Here is this week’s challenge for “What is it Wednesday?” - a close up of something in the museum or our collection for you to guess what it is in the comments!![]()
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What is it?! We are looking for what it might be part of within the museum and, for more of a challenge, what the exact part is and what it does!![]()
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Thanks to everyone who played last week… the answer for September 25 was the “squirrel cage” guard in the turret of the M60A1… see the previous post for the full details!![]()
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Good luck on this week’s challenge! ![]()
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#americanheritagemuseum #historymuseum #visitma
The answer to the “What is it? Wednesday” question of September 25th is the “Squirrel Cage” guard in the turret of the M60A1 main battle tank in the Gulf War Gallery. Spent shell casings would be ejected from the gun and hit an asbestos pad suspended from the turret roof and backed up by this ‘cage’ to force casings to the floor. The ‘cage’ also kept items stored in the turret bustle and oddiment tray from falling to the turret floor when bouncing across rough terrain. Several of you got this right… were you tankers in an M60? If so, sound off!![]()
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Stay tuned for the next “What is it? Wednesday” later today!![]()
#americanheritagemuseum #whatisitwednesday
The legendary L-4 Grasshopper "Rosie The Rocketer" has come down from display for its annual inspection. This iconic reconnaissance, artillery spotting, - and tank destroying - aircraft flown by Major Charles Carpenter will participate in the October 12th & 13th WWII Re-enactment. For more information on this plane see: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/aircrafts/piper-l4-grasshopper-rosie-the-rocketer/
We are looking for WWII veterans to participate in our Veteran's roundtable discussion during our WWII Re-enactment Weekend - October 12th & 13th. Contact Hunter Chaney @ hchaney@collingsfoundation.org or call 978-562-9182 for details.
Here is this week’s challenge for “What is it Wednesday?” - a close up of something in the museum or our collection for you to guess what it is in the comments!![]()
![]()
What is it?! We are looking for what it might be part of within the museum and, for more of a challenge, what the exact part is and what it does!![]()
![]()
Thanks to everyone who played last week… the answer for September 18 was the landing gear retraction and rotation mechanism for the Curtiss P-40B Tomahawk… see the previous post for the full details!![]()
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Good luck on this week’s challenge! ![]()
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#americanheritagemuseum #historymuseum #visitma
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
