South Korea plunged into chaos with the sudden invasion from the North, an unexpected turn
that threw the nation and its American allies into a harrowing retreat. Overwhelmed by the
Communist onslaught, the Allied forces faced an army of tens of thousands of infantry,
artillery, and, critically, tanks led by the Soviet-made T-34s, a tank that epitomized
armored dominance on the battlefield. In stark contrast, the only immediate
armored response from the U.S. Far East Command came in the form of the World War
2-era M24 Chaffee. This compact light tank, tipping the scales at just over 18 tons and
armed with a mere 75-millimeter gun, stood as the solitary option to confront the enemy's advance.
Designed primarily for reconnaissance and infantry support, the Chaffee, with
its lighter armor and armament, was not suited for head-on clashes with the Soviet behemoths.
On July 10, 1950, a decisive moment unfolded as a unit of Chaffees encountered the enemy’s
T-34 tanks for the first time. Leveraging their agility, the Chaffee crews went on the offensive.
The initial exchange of fire saw the Chaffees’ rounds bouncing harmlessly off the T-34s' armor,
but the American tanks pressed on, maneuvering to get within effective range.
As the battle heated up, two Chaffees were hit and destroyed, a stark reminder
of the risks they were taking. Then, in a moment teetering on the edge of disaster,
as a T-34 lined up its shot on another Chaffee, an unexpected explosion changed everything.
When the smoke began to clear, it was revealed that this was the result of a cunning flanking
maneuver. The Chaffee's maneuverability and the crew's tactical ingenuity had turned the
tables. Emerging from behind the enemy lines, the flanking Chaffees had caught the T-34s off guard.
In the heat of battle, the Chaffee showed that age and power are not the sole
determinants of effectiveness, revealing hidden aces through innovative tactics.
When World War 2 broke out and the United States military joined the conflict in Europe,
it deployed the M3 and M5 Stuart series of light tanks for reconnaissance.
Although initially unreliable, the M3 quickly turned obsolete once it faced the Wehrmacht.
And with good reason, its design dates back to the 1930s. The Stuart was equipped with
a lackluster 37-millimeter main gun, featured thin armor extremely ineffective against enemy
shells and explosives, and, to make it worse, a high silhouette that made it an
easy target for the enemy. The Army began developing
a replacement for the light tank in 1943. The result was the M24 Chaffee,
nicknamed in honor of Major General Adna R. Chaffee, Jr., the “Father of the Armored Force.”
The M24 Chaffee had a length of 18 feet, a width of 9 feet, a height of 9 feet, and an overall
weight of 20 tons. It was powered by twin Cadillac 44T24 eight-cylinder engines of 110 horsepower,
each with a Hydramatic transmission comprising eight forward gears and four reverse gears,
allowing the vehicle to achieve a top speed of around 35 miles per hour with
a maximum operational range of 100 miles. The crew of five comprised a commander,
gunner, driver, loader, and co-driver. The men had access to the powerful 75-millimeter
cannon, one .50-caliber Browning heavy machine gun, one ball-mounted .30-caliber Browning machine
gun, one—30-caliber coaxial machine gun in the turret, and an M3 51-millimeter smoke mortar.
The first batches of M24s began to arrive at the European Theatre in late autumn 1944. By
this point in the war, American armored personnel had already grown tired of the
M5 light tank platform and were desperate for any replacement to fulfill the role.
According to the testimony of an observer from the Armored Force visiting the 12th Armored Division,
the American light tank companies armed with the M5 were: (QUOTE) “So useless
that they were often employed as anti-tank gun bait for the division's M4 Shermans.”
A few Stuarts were used for evacuation and resupply roles, but no American crew dared to
use them in combat, as it often meant a one-way ticket. The first battalions to be fully armed
with the Chaffee were the 744th and 759th, followed by the 2d and 3d Armored Divisions.
Arming more units with the brand-new light tank was abruptly interrupted by
the surprise Ardennes Offensive launched by the Wehrmacht in December 1944.
