M24 (China)

␗M24

␗M5A1

Object 211

␗M24

␗M5A1

Object 211

China

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.3	3.7	3.7

Class:

Light tank

Research:14 000

Purchase:32 000

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Description

The ␗Light Tank M24 Chaffee is a rank II Chinese light tank with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB) and 3.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

General info

Survivability and armor

The M24 Chaffee has thin armor on all sides, and can only effectively resist MG fire or very low-penetrating shells. Its crews are also very close, increasing the chance of it getting one-shotted. The V-shaped gun mantlet might bounce some small caliber shells if you are lucky enough. However, don't rely on it as the rest of the tank is still poorly protected.

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	25.4 mm (60°) Front glacis 25.4 mm (44°) Lower glacis	25.4 mm (13°) Front 12.7 mm (13°) Rear	12.7 mm (71-74°) Top 19 mm (1-43°) Bottom	12.7 mm
Turret	38.1 mm (8-40°) Turret front 38.1 mm (1-45°) Gun mantlet	25.4 mm (17-26°)	25.4 mm	12.7 mm

Mobility

The M24 travels at an average of 40 km/h on/off-road which is the average light tank speed. It also responds fast when reversing. Thanks to its short and wide tracks it is able to turn quickly. However the acceleration is poor, making it to feel sluggish when performing short manoeuvres.

Weight (tons)	Add-on armor	Max speed (km/h)
18.4	N/A	63 (AB)
		56 (RB/SB)
Engine power (hp)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	459	565
Realistic/Simulator	262	296
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	24.94	30.71
Realistic/Simulator	14.24	16.09

Armaments

Main armament

The M6 (75 mm) has two types of AP, one HE and one smoke shell to choose from. The M61 shot, which is an APCBC, is generally better than the M72 AP. It has 63.7g explosives which brings a deadly blast once penetrated, has better penetration (104mm max) and it has a slightly lower chance of ricocheting. With the M61 shot, the Chaffee is able to one-shot plenty of tanks at its BR.

 M6 (75 mm)

Capacity	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
48	-10°/+15°	±180°

Turret rotation speed (°/s):

Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	14.28	19.80	24.0	26.60	28.20
Realistic	14.28	16.80	20.4	22.60	24.00

Reloading time (seconds):

Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
8.45	7.47	6.89	6.50

Ammo penetration:

Ammunition	Warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
M72 shot	AP	91	88	78	67	57	49
M61 shot	APCBC	104	101	90	78	68	59
M48 shell	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10

Ammo details:

Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g(TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30°from horizontal:	Ricochet:
							0%	50%	100%
M72 shot	619	6.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
M48 shell	463	6.3	0.4	0.5	666	+0°	79°	80°	81°
M61 shot	618	6.8	1.2	20	63.7	+4°	48°	63°	71°

Machine guns

The two machine guns on the M24 Chaffee are the good old .50 cal M2HB and the 7.62 mm M1919A4. The roof-mounted .50 cal can traverse 360 degrees and has great depression & elevation, posting a big threat to any plane that is flying too close to the M24. It has an unbelievable penetration of 31mm at 10m, meaning it can easily penetrate plenty of lightly armored vehicles and even the side of some low tier medium tanks. The 7.62mm, on the other hand, can only efficiently damage exposed crews due to its low penetration.

 Browning M2HB (12.7 mm):

Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,000 (200)				576	-10°/+70°	±60°

M1919A4 (7.62 mm):

Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,800 (250)				500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The M24 Chaffee is a very agile little tank. Its good speed allows the player to quickly cap a point early on in the game, or get to some flanking positions easily to get some side shots with the powerful 75mm cannon. When doing flanking manoeuvres, remember to always look around you, especially to the directions where the enemies are most likely to appear. This can increase the player's survivability on the battlefield a lot, as the M24 has little to no armor and is very likely to get one-shotted by the common 75mm & 76mm guns. In a surprise close-quarter encounter, you must be confident and aim carefully. Slow yourself down and the stabiliser will help a lot. Overall the M24 perfectly fits a gorilla-warfare playstlye (hit-n-run).

Enemies that worth noting

The M24, although agile, is still not the fastest tank at its tier. When your opposite team has Germany, you might want to reconsider the option of capping a point straight away, since the German Sd.Kfz.234 series are very likely to be there first. The Sd.Kfz.234/2 (also known as the Puma) is a turreted 8-wheel vehicle with a small profile, extremely high on-road speed and a powerful 50mm gun. But it cannot turn in place, has a very slow turret traverse and only 8mm of side hull armor, so a good tactic is to circle with it and utilise your stabiliser, fast turret and the piercing .50 cal. In an intense tank "dogfight", you might miss your shots. Don't worry, your reliable .50 cal got you! It can penetrate the sides, or even the front of the puma easily. The Sd.Kfz.234/3 and Sd.Kfz.234/4, although being equally deadly, are turretless. You can use some quick turns to avoid their guns or tear through the thin armor plate protecting their gunners with your .50 cal.

The famous KV series can cause a bit of troubles too. They are well know for their well-protected hull and turrets. The M24 can manoeuvre to point-blank range, line up your gun so it's pointing dead flat at the armor and fire. The 104mm penetration of the M61 shell should punch a hole in the KV's armor with ease. If you are cloes enough but do not have the space to manoeuvre, shoot their gun barrel to avoid getting killed, then go for their turret ring or the vertical part on their gun mantlet.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent mobility: good top speed and great turning ability
• Uses the same gun as the 75mm Shermans: various shell types, great penetration & damage and good gun depression
• 13 smoke grenades allow escaping from dangerous situation for many times
• Access to a vertical stabiliser
• Powerful roof-mounted .50 cal
• Fast turret traverse
• Small profile

Cons:

• Acceleration is rather sluggish, especially on soft terrains
• On-road top speed is still inferior to some wheeled vehicles like the Sd.Kfz.234/2
• Thin armor and closely packed crews severely decrease survivability
• Shells drop dramatically at long distances
• reload time is pretty slow for a light tank

History

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Media

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See also

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• reference to the series of the vehicles;
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External links

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