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96-766: The M24 Chaffee (officially light tank M24 ) was an American light tank used during the later part of World War II ; it was also used in post–World War II conflicts including the Korean War , and by the French in the War in Algeria and the First Indochina War . In British service it was given the service name Chaffee after the United States Army general , Adna R. Chaffee Jr. , who helped develop

192-530: A Blitzkrieg attack through the weakly defended Ardennes, mirroring the successful German offensive there during the Battle of France in 1940, and aimed at splitting the armies along the U.S.-British lines and capturing Antwerp. The plan banked on unfavorable weather, including heavy fog and low-lying clouds, which would minimize the Allied air advantage. Hitler originally set the offensive for late November, before

288-627: A 75 mm gun. In April 1943, the Ordnance Corps , together with Cadillac (who manufactured the M5), started work on the new project, designated Light Tank T24 . The powerplant and transmission of the M5 were used together with some aspects of the T7. Efforts were made to keep the weight of the vehicle under 20 tons. The armor was extremely light and was sloped to maximize effectiveness . The turret armor

384-427: A joint "small solution" to Hitler. When they offered their alternative plans, Hitler would not listen. Rundstedt later testified that while he recognized the merit of Hitler's operational plan, he saw from the very first that "all, absolutely all conditions for the possible success of such an offensive were lacking." Model, commander of German Army Group B ( Heeresgruppe B ), and von Rundstedt, overall commander of

480-477: A large vehicle to carry it. Gun weight is typically the product of caliber and muzzle velocity . Large caliber guns on light tanks often sacrifice muzzle velocity in interest of saving weight. These guns are effective against close-quarter targets but lack the power and/or accuracy to effectively engage heavier vehicles at a distance. Some light tanks such as the PT-76 are amphibious , typically being propelled in

576-536: A machine gun for armament. At a time of limited military budgets, tankettes were relatively cheap and functioned as reconnaissance vehicles and mobile machine gun posts. In 1928, the British firm of Vickers-Armstrong started promoting another design by John Carden and Vivien Loyd as the " six-ton tank ". Although rejected by the British Army, it was bought by a large number of nations in small numbers. It formed

672-499: A more open type of terrain and enemy situation, such as may be expected on the larger land masses, this company, due to its great mobility combined with strong fire power, will provide excellent reconnaissance, protection of flanks, covering force, as well as direct assault or support by fire. This company is the principal element of the battalion which gives it its flexibility to meet rapidly changing situations. 711th Tank Battalion notes , Battle of Okinawa , Page 26 of 41 The M24

768-626: A rest area for the U.S. First Army , with limited Allied operational objectives in the area. The Allies defended the Ardennes line very thinly, due to the favorable defensive terrain (a densely wooded highland with deep river valleys and a rather thin road network) and because they had intelligence that the Wehrmacht was using the area across the German border as a rest-and-refit area for its own troops. The Allies faced major supply issues, due to

864-481: A rest area for the U.S. First Army, and the lines were thinly held by fatigued troops and inexperienced replacement units. The Germans also took advantage of heavily overcast weather conditions that grounded the Allies' superior air forces for an extended period. American resistance on the northern shoulder of the offensive, around Elsenborn Ridge , and in the south, around Bastogne , blocked German access to key roads to

960-515: A third as much as contemporary light tanks. This program was managed by the firm Thune-Eureka . The American firm NAPCO developed an improved power pack based around the 6V53T diesel engine used in the M113 armored personnel carrier mated to an Allison MT-653 transmission. The original 75 mm Gun M6 L/39 was replaced with a French D-925 90 mm low pressure gun, with a co-axial 0.50-inch (12.7 mm) M2 heavy machine gun . The bow gunner position

1056-404: A total of 55 understrength divisions. Adolf Hitler first outlined his planned counter-offensive to his generals on 16 September 1944. The goal was to pierce the thinly held lines of the U.S. First Army between Monschau and Wasserbillig with Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model 's Army Group B by the end of the first day, get the armor through the Ardennes by the end of the second day, reach

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1152-576: Is a specialized light tank –amphibious with sufficient firepower to engage other reconnaissance vehicles, but very lightly armored. The US fielded small numbers of the M41 Walker Bulldog with a high velocity 76mm gun, and better armor, but it suffered from range limits, and its weight was too heavy for most air transport of the day. The US M551 Sheridan had similar strengths and weaknesses, but could also be airdropped, either by parachute or LAPES . The French had their AMX-13 light tank, which