During the confused counter operations, two M24s destined for the 744th ended with the 740th,
which was hurried to the combat zone on December 20, near Stoumont and La Gleize in Belgium,
against the ruthless Kampfgruppe Peiper. These were the first Chaffee tanks that saw actual
combat during the war against one of the most effective armored units of the elite Waffen-SS.
Shortly after, the rest of the 30 M24s charged against the enemy as the Battle of the Bulge
extended and consumed the momentum of the Axis troops. Slowly but steadily, the M24 reached
more units, but the demand was high and would not cease until the European conflict ended.
Still, American logistics ensured that outdated Stuarts were phased out when the
Chaffee tanks reached Allied lines. Given the light tank's novelty, its sloped armor
and low silhouette made many American GIs confuse the M24 Chaffee with the German Panther.
The physical comparisons with the German medium tank earned the Chaffee the nickname Panther Pup.
To prevent these confusions over the warzone and to train new light tank crews on the M24,
the Army started a new training tank program to familiarize the troops with the new vehicle.
American tankers quickly familiarized themselves with the new vehicle and were impressed by its
capabilities, as it offered several advantages over the M5s and the heavier M4 Sherman.
For example, the M24s were faster, more mobile,
and more maneuverable than the M5 and the M4. They could easily traverse muddy roads, snowy terrain,
and battle zones with scattered rubble. Moreover, tank crews praised the M24's
telescopic sights and the ample room of the fighting compartment. Furthermore,
the 75-millimeter gun drastically improved over the lackluster 37-millimeter gun of the M5 Stuart.
Although it still lacked the punch to take the fight head-on against German panzers,
it was excellent for putting out of commission enemy armored vehicles, fortifications,
and infantry or artillery emplacements. The Chaffee, although not designed for
frontline combat, featured the innovative sloped armor popularized by the Germans,
allowing it to absorb the impact of rounds that would otherwise result in a critical hit.
Despite the improvements over the Stuart, the Chaffee stood no chance against the German Panzer
IVs, the Panther medium tanks, and the battlefield behemoths that were the Tiger I and King Tiger.
Each vehicle excelled at its role. For instance, the Chaffee was a light tank,
while the Panther and the Tiger were developed for frontline combat. As such, they featured
heavier armor and more powerful guns. The Chaffee featured armor that was, at most,
over 25 millimeters thick and armed with a 75-millimeter gun. On the other side, the Panther
was armed with a 75-millimeter gun and protected by a frontal sloped armor 110 millimeters thick.
An imposing Tiger, I was equipped with an 88-millimeter L/56 gun and protected by
up to 120 millimeters thick frontal armor. The Panther's and Tiger's main guns could
easily penetrate the M24's armor at most combat ranges, while the M24's 75mm gun
would struggle to penetrate the frontal armor of either German tank. The M24 was not designed
to engage enemy tanks of this caliber; its primary roles were surveillance and support.
The M24's best chance for survival against these opponents would be its superior
mobility and speed, allowing it to avoid direct engagements, scout enemy positions,
and relay information to friendly units capable of taking on the Panther and Tiger.
In situations where avoidance was impossible, the Chaffee crews would need to use terrain,
concealment, and any available tactical advantage to strike at
the German tanks' weaker side and rear armor. Still, the vehicle proved its reliability and
triumphed where the M3 Stuart failed, excelling in its role: reconnaissance and infantry support.
Exploiting its speed and maneuverability, American tankers made the most out of their M24s. The light
tanks led scouting missions ahead of armored columns to detect hostile armored formations,
artillery, and infantry emplacements hiding near towns, villages, and cities.
Given its more powerful armor and armament, the M24s also screened advances and exploited breaches
in German lines alongside the Allied infantry. The 75-millimeter gun came in handy for destroying
enemy strongholds. At the same time, the .50 caliber MG and its two 30-caliber Browning
were the perfect addition for neutralizing retreating foes or providing suppressive
fire while American troops reached cover. Nonetheless, the M24 was imperfect and
suffered the same faults as most light tanks from the period. Tank crews reported that
while superior to the Stuart, its belly armor was still insufficient against enemy mines.
