M24 (Japan)

Description

The Light Tank M24 SDF was, together with the M4A3 (76) W, provided by the Americans to the Japanese to rebuild Japan's military in self defense due to the outbreak of the Korean war. Generally liked by its new Japanese crews, the Chaffee was rather inadequate for its service time within the JGSDF, only offering a short barrel 75 mm, it was already outdated facing tanks such as the T-34-85.

It was introduced along with the initial Japanese Ground Forces tree in Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai". This Japanese vehicle is identical to the American M24 Chaffee. Facing relatively low ranking opponents, the M24 can be used to peak performance playing as a nimble light tank, with the firepower of Sherman 75s. Packing the very competent M61 APCBC shell, smoke grenades, .50 cal MG, very forgiving reverse speed, and scout abilities, the M24 is a very versatile tank capable of outflanking and combating most tanks it faces.

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 guns like 20 mm autocannon. Its crews are also 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. Common guns like the 75 mm M1 or 76 mm F-34 / ZiS-5 can easily destroy the M24 with one shot.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

Notes:

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

Mobility

The M24 (Japan) 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 manoeuvres.

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Main armament

The 75 mm M6 gun has two types of AP, one HE and one smoke shell to choose from. The M61 shot, which is an APCBC, is generally better than the M72 AP. It has 63.7 g of explosive filler which brings a deadly blast once penetrated, has better penetration (104 mm max) and it has a slightly lower chance of ricocheting. With the M61 shot, the Chaffee is able to knock out plenty of tanks at its BR with a single shot like the M4, T-34, Crusader or even the KV-1.

Ammunition

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M24 (Japan)

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 can traverse 360 degrees and has great depression & elevation, posting a big threat to any plane that is flying too close to the M24. 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 (e.g. Sd.Kfz.234 series, side of Pz.III/IV). The 7.62 mm, on the other hand, can only efficiently damage exposed crews due to its low penetration.

Usage in battles

The M24 (Japan) 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.

The tank offers a 75 mm M6 gun, which has a slower reload than the Sherman's 75 mm M3 gun but is otherwise the same. Its 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.

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. Typically, the primary shell to use is the M61 APCBC-HE shell but it can also be beneficial to have M48 HE shells as well for soft targets.

Another way to go around is to flank the enemy. 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 series (mixed ground battles) - 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 (also known as the Puma) 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 brawl, you might miss your shots. Don't worry, your reliable .50 cal got you! It 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.
• KV-1, KV-1E, 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-1E, do not fire at its turret from the front and side, as they are 105 mm thick and will never get penetrated. For the KV 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 heavy tanks - The Churchills, with their complex hulls and sturdy turrets, can be quite hard to kill at range. Again, manoeuvre as close to them as possible, the ideal 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/A4 - 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 is a guaranteed kill most of the times. But in case the opponent covers them up or when it's an 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.
• StuG III G, StuH 42 G, Jagdpanzer 38(t) - These German tank destroyers could either be lethal ambushes or heavily armoured "heavy tanks". They have low profiles which make them harder to be recognised especially in vegetative/hilly environments. Additionally they have extremely thick frontal protection for their BRs. Specifically, the StuG and StuH can have a greatest frontal thickness of 100 mm with extra tracks, making them almost invincible for the M24's short 75 mm gun. Therefore M24 ought to stay away from direct battle with them as they are hard to be frontally penetrated and can without much of a stretch destroy the M24. Luckily, all 3 don't have a turret and are inadequately protected in terms of side armour, so flanking become an effective way to finish them off. Nonetheless, know that StuG and StuH can turn their hull quite fast in response to flankers, so be careful when circling them.

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 one shot common tanks like the T-34 series, M4A1, Cromwell or even the KV-1.
• 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. GAZ trucks, SU-76M, ZSD63)
• 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 knocked out with a single shot by common opponents
• Acceleration is rather sluggish, especially on soft terrains
• On-road top speed is still inferior to some wheeled vehicles like the Sd.Kfz.234/2
• 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

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 newer 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, Ordnance with Cadillac started on a project for the new light tank, designation Light Tank T24. The powertrain and transmission of the M5 Stuart was used with the ultimate goal of producing a vehicle weighing less than 20 tons. This left the vehicle with relatively thin armour to keep light. 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.

Japanese service

Parade of "Special vehicles", 1953

After the defeat of Japan during WWII, American forces occupied Japan and established a new government and abolished any Japanese military force. This would change in the 1950s with the outbreak of the Korean conflict and many of the American forces were moved to South Korea, leaving Japan undefended. This in turn allowed Japan to re-establish a force only to defend itself with, which started out as the NPR (National Police Reserve). Even though by legal status only a police force, it was modeled and trained after the United States Army.

In 1952, the NPR would grow larger and would be renamed into the NSF (National Safety Force) as the Police Reserve started to look more and more like a small army, this together with their "special vehicles" being US tanks such as the M24 Chaffee and M4 Sherman.

On July 1st, 1954, after the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Act [Act No. 165 of 1954], Japan was officially allowed to have legal military force under the name of the JSDF (Japan Self Defense Forces). Along with equipment transferred over from the NPR/NSF, more equipment was shipped over from America to supply the newly established Self Defense Force to have a built up reserve.

While the M24 was already outdated for the Cold War against the Soviet's T-34-85, they would still see limited use in the SDF considering no active war was being fought and Japan still had to develop its own tank arsenal.

Only in 1974, with the introduction of the Type 74, would the M24s be completely be phased out as a relic of the past.

Media

Skins

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

Videos

See also

Related development

• M24 (Family)
  • M19A1 (Japan)

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Cromwell I
• AMX-13 (Family)
  • AMX-13 (FL11)
  • AMX-13-M24

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.