Locust М22

This light tank, based on the M3 prototype, was engineered specifically for the airborne battalion and the tank squads of airborne forces. The tank was designed to comply with strict requirements set forth by the American and British militaries. A total of 830 units were produced by 1944.

Many of them were lend-leased to Great Britain where they were used in airborne operations. The most famous of these operations was a flight of M22 tanks by "Hamilcar" (a transport glider). This legendary feat occurred on May 24, 1945 during the 6th British Airborne Division's forced crossing of the Rhine.

Historical fact: no M22 was ever deployed by the American troops in real combat, owing to a shortage of suitable transport gliders and aircraft. They entered service in 1943, under the command of the US Army Airborne, but remained idle until the end of the war. They were not even seen on the 1944 D-Day landing in Normandy.