The AMX 13 24 is a Tier 4 premium French light tank.
Background Story
In 1956, the French Army and the Direction des Etudes et Fabrications d’Armements (Directorate of Studies and Manufacture of Armaments, DEFA) were looking into affordable methods of modernizing their fleet of aging M24 Chaffee light tanks. One method was to somehow combine France’s new domestic light tank, the AMX-13, with the Chaffee.[1][2]
Originally, the plan was to mount AMX-13's FL-10 oscillating turret, along with the gun of AMX-13, 75 mm SA 50 L/61, which was far more powerful than Chaffee's M6 gun, even if they were both 75 mm. However, this configuration didn't go further than trials, due to the safety issues concering High-Explosive (HE) rounds fired by AMX-13's cannon. Thus, it was decided to go the other way around: Put Chaffee's turret on AMX-13's hull.[1]
There weren't much changes made to the turret of the Chaffee. The only modification needed was a "collar" to adapt Chaffee's turret to AMX-13's hull turret ring. In 1957, work on the mounting of the Chaffee turret to the AMX hull had begun, with trials lasted from December of 1959 to January of 1960. It was well received, with an order for 150 conversions being placed by the French military in March of 1960.[1][2]
The AMX-US (very likely to be the official designation) fought in the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962). They served well, though a few vehicles were lost. After the end of the conflict, the tanks were brought back to France. There, they were repurposed as driver-training vehicles. They were completely disarmed, and were given the designation AMX-13 [DTT]. In this role, they stayed in service until 1980s, when they were finally retired, and were put up as range targets. Only a handful of these tanks survive today, but only as rusty machines, sitting in military ranges.[1][2][3]
Playstyle
Generally said, this tank's playstyle is practically similiar to all light tanks. It uses Chaffee's gun and turret, while having AMX 13's hull. All stats are same as Chaffee's, except: armor (slightly better), penetration (slightly lower, perhaps balancing), turret traverse speed (slower), and, the biggest difference: the acceleration rate. While this stat is largely overlooked in most tanks, in this tank, it can be quite powerful.
The main reason for that, is because in Urban Maps, there are many ways for this little tank to bully the enemy team, specifically because of that one stat. It can fire at the opponent, and then quickly smash the S button, and retreat with its fast backwards speed. Using the also fast top forwards speed, it can then go to another position, and then shoot from there, and repeat the entire process.
If the enemy is too smart, the AMX 13 24 can also just go circle it. Its very fast reload speed, combined with the low profile and the top speed, can make it a hard opponent to hit, even at close range. Overall, if you use it correctly, you can carry your team with this tank. Even the aforementioned playstyle doesn't need to be used. Find your own way of playing this tank, and make history with this odd tank.
Pros
- Great maneuverability.
- High top speed, both ways.
- Fast gun reload speed (same as the Chaffee).
- Small profile.
Cons
- Weak armor protection, though expected for a light tank.
- Poor healthpool.
- Gun performance is rather bad for its tier (as it's literally Chaffee's gun, in tier 4).
Trivia
- During its debut, the player could've received a refund of 1,000 gold if they were not satisfied with their purchase of the AMX 13 24.
- The tank was added in the December 20th, 2018 Holiday Update, when it was on sale for a limited time until 12th January 2019, when it cost 3,300 gold. Unlike some other tanks, this tank was never brought to the store again.
- The name is, as with most French tanks, a complete mystery: Tank Encyclopedia puts it as AMX-US (as do some other sources), Wikipedia (English) has it as AMX-Chaffee. Chars-francais.net (a great source for French tanks) puts it as AMX 13 à tourelle M 24 CHAFFEE, War Thunder has it as AMX-13-M24, while WoT puts it as AMX 13 Chaffee. However, no reliable source comes close to naming it like it is Tankery. It is unknown where Greg got this name. Perhaps he was inspired by other AMX's names (example AMX 13 75), which themselves are based on WoT's names.
Gallery
An AMX 13 24 in Algeria, 1961.
Two AMX-US' (AMX 13 24), ‘Lamarck’ and ‘Lagalissoniere’, sit side by side in Algeria in the early 1960s.
M24 Chaffee hull fitted with AMX-13’s FL-10 oscillating turret. This version of the mating of the two tanks was not pursued, largely due to the sensitivity of the fuses on the HE shells fired by the CN 75-50 gun.
Image showing the sad and brutal reality of all AMX 13 24s: rotting away in ranges/fields. There's no gun on the tank as it was used as a driver-training vehicle.
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