M22 Locust (Light Tank, Airborne, M22)

History of the M22 Locust (Light Tank, Airborne, M22)

After witnessing the German Airborne Division's successful capture of much of Western Europe in a salvo at the start of World War II, the British and Americans fully understood the importance of a combatable mobile airborne force. Furthermore, it is clear that such a force would require a considerable amount of firepower to realize its full value in the course of the victory of the war. The Germans used their air force to deliver critical strikes, often ahead of the main force, disrupting enemy movements behind the front lines before troops arrived, and securing key strategic points on the map. These actions helped conquer countries such as Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.

Further operations took them to the Balkans, Crete and Italy, as well as to the Eastern and Western Fronts. In May 1944, the Germans used their skills as paratroopers to successfully rescue Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Considering what long-range airborne forces can achieve in wartime, the arrival of airborne armor systems could be a much-needed "hit" to equip Allied airborne infantry personnel who will help surprise the enemy and potentially change the course of battles in precious seconds .

Paratroopers are usually more or less lightly armed infantrymen who are parachuted from passing transport aircraft. Because they usually carry a limited amount in battle, they mostly do well against "normal" armies armed with artillery, mortars, machine guns, and tanks.

Therefore, every tool in the paratrooper's arsenal must be considered essential to his operations and specially chosen for its usefulness in combat. The Airborne itself was designed for light, ad hoc engagements - not for prolonged warfare, especially against enemy armor.

The battlefields of World War II frequently pushed the limits of the capabilities of airborne forcesand provided a unique set of responses as the battle unfolded. Notable Allied Air Forces of the war included the US 82nd and 101st and the 1st and 6th British Red Devils.

The British authorities first demanded this air-transportable tank solution. With their own wartime resources marginalized, it was the Americans and their vast wartime industrial production who were called upon to play a role in supporting the Allied cause. Despite the surplus of available British light tank units, these units were considered obsolete in the face of changing fronts, and, while each had its own limitations, they were never specifically designed for aerial use.

The Mk VII Tetrarch light tank is particularly notable, although it is past its heyday. The design and development of GE Aviation's Hamilcar glider is underway, and tests with Tetrarch have proven the concept of an air transport tank to work.

A plan has now been drawn up to design and develop a reliable light tank for the crew.

In February 1941, a set of specifications was officially published calling for a maximum 10-ton tracked armoured vehicle with a 37mm gun and a crew of three. Self-defense will take the form of the following. 30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine gun. Armor protection must meet the requirements of 30mm to 50mm thickness.

Expect a range of around 200 miles and a top speed of 40 mph. Tanks need to be naturally agile, fast, and responsive to respond to and counter enemy actions, while also supporting Allied airborne forces. Its caterpillar nature will ensure the type performs well both off-road and on-road. The U.S. Department of Ordnance is tasked with designing and developing light tanks.

Respondents to the initiative included concerns from General Motors, J. Walter Christie and the Marmon-Herrington Corporation. The Marmon-Herrington scheme was formally selected by the USOD in May 1941, and the scheme had a prototype by the end of the year.

By this time, the prototype had already received the designation "Light Tank T9 (Airborne)".

After some early evaluation, it was determined that the T9 pilot vehicle was missing key areas. Despite an all-welded hull and power-cast turret, it was too heavy for its intended role. The wheels were deemed too weak for the weight distribution required by the design and the expected rigors of combat use, leading to the installation of steel beams to stiffen the suspension system. Armor protection has been a long-standing concern, but the T9 pilot vehicle has reached the maximum allowable weight for the Hamilcar glider. As a result, a different form was developed - the T9E1 - with a new manually powered turret (omitting the intended artillery stabilizer) and a revised sloping hull design. a couple.

To save weight, 30 machine guns mounted on the bow have now been dropped. The suspension system was further modified to make it lighter, bringing the T9E1 to a level of control for gliding use.

Although the T9E1 was closer to the required specification, USOD ordered a production model in April 1942 that complied with the T9 Pilot Vehicle - the T9E1 Pilot was not offered until November 1942. The inevitable delays meant that serial production of the T9 did not begin until April 1943 (originally planned for November 1942).

