Thomas Gunn Preview: Chaffee tank

Thomas Gunn is making a few version of the American Chaffee tank, pre-orders only. Price will be approx. AU$475, and will come with 3 tank crew figures. Contact us now on mail@toysoldiers.com.au with your pre-order, as this vehicle will be sold out before release! 

The following variants will be available: 

ACCPACK122 - M24 Chaffee – Rita Hayworth - WW2 

ACCPACK123 - M24 Chaffee – America’s Answer - WW2 

ACCPACK124 - M24 Chaffee – Korean War Version 

ACCPACK125 - M24 Chaffee – French Indochina Version 

ACCPACK126 - M24 Chaffee – No Decal Markings 

All of the M24 Chaffee’s will be in a US Olive Drab colour scheme. 

World War 2 

The M24 Chaffee was first supplied to US forces in Western Europe in November 1944 and were issued to the 2nd Cavalry Group in France. These were then issued to Troop F, 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron and Troop F, 42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, which each receiving seventeen M24s. During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, these units and their new tanks were rushed to the southern sector. Reports from the armoured divisions that received them prior to the end of hostilities were generally positive. Crews liked the improved off-road performance and reliability, but were most appreciative of the 75 mm main gun, which was a vast improvement over the 37 mm issued to Stuart tank units. The M24 was inferior in armour to German tanks, but the bigger gun at least gave its crews a much better chance to fight back when required, especially in infantry support. The M24's light armour made it vulnerable to German tanks, anti-tank guns, and hand-held anti-tank weapons, but its speed was designed to help its crew extract themselves from any serous trouble if needed. 

Korean War 

The M24 was virtually the only tank that US Far East Command could immediately dispatch to the Korean Peninsula. At the Battle of Chochiwon, 10th – 12th July 1950, when A Company of the 78th Tank Battalion, assigned to the 24th Infantry Division, fought a North Korean tank and destroyed it while losing two of their own. In August 1950 U.S. medium tanks were finally deployed on the Korean Peninsula, the M4A3E8. With the M24 given to the reconnaissance squadrons under the tank battalion or the infantry division for most of the period and were used for reconnaissance, their original intended use. 

French Indo-China War 

M24 Chaffee’s saw service with the French Army in the Indochina war in infantry support missions, with good results. Ten disassembled Chaffee’s were transported by air to provide fire support to the garrison at Dien Boen Phu. They fired about 15,000 shells in the long siege that followed before the Viet Minh forces overran the camp in May 1954, almost all being entirely worn out and badly damaged by the time the battle was over. Some former French and US M24 Chaffee’s were passed down to the Army of South Vietnam, where they saw service at least until the Battle of Huế, with several also serving as fixed gun emplacements outside vital military installations such as airbases.