The ten Finest American Tanks Ever Constructed, Ranked

The M24 Chaffee was developed throughout the later levels of World Conflict II as an alternative to the M3 Stuart when america sought a brand new gentle tank devoted to infantry assist roles. Providing higher armor, elevated firepower, and extra mobility, the M24 Chaffee grew to become probably the most impactful tanks of its time, contributing to the success of Allied operations past World Conflict II.

As an enchancment over the already nimble M3 Stuart, the M24 Chaffee was designed to be as gentle as potential. It was operated by a five-man crew, with the driving force and bow gunner seated within the entrance hull, and the loader, gunner, and commander seated within the turret. The M24 was kitted with a 75mm M6 canon, two M1919A4 machine weapons, and a 12.7mm M2HB heavy machine gun. The M24 may due to this fact have interaction fight autos, plane, and floor targets.

With its light-weight construct, the M24 may attain a most velocity of 34 mph, however this after all got here at a price. You see, whereas the 25 mm of metal armor on the hull entrance, 19mm on the sides and rear, and 38 mm on the turret may defend the crew from small arms fireplace, it faired poorly in opposition to heavier munitions — virtually all cannon or anti-tank weapons may penetrate its armor when engaged in head-to-head fight. Nonetheless, the M24’s anti-tank vulnerability didn’t cease its service. Like many post-war autos, the M24 was later gifted to different allied nations all over the world, ultimately being deployed within the Indo-China conflict, Korean Conflict, and the Indo-Pakistani conflict.