1248-429: Is not the lack of roads as much as the lack of almost anything else on which to move that matters. The OKW decided by mid-September, at Hitler's insistence, that the offensive would be mounted in the Ardennes, as was done in 1940. In 1940 German forces had passed through the Ardennes in three days before engaging the enemy, but the 1944 plan called for battle in the forest itself. The main forces were to advance westward to

1344-587: Is on display outside the village of Metsovo (Μέτσοβο). Additionally, the M38 Wolfhound prototype armored car was experimentally fitted with an M24 turret. In 1972, the Norwegian Army decided to retain 54 of their 123 M24 light tanks as reconnaissance vehicles after they were substantially rebuilt under the designation NM-116 . It was calculated that the NM-116 rebuilding program cost only about

1440-518: Is the correct term in Allied military language, the official Ardennes-Alsace campaign reached beyond the Ardennes battle region, and the most popular description in English speaking countries remains simply 'Battle of the Bulge'. There is a popular impression that the chief trouble in the Ardennes is the lack of good roads. As anyone on the ground will agree, the Ardennes has a fairly good road system. It

1536-670: The 2nd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) in France. These were then issued to Troop F, 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron and Troop F, 42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, which each received seventeen M24s. During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, these units and their new tanks were rushed to the southern sector; two of the M24s were detached to serve with the 740th Tank Battalion of the U.S. First Army . The M24 started to enter widespread use in December 1944, but they were slow in reaching

1632-472: The 75 mm M3 in use by American tanks but used a thinly walled barrel and different recoil mechanism. The design featured 16 in (41 cm) tracks and torsion bar suspension, similar to the slightly earlier M18 Hellcat tank destroyer , which itself started in production in July 1943. The torsion bar system was to give a smoother ride than the vertical volute suspension used on most US armored vehicles. At

1728-596: The Battle of Aachen and fighting in the Hürtgen Forest , the strategic situation in the west had changed little. The Allies were slowly pushing towards Germany , but no decisive breakthrough was achieved. There were 96 Allied divisions at or near the front, with an estimated ten more divisions on the way from the United Kingdom. Additional Allied airborne units remained in England. The Germans could field

1824-679: The Eastern Front , the Soviets' Operation Bagration during the summer had destroyed much of Germany's Army Group Center ( Heeresgruppe Mitte ). By November, it was clear that Soviet forces were preparing for a winter offensive. Meanwhile, the Allied air offensive of early 1944 had effectively grounded the Luftwaffe , leaving the German Army with little battlefield intelligence and no way to interdict Allied supplies. The converse

1920-642: The M2 light tank series. These light tanks were mechanically very reliable, with good mobility. However, they had a high silhouette, and only a few saw combat. The M3 Stuart series was an improvement of the M2 with better armor. The new medium tank just entering production in 1940 was the M2A1. This was a poor design with thin armor and a high silhouette. The M3 Stuart saw use in the North African Campaign but

2016-593: The Meuse between Liège and Dinant by the third day, and seize Antwerp and the western bank of the Scheldt estuary by the fourth day. Hitler initially promised his generals a total of 18 infantry and 12 armored or mechanized divisions "for planning purposes." The plan was to pull 13 infantry divisions, two parachute divisions and six armored divisions from the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht strategic reserve. On

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2112-455: The Nomonhan fighting, which lasted from about May through September 1939. The Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go light tank was equipped with a diesel engine , and although mounting a 37 mm cannon, it was a low velocity gun with a maximum effective range of about 700 meters. However, this conflict would be instrumental in developing the famous T-34 medium tank. Germany's armored Panzer force

2208-419: The " combat car ". Early light tank designs were generally better armed and armored than armored cars , but used tracks in order to provide better cross-country mobility. The light tank has been one of the few tank variants to survive the development of the main battle tank —in which technological advancements have rendered all previous weight variants obsolete—and has seen use in a variety of roles including

2304-517: The 1980s. The Chilean Army up-gunned their M24s in the mid-1980s to the IMI-OTO 60 mm hyper velocity medium support (HVMS) gun, with roughly comparable performance to a standard 90 mm gun. Chile operated this version until 1999. Uruguay continues to use the M24, modernized with new engines and 76 mm guns which can fire armor-piercing, fin stabilized, discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds. In

