Description

The M24 Chaffee light tank was a replacement for the Stuart light tank. It was powered by two Cadillac series 44T24 8 cylinder engines that produced 110 hp each. This gave the tank a top road speed of 35 mph (56 km/h) and an off-road speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). It had an operational range of around 100 miles (161 km) before the crew needed to refuel. Although it was a light tank, it still had a crew of five: commander, gunner, driver, loader, co-driver/machine-gunner/radio operator. They were deployed in small numbers by the British in April 1945 replacing the American built Stuart light tanks in the last few weeks of the war. Units known to have them include the reconnaissance squadrons of the 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats). At least two of these tanks were lost in combat prior to the war’s end. By June 1945 the 7th Armoured Division had an operational strength of 28 M24 Chaffee light tanks. By the summer of 1945 small numbers of M24 Chaffee tanks were sent to Italy and India for training.