American GIs also complained about the .50-caliber machine gun's placement in the captain's hatch and
the insufficient power of the 75-millimeter gun. Besides participating in the Ardennes
offensive of December 1944, the Chaffees were also deployed to push through the Rhineland.
Others also went to Central Europe and Italy, serving with the 1st Armored Division's 81st
Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron. Besides the US forces, the British were the only
Allied force that employed over 300 M24s through the Lend-Lease agreement.
No M24 Chaffee ever set foot in the Pacific during the war. The US Marines rejected the vehicle
for service. The reason was simple: there was no need for light tanks against the Empire of Japan,
as the reliable M4 Shermans were more than enough to assist the leathernecks in combat.
Following the end of the European conflict, the US Army consolidated Constabulary units
for occupation duties in Austria, Germany, and Japan. The light tanks proved the perfect vehicle
for Japan, as they could easily traverse roads and bridges the Shermans could not.
Besides a dozen Pershing heavy tanks, the M24 Chaffees stationed in Japan were the
only tanks the US Far East Command had available for immediate deployment after
the sudden attack on South Korea by the North's Communist forces on June 25, 1950.
All the available M24s were rushed to the frontlines of the Korean peninsula
to support the 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, trying to fend
off the endless waves of North Korean troops. The first combat engagement of M24 Chaffees
occurred on July 10, 1950, when several vehicles from A Company of the 78th Tank
Battalion engaged a Soviet-made North Korean T-34 and destroyed it at the cost of losing two.
Costly engagements like this would become the norm for Chaffee tanks throughout the
Korean War. Overall, the light tank would perform poorly against the North Korean T-34s,
given the poor maintenance of the vehicles in Japan and the superior armor of the
Soviet vehicle and its 76-millimeter tank gun. Nonetheless, the M24s would manage to destroy
over ten enemy vehicles before heavier American tanks arrived on the battlefield to support them.
Despite its strengths, the M24 Chaffee reached its combat limits during the Korean War,
leading to its replacement the very same year the war in the peninsula ended.
The reliable M24 almost reached a ten-year service with the American military. Still,
it was caught in the Cold War transition period when the Soviet Union and the US were beginning to
field heavier tanks that could inflict and receive more damage and serve in many different roles.
All the Chaffees in American inventory were replaced by the M41 Walker Bulldog,
another light tank with a 76-millimeter gun tailored like the M24 to excel at
reconnaissance and infantry support operations.
Nonetheless, the M24s still had a way to go and would see more combat during the Cold War,
as the French military purchased them to use in Indochina and Algeria.
The French M-24s were swiftly deployed to gain control of Vietnam and saw action
in 1954 during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, where the French were ultimately overwhelmed
and outnumbered by the Viet Minh troops. During the costly battle, ten disassembled
M24s were delivered by air to assist the French troops in engaging the Vietnamese rebels during
the siege. Between December 1953 and May 1954, the French M24s fired over 15,000 shells against
the attacking and entrenched rebel forces in the hills surrounding Dien Bien Phu.
By the time the battle ended, the Chaffees were utterly worn out. Some eventually ended up serving
with the Army of South Vietnam in the following years, fighting alongside the American forces
that joined the conflict in the mid-1960s. Other NATO allies, such as Italy, Belgium,
Norway, and Turkey, employed the M24 throughout the Cold War. The last M24s saw combat for the
last time during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, where over 60 Pakistani M24s engaged Soviet-made
Indian T-55s and were destroyed decisively. Overall, 30 nations were armed with the M24
throughout its life service. Despite superior improvement over the Stuart,
the M24 was still plagued by the drawbacks of light tank designs from the era.
Nonetheless, the M24 had a lengthy, effective service within its role with the American
Army and its Cold War allies, leaving its mark in the history of light tank designs.