The M24 was named for General Adna R Chaffee, chief of the US Armored Force in 1940, and was an exceptional design developed by the Cadillac Division of General Motors in Detroit. Its low profile contrasted sharply with earlier American light tanks as did the use of torsion bar suspension and the excellent 75mm gun, a modified aircraft weapon. The Chaffee was powered by two Cadillac engines and gearboxes at the back and the steering mechanism at the front.
Production was shared with the Massey-Harris plant in Milwaukee and the tanks began to arrive in Germany late in 1944. Initial deliveries went to the US Army but a few Chaffees had been supplied to British 7th Armoured Division in time to take part in the Victory Parade in Berlin at the end of the war in Europe.
They were first used in the winter of 1944 and were very popular, although they never fully replaced the Stuart. The Chaffee went on to see action in Korea and Vietnam – and was exported to at least 24 countries – with some examples remaining in service until the 1990s.
The Tank Museum’s M24 Chaffee ‘Trigger Happy’
This is one of a very small number of Chaffees received by the British Army. They first arrived in April 1945, so they saw very limited service. This one came to The Tank Museum in 1951.