A total of 830 M22 Locust light tanks were produced out of a planned 1,900, which were based on the original T9 pilot vehicles. Deliveries ended in February 1944 and the production line was discontinued in favor of other warfare systems.

Like other American tanks, it was the British who named this American tank the "locust".

When complete, the M22 Locust weighs approximately 8 tons (16,400 lbs). Her barrel is less than 13 feet long, 7 feet wide and only 6 feet high. Their standard combat crew consists of drivers, tank commanders and gunners.

The driver reserves a position under a hinged door panel in the left front fuselage (which is usually kept open during safe driving). The commander and gunner are positioned with the weapon in the turret. It is worth noting that the commander is also the main gun, which will only increase his workload and divert his attention from the development of the battle. The crew has two entrances and exits - a hatch at the top of the turret and a hatch at the driver's position. The turret - with 360-degree full rotation - was placed in the middle of the short barrel roof, with the engine at the rear of the design.

The engine exits from the right rear side of the fuselage, a duct leading from the rear center panel to the upper right track cover, to which the muffler is attached. Spare wheels can be carried along the engine bay roof.

Ground clearance is fairly low, and the M22 encourages a very short and stocky look. Their tracks are relatively thin compared to medium tank designs, but acceptable for light tanks. The drive sprocket remains at the front and the chain idler at the rear.

Two track deflection rollers are installed to guide the upper track section. There are four wheels mounted as an inline on one side of the track. The M22 is powered by a 165-horsepower Lycoming O-435T Series six-cylinder gasoline-driven radial engine. This gives this tiny mount a top speed of 40 miles per hour and a range of 135 miles.

The hull is mounted on a VVSS (Vertical Volute Spring Suspension) system to aid off-road sailing.

When deliveries began, many were shipped via Lend-Lease for use by the RAF in Europe. For the Americans, the Locust was little more than a training platform - as a result only two experimental tank groups were formed and equipped with M22s (28th and 151st Airborne Tank Battalions). The Americans lacked any kind of indigenous glider capable of transporting the M22 (like the British Hamilcar) and could only use their Douglas C-54 transports to move them.

Even so, the M22's turret had to be completely removed to fit into the cargo hold, and its fuselage was exposed beneath the aircraft. As such, the system has little inherent benefit to the U.S. Army and its airborne forces.

It is believed that very few M22s have ever actually entered service - these are mainly used by the British Air Force. In fact, less than a dozen are believed to have been used in any combat combat, with the rest in training or reserve duty until the end of the war. The most notable use of the M22 was during Operation Varsity in Wesel across the Rhine in 1945, and these elements were part of the British 6th Airborne Division. For the U.S.

Airborne Forces, the M22 never appeared in combat throughout the war. In January 1946, the M22 was officially declared obsolete, marking its official demise in the American and British armed forces.

The M22 encountered a variety of problems, most of which were discovered during the evaluation process. As a light tank, it was weakly armored and by wartime standards was easily knocked down by small-caliber anti-tank weapons and completely destroyed by large-caliber tank guns.

Even a pistol can penetrate its armor at key points, making the system very vulnerable. At this stage of the war, the 37mm main gun was also insufficient against the expected enemy tanks. Powertrains were designed to be underweight, and reliability proved to be a chronic problem in the field. Although designed for use with Hamilkar gliders, testing has shown that these loading/unloading times are unusually long, putting operators at risk on the battlefield for extended periods of time and unacceptable. If the M22 had any advantages, it was its inherent speedotherwise it had little to recommend late in the war.

Some British M22s had the "Littlejohn Adapter" system installed on their 37mm guns to aid in penetration, but these ultimately had little effect.

The post-war locusts existed in some modified form. The British gave part of their M22 stock to the Belgians while scrapping the rest as reserves. In service with the Belgian Army, they were converted as assault tanks - without turrets and weapons - to work alongside their M4 Sherman medium tanks. Egypt became another postwar user of light tanks, using the M22 against Israel in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Captured systems were subsequently returned to limited service by the Israeli army for a period of time, even during the 1956 Battle of Sinai. While serving in Egypt, the M22 was eventually replaced by an influx of Soviet hardware during the Cold War.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

50 x 37mm projectile.

2,500x7.62mm ammo.

Changes