Join us this Saturday, December 7th, 1pm to 2:30pm at the American Heritage Museum for a presentation on V-Mail during WWII. No reservations needed. For more information see: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/event/speaker-series-v-mail-in-wwii/
You might have just noticed that we added a brand-new event on December 28-29... the Battle of the Bulge History Experience! We are transforming our wooded tank course into an Allied encampment in the Ardennes in Winter of 1944 as the German surprise offensive cuts off soldiers from reinforcements. A force of 50+ Allied re-enactors and 40 German re-enactors will be braving the cold in foxholes and makeshift camps through the weekend. With your ticket, you'll be literally transported back in time as you are shuttled from the museum to the encampments in either a WWII vintage M3 Half-Track or WC56 Command Car - worth the ticket price in itself! ![]()
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Bring your family and friends who are visiting from out of town and share the living history at the American Heritage Museum and the Battle of the Bulge History Experience!
Battle of the Bulge History Experience Weekend - The American Heritage Museum
www.americanheritagemuseum.org
Join us on December 28th and 29th for the Battle of the Bulge Commemorative Weekend at the American Heritage Museum to honor the 80th Anniversary of the German offensive siege that surrounded and cut-...
As #GivingTuesday approaches on Tuesday, December 3rd, we are only $10,000 away from our $25,000 goal to unlock a donor challenge! Help us make your year-end donation go even farther to support our living history mission and allow us to continue growing our exhibits, programs, and events into 2025! Donate before midnight on 12/3/24! ![]()
Step Forward: Give to the 2024 American Heritage Museum Annual Fund
www.americanheritagemuseum.org
In the spirit of America's heritage of voluntary generosity, will you step forward with a year-end gift to support the Living History programs of the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA?
Our mission at the American Heritage Museum is to keep history alive for our future generations and when we meet young adults who have that same passion, we are happy to help! Meet Luke Morrison, a 13 year old historian from Vermont who is on his way to being the youngest person to operate a military museum! Way to go Luke!
As another amazing year comes to a close, the American Heritage Museum hopes that you will consider a year-end gift to help propel us into the coming year! Americas history is full of stories of voluntary generosity and we hope you'll join in that heritage to support our living history programs. Make your donation before #GivingTuesday on December 3rd and your donation will go even farther thanks to a $25,000 challenge from a group of donors. We are almost half-way to the goal, so please give today!
Step Forward: Give to the 2024 American Heritage Museum Annual Fund
www.americanheritagemuseum.org
In the spirit of America's heritage of voluntary generosity, will you step forward with a year-end gift to support the Living History programs of the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA?
Drive the Famous Light Tank That Spanned Two Wars
The American Heritage Museum is proud to offer exciting tank driving experiences in the Spring, Summer, and Fall aboard the M24 Chaffee light tank used in World War II and the Korean War. The M24 Chaffee is a fast and maneuverable tank that replaced the M5 Stuart light tank during WWII and brought the harder hitting 75mm M6 cannon to the battlefield.
Tank driving programs on the M24 Chaffee are a donation of $995.00 per driving participant aboard the tank for a one hour training experience that includes ground instruction, startup, driving instruction with our instructor, and YOU drive the M24 Chaffee for 20 minutes on our tank driving grounds at the American Heritage Museum. If you would like to add an additional rider in the turret during your driving experience, please add a $195 donation to your booking.
Watch a Video on the M24 Driving Experience
Book Your M24 Chaffee Tank Driving Experience Today!
Tank driving experiences on the M24 Chaffee are being offered in the mornings of select weekends through the season. Please click the button below for schedules and online booking. We can also accommodate custom tank driving slots during weekdays when available – call us at 978-562-9182 to inquire about weekday driving reservations.
For safety, all driving participants should be 16 years of age or older and be at least 5′ 2″ tall and have good physical strength to drive. Any additional riders in the turret must be at least 5′ tall to ride. Children under the age of 14 should be accompanied by an adult in the turret if they meet the height requirement.
Gift Certificates Available
Looking to give a tank driving experience as a gift? We have presentation gift certificates available for gift giving to the tank enthusiast in your family! Tank Driving Gift Certificates are open ended and allow the recipient to schedule their own driving experience at their convenience. Click here to learn more about and purchase an M24 Chaffee Tank Driving Experience Gift Certificate at this link.
History of the M24 Chaffee
Seeking to replace the aging M3 and M5 Stuart series of light tanks, the U.S. Army Ordnance Department and Cadillac joined forces to create a new light tank. The new T24 pilot vehicle was delivered in October 1943 and full scale production began in 1944 as the Light Tank, M24. The Chaffee retained the M5 Stuart’s twin Cadillac V-8 powertrain, but came armed with a lightened 75mm Cannon adapted from a version used on B-25 Mitchell bombers, replacing the under whelming 37mm used on the Stuart. The Chaffee was speedy and nimble. The M24 saw use in WWII, but found a calling in the cold, mountainous environment of Korea, where it fought as a part of reconnaissance units alongside “Easy Eight” Shermans, M26 Pershings and M46 Pattons. Long after the United States replaced the M24 with newer models such as the M41 Walker-Bulldog, other countries such as Israel and France used the Chaffee well into the 1950s.
SPECIFICATIONS
Armament: 75mm M6 Cannon, one .50 cal. MG and 2x .30 cal. MGs.
Crew: 5, Commander, Gunner, Driver, Loader, Co-Driver
Engine: Cadillac Series 44T24, 220 horsepower.
Range: 100 miles
