M22 Locust
The M22 Locust was a light, air transportable battle tank of the United States Army . The vehicle was only used in small numbers during the Second World War and was taken out of service soon after the fighting ended. It was one of the smallest tanks used by the Allies during World War II.
history
After the effectiveness of the German and Soviet airborne units established in the 1930s had been recognized in the USA, the establishment of an air-moving force was also started there from 1941. Since these formations were not to be used without tank support, a combat vehicle capable of air transport with a maximum weight of 7620 kg was required. The companies GMC , JW Christie and Marmon-Herrington were commissioned to develop a concept . Marmon-Herrington's proposal was accepted and the company was commissioned to build a prototype in May 1941. The vehicle was named "Light Tank T9" (Air transportable). At the same time, the development of an aircraft that was supposed to transport the tank began. The prototype of the T9 weighed a total of 8027 kg, but was accepted by the USAAF as well as by the British who were also interested in the project , despite the somewhat higher weight . In January 1942, two prototypes of the improved T9E1 were initially ordered. In April 1942 , the United States Army had already ordered 500 T9E1s before the troop tests had even started . A total of 1,900 units were planned, but due to ongoing problems and constant design changes, only 830 vehicles could be manufactured until production was discontinued in February 1944. It was not until August 1944 that the tank received its standard designation M22 (Locust) .
During the troop tests by the 28th Airborne Tank Battalion it turned out that the vehicle could only be loaded into the Douglas C-54 with the turret removed . Since this was completely unacceptable, the M22 could no longer fulfill its role as an airborne tank. The US Army decided not to use the Locust , on the one hand because of the transport problems and on the other hand because there were justified doubts as to whether such a light and weakly armored vehicle could even survive on the battlefield. However, since the British had a suitable glider in action with the Hamilcar , they took over 260 of these tanks and deployed twelve of them during the Rhine crossing near Wesel in 1945 (see: Operation Varsity ). However, only two tanks were actually in use, the rest were damaged on landing.
An unknown number of M22s were delivered to the Egyptian army after the war .
description
The vehicle had a cast tower and a welded pan. The drive was equipped with vertical coil springs and traverses. With the second prototype T9E1 , the tower shape was changed, the side straightening system switched from manual to motor drive and a gyro stabilizer installed; By changing the front panel, the machine gun in the bow was no longer necessary. In addition, the tank was given attachment points so that it could be lashed in the C-54 transport aircraft provided for it. The engine and transmission were in the stern. The drive wheel was in the bow, the pulley was pulled down to the ground and served as a fifth wheel.
It was a completely hastily constructed vehicle that was unusable for its actual purpose. For the conditions towards the end of the war it was underpowered and insufficiently armed. The armor was extremely poor and only protected against splinters and rifle fire. The armor was penetrated by a bullet with a caliber of 12.7 mm; a hit with a 2 cm shell could easily destroy the vehicle.
| M22 Locust | |
|---|---|
| Technical specifications | |
| crew | 3 men |
| Armament | |
| Main weapon: | 1 × 37 mm M6 cannon |
| Secondary weapon: | 1 × machine gun M1919A4 coaxial |
| Dimensions | |
| Length: | 3.32 m |
| Width: | 2.23 m |
| Height: | 1.74 m |
| Armor: | 9-25 mm |
| Combat weight: | 7722 kg |
| Drive and chassis performance | |
| Engine: | 6-cylinder boxer engine Lycoming O-435T (petrol) |
| Power:
119 kW (| 162 PS) at 3000 rpm |
|
| Road speed: | 64 km / h |
| Driving range (street): | 216 km |
| Climbing ability: | 0.40 m |
| Trench crossing ability: | 1.65 m |
| Gradeability: | 52% |
| Wading ability: | 1.10 m |
| Ground pressure : | 0.51 kg |
| Chain: | unpadded, tensioned hinge chain |
Uses
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