and can only effectively resist machine gun fire or very low-penetrating shells. Its crew members also sit very close to each other, increasing the chance of it getting knocked out by a single shot. The V-shaped gun mantlet might bounce some small calibre shells if you are lucky enough. However, don't rely on it as the rest of the tank is still poorly protected. It should also be kept in mind that the hatch on the front is weak to higher-calibre rounds, so it is important to be careful when making advances as it is often targeted.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)
• Cast homogeneous armour (gun mantlet)

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 12.7 mm thick.

Mobility

The M24 travels at an average of 40 km/h on/off-road which is the average light tank speed. It also responds fast when reversing. Thanks to its short and wide tracks it is able to turn quickly. However the acceleration is poor, making it to feel sluggish when performing short range manoeuvres.

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Main armament

The tank offers the 75 mm M6 gun, which only differs from the M4/M4A1 Sherman's 75 mm M3 gun with its slower reloading rate due to the smaller confines of the M24 Chaffee. The shells come in handy for certain tanks; they generally penetrate armour very well. It is rare to experience a ricochet or be to unable to penetrate any armour.

Ammunition

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M24

The M24 can carry 48 rounds of 75 mm ammunition in two low-set ammo racks, which reduces the chance of them being hit by enemy fire. However, the low ammo capacity can limit the M24's performance in prolonged engagements, so it is advisable to load as much ammo as possible. Loading only 25 shells may not improve the M24's survivability much, but it may leave it without ammo in a critical situation, for the small benefit of having a slightly smaller ammo rack profile.

Machine guns

The two machine guns on the M24 Chaffee are the .50 cal M2HB and the 7.62 mm M1919A4. The roof-mounted .50 cal has great depression & elevation, posing a big threat to any plane that is flying too close to the M24, but it can only traverse 60 degrees left and right. It has an unbelievable penetration of 31 mm at 10 m, meaning it can easily penetrate plenty of lightly armoured vehicles and even the side of some low rank medium tanks. The 7.62 mm, on the other hand, can only efficiently damage exposed crews due to its low penetration.

Usage in battles

The M24 Chaffee is a very good tank with a fairly interesting playstyle. Instead of being permanently stationed at a single point and continuously firing at an enemy, this tank offers impressive manoeuvrability and speed which allows it to perform impressive flanking manoeuvres. The M24 can travel at around 38 km/h forward and -25 km/h backwards. Its reverse speed is very good if a quick getaway by going backwards is needed. Thus, this tank excels at "peek-a-boo" tactics in which one hides behind a rock or other large piece of cover and repeatedly inches out to fire at an enemy.

An extension of this "peek-a-boo" tactic is to also use the tank's mobility for "scoot-and-shoot" tactics by firing and then moving to another firing location so as to prevent enemy tanks and tank destroyers from accurately guessing range. This can be difficult, however, as you must be very versed in your own tank's ballistics to make shots as you will have to estimate range on the fly. Don't think this means firing on the move - if you are going faster than 16 km/h (10 mph), the stabilizer will not allow for accurate shots, and it is only a vertical stabilizer.

Do not continuously shoot at a tank without backing up/moving. The vehicle's armour is very thin and will most likely be destroyed if it stays in one position and does not stop changing positions. Always try to get the first shot off in a head-on attack. The best shell to use is the M61 shell as its penetration and explosive filler make it better in almost every aspect than the M72 shell. You can try loading under 20 shells and you will be more survivable than players expect.

Another way to go around is to flank the enemy. Go from to the side of the map and then go to an already captured point. They won't expect you to come from the back, note that other light tanks may be using this tactic so be aware of your surroundings. If attacking with a more direct approach, keep hidden behind a building or boulder and pop out every now and then to take a shot at the enemy. Also, prioritize targets who are busy fighting others and cannot retaliate. Usually, after the first shot, it may disable their tank depending on what it is. Disabling the enemy tank's crew, tracks, engine, etc. allows for retaliation without the risk of any incoming enemy shells.

Enemies worth noting:

