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!
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
