Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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In the early years of World War II, German paratroopers shocked the world with audacious airborne assaults - but their victories came at a high price. The American answer? Drop a tank in with their own airborne forces. Enter the M22 Locust: a bold attempt to give paratroopers armor support from the skies. Shaped by logistical challenges, battlefield demands, and wartime innovation, the Locust was designed to be small, light, and air-mobile. But for all its innovation, it couldn’t escape the compromises that doomed it in combat.
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Sources: The Design, Development, & Production of US Tanks in World War II, Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 19 August 1944, page 13-17
The Design, Development, & Production of US Light Tanks, Office of the Chief of Ordnance, January 1945, page 13-17
RP Hunnicutt, Stuart – A history of the American light tank, Presidio Press, Novato, 1992, page 241 to 256, 383, 419, 464, 484, and 496
Charles C. Roberts Jr, US AIRBORNE TANKS, 1939–1945, Pen & Sword Books Ltd, Yorkshire, Philadelphia, 2021
Steven J Zaloga, 153 – M551 Sheridan, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2009, page 6-12
LIFE magazine, Issue 3 Jun 1946, page 55-57
Roger V Lucy, Secret Weapons of the Canadian Army, Service Publications, Ottawa, 2006
Amiztur Ilan, אמברגו עוצמה והכרעה במלחמת תש”ח (Embargo: Power and Decisiveness in the 1948 War), 1995
עמיעד ברזנר ,סוסים אבירים התפתחות ותמורות בשריון הישראלי ,(Amaid Brezner) מתום מלחמת העצמאות ועד מלחמת סיני (Wild Bronco, The Deveopment and the Chalanges of IDF Armour 1949 to 1956, 1999
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An article by Joshua Allen
Narrated by Wood
Edited by @battlehammerwot
Check out Steel Aces:steelaces.com
Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/steelaces/steel-aces
In the early years of World War II, German paratroopers shocked the world with audacious airborne assaults - but their victories came at a high price. The American answer? Drop a tank in with their own airborne forces. Enter the M22 Locust: a bold attempt to give paratroopers armor support from the skies. Shaped by logistical challenges, battlefield demands, and wartime innovation, the Locust was designed to be small, light, and air-mobile. But for all its innovation, it couldn’t escape the compromises that doomed it in combat.
Join this channel to get access to exclusive perks:
youtube.com/channel/UC2tZSN6WSAtzKLalKbflBLg/join
If you liked this video, please consider donating on Patreon or Paypal!
Patreon: patreon.com/tankartfund
Paypal: paypal.com/paypalme/tankencyclopedia
Article: tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/us/light-tank-airborne-m22-locust
Sources: The Design, Development, & Production of US Tanks in World War II, Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 19 August 1944, page 13-17
The Design, Development, & Production of US Light Tanks, Office of the Chief of Ordnance, January 1945, page 13-17
RP Hunnicutt, Stuart – A history of the American light tank, Presidio Press, Novato, 1992, page 241 to 256, 383, 419, 464, 484, and 496
Charles C. Roberts Jr, US AIRBORNE TANKS, 1939–1945, Pen & Sword Books Ltd, Yorkshire, Philadelphia, 2021
Steven J Zaloga, 153 – M551 Sheridan, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2009, page 6-12
LIFE magazine, Issue 3 Jun 1946, page 55-57
Roger V Lucy, Secret Weapons of the Canadian Army, Service Publications, Ottawa, 2006
Amiztur Ilan, אמברגו עוצמה והכרעה במלחמת תש”ח (Embargo: Power and Decisiveness in the 1948 War), 1995
עמיעד ברזנר ,סוסים אבירים התפתחות ותמורות בשריון הישראלי ,(Amaid Brezner) מתום מלחמת העצמאות ועד מלחמת סיני (Wild Bronco, The Deveopment and the Chalanges of IDF Armour 1949 to 1956, 1999
Tank Encyclopedia Magazines and Books: payhip.com/TankEncyclopedia
Reddit: reddit.com/r/TankEncyclopedia
TE Shop: tanks-encyclopedia.com/Goodies/tanks-posters.php
Our website: tanks-encyclopedia.com
Gaming News Website: tanks-encyclopedia.com/games
Facebook: facebook.com/tanksencyclopedia
Twitter: twitter.com/tanksenc
Discord: discord.gg/3VjQ8Zq
Email: tanks.encyclopedia@gmail.com
An article by Joshua Allen
Narrated by Wood
Edited by @battlehammerwot
