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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/ ... See MoreSee Less
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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! ... See MoreSee Less
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M24 Chaffee Light World War II Tank Ride Program at the American Heritage Museum

Take a Ride Aboard the Famous Light Tank That Spanned Two Wars

The American Heritage Museum is proud to offer tank ride opportunities 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 rides on the M24 Chaffee are a donation of $595.00 for three (3) persons aboard the tank. One seat is in the hull gunner position and two standing positions are in the turret. The ride experience is 10 minutes on the tank driving grounds at the American Heritage Museum.

Ride experiences are being offered in the afternoons of select weekends. Please click the button below for schedules and online booking. Please feel free to call us at 978-562-9182 with any questions.

For safety, all participants must be at least 5′ tall to ride. Children under the age of 14 should be accompanied by an adult on rides if they meet the height requirement. 


Gift Certificates Available

Looking to give a tank ride as a gift? We have presentation gift certificates available for gift giving to the tank enthusiast in your family! Tank Ride Gift Certificates are open ended and allow the recipient to schedule their own ride experience. Click here to learn more about and purchase an M24 Tank Ride Gift Certificate at this link.

Don’t Just Ride – DRIVE the M24 Chaffee!

Feel like doing something even more exciting? Learn to DRIVE the M24 Chaffee as part of our Tank Driving Experience Program, a one hour training and driving experience that allows you to take the controls for 20 minutes on our tank track! – Click Here to Learn more!

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

 

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BATTLE FOR THE AIRFIELD WWII RE-ENACTMENT WEEKEND SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Tickets Available Online!

Join us this weekend for the Battle for the Airfield WWII Re-Enactment Weekend on Saturday, October 12th and Sunday, October 13th. Event tickets can be pre-purchased at the link below - all museums are included in event admission. Note: General Admission tickets are not accepted this weekend.