2400-518: The 78th Tank Battalion, assigned to the 24th Infantry Division, fought a North Korean tank and destroyed it while losing two. The M24's 75 mm main gun lacked penetration power against the frontal armor of the T-34-85. In addition, the armor of the M24 could be penetrated by the main guns of enemy tanks, artillery, and even anti-tank rifles used by the North Korean military. Moreover, most of

2496-727: The Allied forces and compel the Americans and British to settle for a separate peace, independent of the Soviet Union. Success in the west would give the Germans time to design and produce more advanced weapons (such as jet aircraft , new U-boat designs and super-heavy tanks ) and permit the concentration of forces in the east. After the war ended, this assessment was generally viewed as unrealistic, given Allied air superiority throughout Europe and their ability to continually disrupt German offensive operations. Hitler's plan called for

2592-521: The Allied lines, allowing the Germans to encircle and destroy each of the four Allied armies and force the western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis powers ' favour. The Germans achieved a total surprise attack on the morning of 16 December 1944, due to a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with Allied offensive plans elsewhere and poor aerial reconnaissance due to bad weather. American forces were using this region primarily as

2688-559: The Allied supply situation stretched further than before. In October, the First Canadian Army fought the Battle of the Scheldt , opening the port of Antwerp to shipping. As a result, by the end of October, the supply situation had eased somewhat. Despite a lull along the front after the Scheldt battles, the German situation remained dire. While operations continued in the autumn, notably the Lorraine Campaign ,

2784-419: The Allies had suspended major offensives to improve their supply lines and supply availability at the front. Montgomery and Bradley both pressed for priority delivery of supplies to their respective armies so they could continue their individual lines of advance and maintain pressure on the Germans, while Eisenhower preferred a broad-front strategy. He gave some priority to Montgomery's northern forces. This had

2880-587: The Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group , over whether Montgomery or Lieutenant General Omar Bradley , commanding the U.S. 12th Army Group , in the south would get priority access to supplies. German forces remained in control of several major ports on the English Channel coast into the autumn, while Dunkirk remained under siege until the end of the war in May 1945. The Allies' efforts to destroy

2976-613: The British Light Tank Mk VI , French Renault R35 , German Panzer I , Italian L3/35 (classified as a light tank by the Royal Italian Army , a tankette by others), Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go light tank , Soviet T-26 , and American M2 light tank . The Soviet BT tanks were the most advanced in the 1930s, extremely fast and mounting high velocity 45 mm cannons. Their only drawback were their petrol engines which caught fire often and easily during

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3072-491: The British Army Light tank The fast light tank was a major feature of the pre– World War II army buildup, where it was expected they would be used to exploit breakthroughs in enemy lines created by slower, heavier tanks, with the goal of disrupting communications and supply lines. Numerous small tank designs and " tankettes " were developed during this period and known under a variety of names, including

3168-655: The Bulge , also known as the Ardennes Offensive , was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during the Second World War which took place from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region between Belgium and Luxembourg . The offensive was intended to stop Allied use of the Belgian port of Antwerp and to split

3264-606: The Cold War era was the Swedish Ikv 91 (classified as an assault gun by Sweden). It had a low-pressure 90mm gun, strong armor against 20mm grenades, and it was fully amphibious. Light tanks, such as the PT-76 , continue to play a small role in tank warfare , although many are losing favor to cheaper, faster, and lighter armored cars . The light tank still fills an important niche in many armies, especially for nations with airborne divisions, Marine Infantry, or those without

3360-494: The French railway system prior to D-Day were successful. This destruction hampered the German response to the invasion, but it proved equally hampering to the Allies, as it took time to repair the rail network's tracks and bridges. A trucking system nicknamed the Red Ball Express brought supplies to front-line troops, but used up five times as much fuel to reach the front line near the Belgian border. By early October,

3456-612: The German Army Command in the West ( OB West ), were put in charge of carrying out the operation. The positions of the Allied armies stretched from southern France all the way north to the Netherlands. German planning for the counteroffensive rested on the premise that a successful strike against thinly manned stretches of the line would halt Allied advances on the entire Western Front. The Wehrmacht's code name for

3552-576: The Korean Peninsula. All of the tanks units that operated the M24s were replaced with the M4A3E8. Afterward, the M24 was given to the reconnaissance squadron under the tank battalion or the infantry division for most of the period and was used for scouting purposes as it should have been. Like other successful World War II designs, the M24 was supplied to many armies around the globe and was used in local conflicts long after it had been replaced in

