The American Heritage Museum will be open 10am to 5pm on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11th. All veterans get free admission through the weekend and Monday. We will host a special veterans day ceremony at 11am on 11/11.
WWII Veteran Bill Purple, dear friend of the Collings Foundation and American Heritage Museum, has flown his last mission into the wild blue. Hard to put together the words of how special Bill was in this short Facebook post. He is truly emblematic of "The Greatest Generation" and will be forever missed. Calling hours will be from 4 to 7pm, Friday, November 1st at Fiske-Murphy & Mack Funeral Home, 110 New Athol Road, Orange, MA. There will be a short service at 10am, Saturday, November 2nd at the funeral home, with the burial at 11am at the West Street Cemetery in Petersham, MA. ![]()
www.telegram.com/story/news/2024/10/28/wwii-pilot-owner-of-l-p-athol-corp-vincent-bill-j-purple-d...
Today 2 to 3:30 at AHM - Special presentation: Journey through WWII Europe by Vern Chandler. No reservations needed. More information see: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/event/speaker-series-wwii-european-tour/
Join us this Friday at the AHM, 2pm to 3:30pm, for our Speaker Series featuring Vern Chandler. A compelling talk on his epic journey through Europe as he traces the footsteps of his first cousin; Pvt. Kenneth Miller, who was killed in Germany on October 18, 1944. No reservations needed. For more information see:
Speaker Series: WWII European Tour - The American Heritage Museum
www.americanheritagemuseum.org
Join us at the American Heritage Museum for a compelling talk by Vernon Chandler on his epic journey through Europe as he traces the footsteps of his first cousin; Pvt. Kenneth Miller, who was killed ...
An incredible sight over our hangar as we wrapped up some of the set up for this weekend’s Battle for the Airfield!
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