• Sd.Kfz.234 (Family): The M24, although agile, is still not the fastest tank at its rank. When your opposite team has Germany, you might want to reconsider the option of capping a point straight away, since the German Sd.Kfz.234 series are very likely to be there first. The Sd.Kfz.234/2 is a turreted 8-wheel vehicle with a small profile, extremely high on-road speed and a powerful 50 mm gun. But it cannot turn in place, has a very slow turret traverse and only 8 mm of side hull armour, so a good tactic is to circle with it and utilise your stabiliser, fast turret and the piercing .50 cal. In an intense melee fight, you might miss your shots. Don't worry, your reliable .50 cal can penetrate the sides, or even the front of the puma easily. The Sd.Kfz.234/3 and Sd.Kfz.234/4, although being equally deadly, are turretless. You can use some quick turns to avoid their guns or tear through the thin armour plate protecting their gunners with your .50 cal.
• T-34 (1940) - The T-34 is a formidable opponent at this tier. The T-34 is a fast, agile and most formidably almost impossible to knock out with the M24. The T-34's 76 mm can take the M24 out with one good shot, make sure to never let the T-34 flank you or surprise you. Some good strategies to kill the T-34 include flanking or outmanoeuvring the T-34, making sure to hit it from the sides and back or aiming for the cheeks of the turret.
• KV-1, KV-IB, KW I C 756 (r) - The famous KV-series can cause a bit of troubles too. They are well know for their well-protected hull and turrets. The M24 can manoeuvre to point-blank range, line up your gun so it's pointing dead flat at the armour and fire. The 104 mm penetration of the M61 shell should punch a hole in the KV's armour with ease. If you are close enough but do not have the space to manoeuvre, shoot their gun barrel to prevent them from getting a shot off, then go for their turret ring or the vertical part on their gun mantlet, which is only 90 mm. For the KV-1B, do not try and fire at its turret from the front and side, as they are 105 mm thick and will never get penetrated. For the KW I C 756, aim for the cupola (50 m) or the gun mantlet (50 mm) to knock out the turret crew or the gun breech. Don't shoot at anywhere else, the shell won't penetrate.
• Churchill tanks: The Churchills, with their complex hulls and sturdy turrets, can be quite hard to penetrate at range. Again, manoeuvre as close to them as possible, the idea distance being no more than 200 m. If they are angling their hull but facing their turret at you, only go for the turret. For the Mk I Churchills, aim at the near-vertical part of their rounded cheeks to ensure successful penetrations. For the Mk III and the German Churchill, also aim for their flat turret which is at most 89 mm. The shell should go in easily and knock out most, if not all of the crew. Only when you are facing their hull without any angles should you shoot the hull, otherwise shoot the turret only, as their big tracks can easily get in front of the frontal hull. The side hull have multiple layers of armour, some of which are weirdly angled and can absorb plenty of shells.
• M4A2 / M4A4 (1st PTG) - these Sherman tanks are widely used by over 3 nations that spread across both the Allied and the Axis side, so no matter which nation you play they can be quite tough to destroy in the hands of a skilled tanker. Given the rather weak penetration of your short 75 mm gun, their hull can be almost impossible to penetrate when angled, hull down or 300 m away. For a M4A4, there are 2 apparent bulges on the upper front plate, a penetration through there can guarantee a knock-out most of the times. But in case the opponent covers them up or when it's a M4A2, aim for the middle parts of the gun mantlet or the turret armour unprotected by the mantlet, you can at least make them defenseless. If you see an M4 infront of you, get behind and cover like a building or rocks and go around it. They won't be expecting you to do that but some might have suspicion and would turn around a again, be aware of your surroundings.
• StuG III G, StuH 42 G, Jagdpanzer 38(t) - These German tank destroyers are deadly ambushers as well as well-defended frontline vehicles. They have low profiles which make them significantly less noticeable on the battlefield. They also have very thick or sloped armour. In particular, the StuG and StuH can have a maximum frontal thickness of 100 mm with additional armour, making them tough enough for the M24's 75 mm short cannon. Thus the M24 should avoid direct combat with them as they are difficult to penetrate and can easily knock out the M24. Fortunately, all 3 do not have a turret and were poorly protected on their sides, so flanking become a great tactic to finish them off. However, be aware that StuG and StuH can turn their hulls very quickly, so take that into account.
• E.B.R. (1954) - this wheeled vehicle, just like the Sd.Kfz.234 series, is able to reach a remarkably high speed, especially on road. It is equipped with a deadly 75 mm cannon with autoloader, dealing more fragmentation damage than the Sd.Kfz.234's and can therefore easily knock out the M24 with a single shot most of the times. The tactics vary a bit, as the E.B.R also has way faster turret traverse, therefore you do not want to "dogfight" it like how you deal with a Puma. You need to be more careful and try to ambush it. Utilise your advantages well, you have superior gun depression, explosive-packed shells, lots of smoke grenades and, most importantly, a vertical stabiliser. But, if you ever see a tank you don't want to fight, you can awlays run away as the M24 has decent speed compared to the medium tanks like the M4s

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent mobility: good top speed and great turning ability
• Uses the same gun as the 75 mm Shermans: various shell types, great penetration & damage and excellent gun depression. M61 shell can easily knock out common medium tanks with a single shot
• Fast turret traverse allows it to track agile targets easily
• Low profile allows it to easily hide behind small bushes or rocks, increasing survivability
• Equipped with a vertical plane stabilizer, allowing for more accurate shots on the move or shoot-n-scoot tactics
• Pintle-mounted HMG allows for air defense and some anti tank ability (e.g. Marder III, Sd.Kfz.234 series, Breda 501, etc)
• 13 smoke grenades allow escaping from dangerous situation for many times
• Effective even in uptiers if used for flanking shots or hunting soft targets
• Very fast reverse allowing it to retreat from danger quickly