3648-625: The Korean War, often performing hit-and-run raids on communist forces. Cambodia, Laos, Japan and Taiwan were four other Asian nations to have operated Chaffees aside from South Vietnam, South Korea and Pakistan. The Greek Army received 85 M24s from the U.S. from 1950 until 1970. The M24s initially were organized in two Tank Regiments numbered 392 and 393. In later years the Tank Regiments were reorganized in Tank Battalions with

3744-648: The M24 is known to have been in action was in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 , where 66 Pakistani Chaffees stationed in East Pakistan (today's Bangladesh ) were lost to Indian Army T-55s , PT-76s , and anti-tank teams, being easy prey for the better-equipped invading Indian forces. Although both Iran and Iraq had M24s prior to the Iran–Iraq War , there is no report of their use in that conflict. South Korean Chaffees saw limited service during

3840-559: The Meuse River, then turn northwest for Antwerp and Brussels . The close terrain of the Ardennes would make rapid movement difficult, though open ground beyond the Meuse offered the prospect of a successful dash to the coast. Four armies were selected for the operation. Adolf Hitler personally selected for the counter-offensive on the northern shoulder of the western front the best troops available and officers he trusted. The lead role in

3936-478: The North German Plain where British forces saw action against German troops. Reports from the armored 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. The M24 was inferior in armor to German tanks, but

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4032-577: The US Army by the M41 Walker Bulldog . France employed its M24s in Indo-China in infantry support missions, with good results. They employed ten M24s in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu . In December 1953, ten disassembled Chaffees were transported by air to provide fire support to the garrison. They fired about 15,000 shells in the long siege that followed before the Viet Minh forces finally overcame

4128-486: The anticipated start of the Russian winter offensive . The disputes between Montgomery and Bradley were well known, and Hitler hoped he could exploit this disunity. If the attack were to succeed in capturing Antwerp, four complete armies would be trapped without supplies behind German lines. Several senior German military officers, including Generalfeldmarschalls Model and von Rundstedt, expressed concern as to whether

4224-518: The armor in contemporary light tanks is modular, sometimes up to three configurations. The flat hull necessary for amphibious light tanks to plane across the surface of the water is not nearly as blast-resistant as the V-shaped hull. It has been suggested that underbelly armor appliqué could be applied after the light tanks come ashore and before they encounter explosive devices. A gun capable of defeating modern tanks at reasonable ranges requires

4320-455: The attack was given to the 6th Panzer Army , commanded by SS Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich . It included the most experienced formation of the Waffen-SS : the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler . It also contained the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend . They were given priority for supply and equipment and assigned the shortest route to the primary objective of

4416-659: The basis of the Soviet T-26 (around 10,000 built) and the Polish 7TP tank and influenced the Italian Fiat M11/39 . The British Army did not use the design as a light tank themselves but a developed version of the Carden Loyd tankette as the starting point for a series of British light tanks intended for use in imperial policing and expeditionary warfare. As the only tank fit for immediate manufacture, it

4512-454: The bigger gun at least gave its crews a much better chance to fight back when it was required, especially in infantry support. The M24's light armor made it vulnerable to virtually all German tanks, anti-tank guns, and hand-held anti-tank weapons. The contribution of the M24 to winning the war in Europe was minor, as too few arrived too late to replace the worn-out M5s of the armored divisions. At

4608-616: The camp in May 1954, almost all being entirely worn out and badly damaged by the time the battle was over. France also deployed the M24 in Algeria , with some variants which fought there carrying an AMX-13 turret modified by France. Some former French and US Chaffees are known to have been passed down to the Army of South Vietnam, where they saw service at least until the Battle of Huế , with several serving as fixed gun emplacements outside vital military installations such as airbases. The last time

4704-404: The effectiveness of Allied Ultra intercepts. Nevertheless, some 40–50 messages per day were decrypted by Ultra. They recorded the quadrupling of German fighter forces, and a term used in an intercepted Luftwaffe message ( Jägeraufmarsch , literally, 'Hunter Deployment') implied preparation for an offensive operation. Ultra also picked up communiqués regarding extensive rail and road movements in

4800-593: The end of July 1944 and the Allied landings in southern France on 15 August 1944, the Allies advanced towards Germany more quickly than anticipated. The speed of the advance of the Allies caused several military logistics issues: By December 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (the Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front ) and his staff decided to hold the Ardennes region primarily as

