ACCPACK125
Thomas Gunn Miniatures
Not yet released - expected delivery currently in December 2024.
The M24 Chaffee was officially classed as a light tank, entering service in the last year of WWII, but then seeing service in the Korean War, with the French in the First Indochina War, and then in the Algerian war. The Chaffee was efficient, simple, reliable and rugged, it was mainly exported after WW2 and stayed in service with many armies until the 1980s and beyond, encompassing most of the Cold War. In British service it was given the service name Chaffee after the United States Army general, Adna R. Chaffee Jr.
The M24 Chaffee was a replacement for the M3/M5 Stuart Tank, it was a new generation in light tank design, massively improving the American light tank, with modern torsion bar suspensions, completely revised welded steel armour, improved protection and a much more potent lightweight 75 mm main gun. The M24 Chaffee had a four-man crew; commander, gunner, driver and assistant driver, the latter moving up into the turret and serving as loader when the tank was in action.
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.
All of the M24 Chaffee’s will be in a US Olive Drab colour scheme.
Comes with 3 x tank crew figures included all wearing US style helmets.
The 3 half crew members will be: Commander, Driver and Assistant Driver/Loader.
The crew hatches will open and close so you can display different crew combinations with your Chaffee(s).
Fixed non moveable tracks
Removeable turret machine gun
Rotating turret