Cons:

• Low survivability: all-round thin armour and closely packed crews. Can get one-shot by common guns like 76 mm F-34 and 75 mm KwK40
• Acceleration is rather sluggish, especially when stock or on soft terrains
• On-road top speed is inferior to some wheeled vehicles like the Sd.Kfz.234/2 and other light tanks at its BR
• Shells drop dramatically at long distances, making distant / moving targets hard to shoot at
• Reload time is pretty slow for a light tank
• Low ammo count can be a problem in long games or RB/SB matches but not so low that ammo rack detonations are rare

History

Development

As early as 1942, the light tanks M3 and M5 Stuart have been seen as severely lacking in the modernizing design of tanks and how they fight. The armour was seen as insufficient and the 37 mm gun was also deemed useless against even the standard German tanks like the Panzer III and Panzer IV. The system needed an upgrade, specifically a light tank that mounts the 75 mm gun seen on the Shermans. An attempt to mount a 75 mm gun on a Stuart was deemed inefficient as it reduced ammo stowage and left the armour too thin on the design.

In April 1943, the U.S. Ordnance Department worked with Cadillac to start on a project for the new light tank, designated Light Tank T24. The powertrain and transmission of the M5 Stuart were used with the ultimate goal of producing a vehicle weighing less than 20 tons. This left the vehicle with relatively thin armour to stay lightweight. At the time, a lighter 75 mm gun was developed for mounting on the B-25 Mitchell bomber without sacrificing performance, and this was mounted onto the light tank in development. The tank used 410 mm wide tracks with a torsion bar suspension that greatly improves cross-country travel. The engine was a Cadillac 44T24 V-8 petrol engine. The chassis was designed with the expectation that it would be used as a basis of many different vehicle roles so it was called the "Light Combat Team". The light tank end design had a low profile at 9 ft. 1 in. height and featuring a crew of five with a three-man turret, an improvement over the two-man turrets of the Stuarts. The first finished vehicle arrived on October 15, 1943, and was deemed a success, starting a contract for 1,000 units that was later raised to 5,000 units. The vehicle was classified as the Light Tank M24 and as the Chaffee by the British after US General Adna R. Chaffee, Jr., who helped develop some of America's earliest tank designs. The vehicle was produced by Cadillac and Massey-Harris from April 1944 to August 1945 with a total of 4,731 units produced.

Combat usage

The first batch of M24s reached the battlefields of Europe in November of 1944 and first assigned to the U.S. 2nd Cavalry Group in France. The M24 gradually entered widespread use by December 1944, some Chaffees went to the British to replace their Stuart tanks as well. The M24s were first used in the Battle of the Bulge with the 2nd and 42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron sent to support the southern sector of the battle. The Chaffees were slow to enter use in the front-lines as even by the end of the war, some armoured division did not have the M24 light tanks. Despite that, the reception of the Chaffee was positive even though it may not have the firepower to fight the better German tanks like the Panther tanks. The 75 mm gun gave the crew much more firepower than the earlier 37 mm. The light armour, though allowing the tank to pick up speed, was penetrable by most anti-tank weapons in service by Germany. The effect of the M24 Chaffee in World War II was deemed insignificant as it was not used in great numbers in comparison to the Stuarts in service since the start of the war.

The M24 Chaffee served a greater role in the Korean War and were sent in large numbers to combat the North Korean Armoured Forces, however, they were severely under-gunned with their 75 mm cannon and the light armour was easily destroyed by the Soviet-supplied T-34-85 tanks. Plus, the deficiency in crew training also contributed to the poor performance of the M24 against the North Koreans. Due to their inferiority, they were used as a delaying measure until better tanks like the M4A3E8 Sherman and M26 Pershing could be brought in. Once with supports with these better tanks, the Chaffees were relegated to reconnaissance roles, where they served with better results.

The M24, after being replaced in America by the M41 Walker Bulldog, was sent to many other countries for use. The French Army deployed the M24s during their fighting in Indochina and famously in the Battle for Dien Bien Phu. Some M24s went to the hands of the ARVN in South Vietnam to support the troops during the Vietnam War. The Pakistani Army used them as well in 1971 against India during the Indo-Pakistani War. The M24 Chaffee was also adapted in different roles by using the chassis for different designs, such as the M19 TGMC anti-air gun and self-propelled guns with the M37 105 mm HMC and M41 155 mm HMC.

The Chaffee had turned out to be one of the greatest light tanks the Allies developed during World War II. Though arriving too late to be a main turning factor for the war, the design has turned out to be so reliable that some countries like Uruguay still operate modernized versions. Austria has since retired its M24 fleet, but their turrets still serve on as bunkers.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M24 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

See also

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role:

• AMX-13 (FL11)

Vehicles developed with the M24 turret:

• AMX-13-M24

Vehicles developed with the M24 hull:

• M19A1

External links

• [Vehicle Profile] M24 Chaffee