4896-710: The end of WWII, the US Army displayed its Chaffees alongside the British Comet tanks and the Soviet IS-3 heavy tank, in the Berlin Victory Parade in 1945. Pacific theater The (Light Tank) company, equipped with M24 Light Tanks, is an essential element in any tank battalion. In fire power it is equal to the present Medium Tank Company and can perform missions now assigned to them when defiladed from anti-tank and heavy artillery fire. It can furnish strong fire support either direct or indirect. In

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4992-539: The fact that light tank platoons were not expected to function as a reconnaissance unit, they could be used for reconnaissance purposes. In this role, they were expected to remain behind the main reconnaissance force as the support element and augment the firepower whenever enemy contact was made. The British withdrew their light tank designs from their armored divisions early in the war, but used some later designs for minor amphibious operations and airborne operations. In general they used armored cars for reconnaissance and

5088-409: The first practical light tanks in 1916, a class largely neglected by the British. Renault 's small tank design, the FT , was the first tank to incorporate a top-mounted turret with a full rotation. The FT was in many respects the first truly modern tank having a layout that has been followed by almost all designs ever since: driver at the front; main armament in a fully rotating turret on top; engine at

5184-451: The front-line combat units. By the end of the war, the light tank companies of many armored divisions were still mainly equipped with the M3/M5 Stuart. Some armored divisions did not receive their first M24s until the war was over. Aside from the US Army, the British Army was another main user of the Chaffee during the war, with at least several hundred obtained through the US Lend-Lease program. These saw action mainly in northwestern Europe and

5280-626: The goals of the offensive could be realized. Model and von Rundstedt both believed aiming for Antwerp was too ambitious, given Germany's scarce resources in late 1944. At the same time, they felt that maintaining a purely defensive posture (as had been the case since Normandy) would only delay defeat, not avert it. They thus developed alternative, less ambitious plans that did not aim to cross the Meuse River (in German and Dutch: Maas); Model's being Unternehmen Herbstnebel ('Operation Autumn Mist') and von Rundstedt's Fall Martin ('Plan Martin'). The two field marshals combined their plans to present

5376-474: The harbor before it could be taken. It took many months to rebuild its cargo-handling capability. The Allies captured the port of Antwerp intact in the first days of September, but it was not operational until 28 November. The estuary of the Schelde river that controlled access to the port had to be cleared of both German troops and naval mines . These limitations led to differences between General Eisenhower and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery , commander of

5472-419: The hatch. Some light tanks, such as the M551 Sheridan , ZTQ-15 and 2S25 Sprut-SD armored reconnaissance vehicle, could be rigged for low- velocity airdrops from transport aircraft . With this method the tank is pulled out of the aircraft by brake chutes and skids to a stop. The crew does not ride in the tank during extraction, but parachutes from another plane. Upon landing, they go to their tank, release

5568-496: The last of the light tank designs, the light tank Mk VIII "Harry Hopkins", was produced only in small numbers. The Japanese made extensive use of light tanks that were much better suited to jungle warfare than larger designs, such as the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank. Light tanks continued to be built, but for very limited roles such as amphibious reconnaissance, support of airborne units , and in rapid-intervention forces that were not expected to face enemy tanks. The Soviet PT-76

5664-736: The lead element of Patton's U.S. Third Army reached Bastogne from the south ending the siege. Although the offensive was effectively broken by 27 December, when the trapped units of 2nd Panzer Division made two break-out attempts with only partial success, the battle continued for another month before the front line was effectively restored to its position prior to the attack. The Germans committed over 410,000 men, just over 1,400 tanks and armored fighting vehicles , 2,600 artillery pieces, and over 1,000 combat aircraft. Between 63,000 and 104,000 of these men were killed , missing , wounded in action , or captured . The battle severely depleted Germany's armored forces, which remained largely unreplaced throughout

5760-403: The light tank classification, and so was designated as the Medium Tank M7 . The weight increase without increased power gave it unsatisfactory performance; the program was stopped in March 1943 to allow standardization on a single medium tank – the M4 medium. This prompted the Ordnance Committee to issue a specification for a new light tank, with the same powertrain as the M5A1 but armed with

