The US light tank M24, christened in honor of General Adna R Chaffee, "Father of US Armoured Forces". Design of the M24 was begun in mid-1943 in order to replace the M5A1 light tank, which suffered from insufficient armament, lack of room in the turret and over-heating of the engine. The work was done by the US Ordinance Department and the Cadillac motor division of General Motors, and the first production vehicle appeared in April 1944.
A small number entered service in time to be used in Europe, seeing action at the crossing of the Rhine and the later stages of the campaign against Germany. Total production was of 4415 vehicles and they remained in service for several years, being employed in the opening stages of the Korean war. They were also widely exported and numbers are still in service.
| Length: | 18'0" |
| Height: | 8'1 1/2" |
| Weight: | 18 t |
| Engine: | Twin Cadillac V8, 110 hp (each) Gasoline |
| Forward Speed: | 48 km/h |
| Main Gun | 75mm |
| Commander's Machine Gun | .50 cal |
| Crew: | 5 |
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