5856-814: The lines, and drive it away. Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in World War I Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , interwar period Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in the Cold War Background: History of the tank , Tank classification Battle of the Bulge [REDACTED] 12th Army Group : [REDACTED] 21st Army Group [REDACTED] Army Group B : 24 December: 2 January: 16 January: 24 December: 2 January: 16 January: [REDACTED] British: (U.S. Estimate: 103,900 casualties) Luxembourg The Netherlands Belgium France Britain 1941–1943 1944–1945 Germany Strategic campaigns The Battle of

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5952-403: The low priority given to the army meant that there were few resources for building tanks. The US Army instead developed and tested tank components such as suspensions, tracks, and transmissions. This paid off when production had to be initiated on the outbreak of war. At the start of World War II, the majority of all of the great powers' tank forces consisted of light designs. The most common were

6048-455: The mid-1950s, in an attempt to improve the anti-tank performance of the vehicle, some French M24s had their turrets replaced with those of the AMX-13 light tank. AMX-13 variants with Chaffee turrets also existed. In the late-1960s, the JSDF modified a single M24 with four Type 64 ATGMs in order to improve its anti-tank capabilities. Former operators : Background: British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II , Tanks in

6144-516: The northwest and west which they had counted on for success. This congestion and terrain that favored the defenders, threw the German advance behind schedule and allowed the Allies to reinforce the thinly placed troops. The farthest west the offensive reached was the village of Foy-Nôtre-Dame, south east of Dinant , being stopped by the U.S. 2nd Armored Division on 24 December 1944. Improved weather conditions from around 24 December permitted air attacks on German forces and supply lines . On 26 December

6240-412: The number of radios. Throughout the interwar period the US produced only a few hundred tanks. From the end of World War I to 1935, only 15 tanks were produced. Most were derivatives or foreign designs or very poor quality private designs. The Christie designs were among the few better examples, but the US Army acquired only three Christies and did not pursue the idea any further. Budget limitations and

6336-450: The offensive was Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ('Operation Watch on the Rhine'), after the German patriotic hymn Die Wacht am Rhein , a name that deceptively implied the Germans would be adopting a defensive posture along the Western Front. The Germans also referred to it as Ardennenoffensive ('Ardennes Offensive') and Rundstedt-Offensive, both names being generally used nowadays in modern Germany. The French (and Belgian) name for

6432-432: The offensive, Antwerp, starting from the northernmost point on the intended battlefront, nearest the important road network hub of Monschau . The Fifth Panzer Army under General Hasso von Manteuffel was assigned to the middle sector with the objective of capturing Brussels. The Seventh Army , under General Erich Brandenberger , was assigned to the southernmost sector, near the Luxembourgish city of Echternach , with

6528-424: The operation is Bataille des Ardennes , 'Battle of the Ardennes'. The battle was militarily defined by the Allies as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, which included the German drive and the American effort to contain and later defeat it. The phrase 'Battle of the Bulge' was coined by contemporary press to describe the way the Allied front line bulged inward on wartime news maps. While the Ardennes Counteroffensive

6624-672: The preferred choice for infantry support in Equatorial nations. Post–Cold War light tanks include the Stingray , ZTQ-15 , M8 Armored Gun System and Kaplan MT / Harimau . Light tanks based on infantry fighting vehicles chassis include the CV90 105T, 2S25 Sprut-SD , Tanque Argentino Mediano , ASCOD LT 105 , and Sabrah . The modern light tank supplements the main battle tank in expeditionary roles and situations where all major threats have been neutralized and excessive weight in armor and armament would only hinder mobility and cost more money to operate. They have also been used for reconnaissance and, in some cases, infantry support. Typically,

6720-434: The rate of their advance coupled with the initial lack of deep-water ports. Over-the-beach supply operations using the Normandy landing areas, and direct landing ships on the beaches, were unable to meet operational needs. The only deep-water port the Allies had captured was Cherbourg on the northern shore of the Cotentin peninsula and west of the original invasion beaches, but the Germans had thoroughly wrecked and mined

6816-443: The rear. Previous models had been "box tanks", with a single crowded space combining the role of engine room, fighting compartment, ammunition stock and driver's cabin. The FT had the largest production run of any tank of the war, over 3,700 (mostly in 1918), and was more numerous than all British and German tanks combined. The Carden Loyd tankette and its derivatives were adopted by several nations as small tracked vehicles carrying

6912-601: The region, as well as orders that movements should be made on time. Hitler felt that his mobile reserves allowed him to mount one major offensive. Although he realized nothing significant could be accomplished in the Eastern Front, he still believed an offensive against the Western Allies, whom he considered militarily inferior to the Red Army, would have some chances of success. Hitler believed he could split

7008-551: The remainder of the war. German Luftwaffe personnel, and later also Luftwaffe aircraft (in the concluding stages of the engagement ) also sustained heavy losses. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were effectively out of men and equipment, and the survivors retreated to the Siegfried Line . Allied forces eventually came to more than 700,000 men; from these there were from 77,000 to more than 83,000 casualties, including at least 8,600 killed. The "Bulge"

7104-534: The resources and funding for main battle tanks . They have important advantages over heavier tanks in Southeast Asia and other nations in the Equatorial region. Their compact dimensions and short-to-nonexistent barrel overhang lets them maneuver through thick rain forests, and their weight reduces the risk of getting stuck in mud, and simplifies recovery of stuck or damaged tanks. This makes the light tank

7200-495: The same numbers. From 1962 till the early seventies the M24s in Tank Battalions were replaced with M47s and the M24s were used to equip Independent Reconnaissance Companies with an additional 121 M24s received from Italy in 1975. From 1991 till 1995 61 M24s were scrapped due to CFE Treaty limitations. The rest are abandoned in or outside military camps and one M24 is preserved in the Greek Army Tank Museum. One

7296-482: The same time, the chassis was expected to be a standard used for other vehicles, such as self-propelled guns, and specialist vehicles; known together as the "light combat team". It had a relatively low silhouette and a three-man turret. On 15 October 1943, the first pilot vehicle was delivered. The design was judged a success and a contract for 1,000 was immediately raised by the Ordnance Department. This

7392-524: The short-term goal of opening the urgently needed port of Antwerp and the long-term goal of capturing the Ruhr area , the biggest industrial area of Germany. With the Allies stalled, German Generalfeldmarschall ('Field Marshal') Gerd von Rundstedt was able to reorganize the disrupted German armies into a coherent defensive force. Field Marshal Montgomery's Operation Market Garden had achieved only some of its objectives, while its territorial gains left

7488-444: The support of light airborne or amphibious forces and reconnaissance. Modified IFVs are assuming these roles in many militaries due to their immediate availability, and as a cheaper versatile alternative to developing and fielding a pure light tank. In World War I , industrial initiative also led to swift advances. The car industry, already used to vehicle mass production and having much more experience in vehicle layout, designed

7584-463: The tanks dispatched from Japan had not been repaired for a long time, so turrets and main guns frequently broke down during battles. A Company of the 78th Tank Battalion, who first arrived on the Korean Peninsula, suffered heavy damage, with only two of the 14 tanks remaining in about a month. This unfavorable situation was resolved in August of the same year when U.S. medium tanks were finally deployed on

7680-483: The task of protecting the flank. This Army was made up of only four infantry divisions, with no large-scale armored formations to use as a spearhead unit. As a result, they made little progress throughout the battle. In an indirect, secondary role, the Fifteenth Army , under General Gustav-Adolf von Zangen , recently brought back up to strength and re-equipped after heavy fighting during Operation Market Garden,

7776-622: The use of tanks in the United States armed forces . Although the M41 Walker Bulldog was developed as a replacement, M24s were not mostly removed from U.S. and NATO armies until the 1960s and remained in service with some Third World countries. British combat experience in the North African campaign identified several shortcomings of the M3 Stuart light tank, especially the performance of its 37 mm cannon . A 75 mm gun

7872-399: The vehicle, or even a troop, had to load and aim the turret gun. The lack of radios with the light tanks was not seen as a major drawback, since French doctrine called for slow-paced, deliberate maneuvers in close conformance to plans. The role of small unit leaders was to execute plans, not to take the initiative in combat. In 1939, a belated effort was made to improve flexibility and increase

7968-417: The water by hydrojets or by their tracks. Most amphibious light tanks weigh little and often utilize aluminum armor. Some light tanks require no modifications for river crossings. Crews simply raise the easily accessible cloth sides around the hull, cover the hatches, turn on the bilge pump and shift the transmission to water operations. Often, a fold down trim vane is erected to stop water from flooding into

8064-476: Was 25 mm thick with a 38 mm thick gun mantlet . The glacis plate was 25 mm thick. Side hull armor thickness varied: the frontal section was 25 mm thick but the rear third of the armor (which covered the engine compartment) was only 19 mm. A new lightweight 75 mm gun was developed, a derivative of the gun used in the B-25H Mitchell bomber . The gun had the same ballistics as

8160-486: Was a key element in the expansion of the British Army in the period leading up to the outbreak of war. In general, French tanks of the 1930s were well-armored, innovative vehicles that owed little to foreign designs. However, the light tanks lacked firepower and almost all French tanks were handicapped by their one-man turrets, even the larger tanks such as the Char B1 , which overworked the commander who, besides directing

8256-527: Was designed for its capability to be quickly air-dropped for use with paratroopers and also able to support lightly armed infantry and perform force-reconnaissance effectively. The British FV101 Scorpion , the fire support variant of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) series of vehicles that replaced armored cars in British service, has been described as a light tank and was sold to many smaller nations. Another light tank in

8352-517: Was eliminated in favor of ammunition stowage. A new fire-control system was installed, complete with a Simrad LV3 laser rangefinder. Norwegian firms also converted eight M24 light tanks into light armored recovery vehicles to support the NM-116. The NM-116 were retired from service in 1993. A few unconverted M24s were transferred to the Norwegian Home Guard and used in the defense of the former Fornebu Airport from 1974 well into

8448-512: Was equally damaging; daytime movement of German forces was rapidly noticed, and interdiction of supplies combined with the bombing of the Romanian oil fields starved Germany of oil and gasoline. This fuel shortage intensified after the Soviets overran those fields in the course of their August 1944 Jassy-Kishinev Offensive . One of the few advantages held by the German forces in November 1944

8544-467: Was experimentally fitted to a howitzer motor carriage M8 – an M3 tank with a larger turret – and trials indicated that a 75 mm gun on the M5 light tank development of the M3 was possible. The M3/M5 design was dated though, and the 75 mm gun reduced storage space. The T7 light tank design, which was initially seen as a replacement, grew in weight to more than 25 short tons, taking it out of

8640-572: Was not especially impressive at the start of the war. In the invasions of Poland and France , the German forces were mostly made up of the Panzer I and Panzer II light tanks. The Panzer I was little more than a training vehicle armed only with machine guns; the Panzer II with a 20 mm cannon. The Panzer division also included some Czech designed light tanks—the Panzer 35(t) and the Panzer 38(t) . American light tank development started with

8736-465: Was relegated to reconnaissance as soon as US-built medium tanks became available. Further light tank development in the war led to the improved M5 Stuart and then included the M24 Chaffee . Light tanks were issued to tank battalions (one of the four companies was a light tank company), light tank battalions and cavalry reconnaissance squadrons. The original role of the light tank in these formations

8832-616: Was similar to medium tanks and they were expected to engage enemy armor with AP rounds and enemy positions with HE rounds. As a result, tank gunnery training for light and medium tankers was common. US Army Field Manuals written before 1944 clearly show that light tanks were to be part of an armored assault on enemy positions, and examples of fire on enemy armor were in these manuals. When pursuing an enemy, Light Tank Battalions were expected to move parallel with enemy columns and, together with accompanying infantry and engineer units, seize "critical terrain that will block hostile retreat". Despite

8928-496: Was subsequently increased to 5,000. Production began in 1944 under the designation Light Tank M24 . It was produced at two sites; from April at Cadillac and from July at Massey-Harris . By the time production was stopped in August 1945, 4,731 M24s had been produced. The M24 Chaffee was intended to replace the ageing and obsolete Light Tank M5 ( Stuart ) , which was used in supplementary roles. European theater The first 34 M24s reached Europe in November 1944 and were issued to

9024-415: Was that they were no longer defending all of Western Europe. Their front lines in the west had been considerably shortened by the Allied offensive and were much closer to the German heartland. This drastically reduced their supply problems despite Allied control of the air. Additionally, their extensive telephone and telegraph network meant that radios were no longer necessary for communications, which lessened

9120-696: Was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the United States in World War II and the third-deadliest campaign in American history . It was one of the most important battles of the war, as it marked the last major offensive attempted by the Axis powers on the Western front. After this defeat, Nazi forces could only retreat for the remainder of the war. After the breakout from Normandy at

9216-523: Was virtually the only tank that the U.S. Far East Command could immediately dispatch to the Korean Peninsula at the time of the Korean War. During the same period, there were a total of four tank battalions (71st, 77th, 78th, and 79th) under the Far East Command, and each battalion maintained one company composed of M24s for the purpose of defending Japan's narrow road network and bridges. The first battle took place on 10 July 1950, when A Company of

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