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109-820: First established as the Ardmore Army Air Field in 1942, the post was established to train airmen for war service. Initially the post served to train military glider pilots, under the supervision of I Troop Carrier Command , but later trained combat crews to fly the Martin B-26 Marauder and the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress . All four squadrons of Lt. Colonel Thomas B. Hall's 394th Bombardment Group (the 584th; 585th; 586th; and 587th) were briefly stationed at Ardmore AAF for five weeks in July-August 1943. The group

218-701: A 2-pounder gun. The War Office ordered 70 tanks, an order that eventually increased to 220. Production was delayed by several factors and only 100 to 177 of the tanks were produced. The design flaws of the tank, combined with the decision by the War Office not to use light tanks in British armoured divisions, ruled out the use of Tetrarchs in the North African Campaign . The majority of the tanks remained in Britain, although twenty were sent to

327-430: A 1,500 man parachute drop and the large transport gliders that he had seen. The Luftwaffe opened a parachute school as a result in 1937. Further field testing convinced Student that a vehicle was needed to deliver the heavy weapons for the lightly armed parachute troops. This idea was dismissed until October 1938 by which time Student had risen to major-general and was appointed Inspector of Airborne Forces. Development of

436-554: A German self-propelled gun and the second by hitting a mine . The division was reinforced by British troops who were advancing from the invasion beaches and it began to push through Normandy, while the squadron continued its reconnaissance duties. At this time, Gale decided to avoid, when possible, engaging the Tetrarchs with German armour, as they proved to be completely outclassed by the German tanks and self-propelled guns, such as

545-543: A Hamilcar glider flight was stationed at RAF Fairford , and a troop of Tetrarchs was kept by the regiment for training exercises with the gliders. However, glider training by the regiment was stopped in 1950 and the Tetrarchs withdrawn from service. There were several variants of the Tetrarch design. The first was the Light Tank Mk VIII , Vickers-Armstrong's proposed successor to the Tetrarch. The Mark VIII

654-531: A combat zone, mainly during the Second World War . These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g., C-47 Skytrain or Dakota , or bombers relegated to secondary activities, e.g., Short Stirling . Most military gliders do not soar, although there were attempts to build military sailplanes as well, such as the DFS 228 . Once released from

763-425: A company part owned by Vickers-Armstrong that would be producing the tanks, indicated it had already ordered armour plating for that many tanks. Production of the tank was delayed by a number of factors. The War Office put their order on hold in a post- Battle of France decision to focus military production on infantry and cruiser tanks, due to the poor performance of British light tanks during that battle. Due to

872-619: A force which sailed for Freetown in West Africa; during this period of the war there were fears that the Spanish government might enter the conflict on the side of Germany, and the force was readied to capture a number of Spanish islands off the coast of Africa if this occurred. These fears proved groundless, and in March 1942, the unit returned to Britain to join the rest of the squadron in training. The next assignment, Operation Ironclad,

981-480: A glider was accepted, although the aircraft would have to be specifically designed for the task. In a conference held on 16 January 1941, it was decided that the General Aircraft Hamilcar , currently under development, would be used to transport a single Tetrarch tank or two Universal Carriers . The Tetrarch was chosen because it was an obsolete design, and was therefore available to be used by

1090-628: A hostile beachhead, the gliders to be towed by Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina amphibian aircraft . The Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics developed specifications for two types of amphibious glider, a single-hulled type which could carry 12 passengers and a twin-hulled type that could carry 24 passengers. Two companies, the Allied Aviation Corporation and the Bristol Aeronautical Corporation , received contracts to produce 100 gliders, and plans called for

1199-530: A later transfer of the post back to being part of the Second Air Force in August 1943. The base was decommissioned in 1946 and used by American Airlines as a training facility until 1953 when the post was reactivated, this time named the "Ardmore Air Force Base." Units stationed at the post during some or all of this era included the: The first Lockheed C-130A Hercules put into active USAF service

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1308-409: A maximum of 14 millimetres (0.55 in) of armour. The prototype weighed approximately 16,800 lb (7,600 kg) and was powered by a 165-horsepower (123 kW) Meadows engine. Suspension was on eight road wheels, four per side, with no separate driver or idler wheels and it was capable of a 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) top speed. The Mk VII design relied on an unusual steering method and

1417-563: A mechanical system incorporated into earlier Vickers models. The front wheels could be steered to allow for gentle turns by bending the tracks. For sharper turns, the system returned to the conventional method of braking one track to turn the tank; the dual system of turning was designed to lessen mechanical strain on the Mk VII and reduce its power wastage. The suspension system was also a new design that relied on struts with pockets of air for springing and cushions of oil for damping, and each of

1526-416: A memorandum, dated January 1943, by Major General George F. Hopkinson , commander of the 1st Airborne Division , Hopkinson complained that he had been informed that 70 of the tanks were available, whereas only 50 actually remained, with no reserves to replace those lost in combat. This lack of sufficient replacement reserves, combined with a War Office report that some 287 airborne tanks would be required for

1635-565: A much more capable force. The Soviets also experimented with ways to deliver light tanks by air, including the Antonov A-40 , a gliding tank with detachable wings. By the time of the Korean War , helicopters had largely replaced gliders. Helicopters have the advantage of being able to extract soldiers, in addition to delivering them to the battlefield with more precision. Also, advances in powered transport aircraft had been made, to

1744-489: A number of Valentine and Matilda Mk I Infantry tanks . The Soviet military utilised a greater number of light tanks than the British, and so could use the Tetrarchs. When the tanks arrived in the USSR, however, it was apparent that the design problems with the cooling system were also present in cold conditions; additionally, the cold weather had a deleterious effect on the tank's suspension and tracks. Additional testing of

1853-479: A number of targets with 2-pounder and machine-gun fire, but the line had to be cleared by an infantry assault later in the day. The tanks were ordered to outflank the defences and advance further into the island, and they were soon joined by two other Tetrarchs dispatched from the beaches; the small force continued to advance until it encountered the Vichy French main line of defence. This had been built prior to

1962-464: A series of light tanks produced by the company. The tank was designed to overcome the shortcomings of insufficient armament in earlier light tanks that were fitted only with machine guns. Vickers-Armstrong installed on the Mk VIIs a 40 mm (1.6 in) QF 2-pounder main gun paired with a 7.92 mm (0.312 in) Besa machine gun , and mounted the two guns in a two-man turret . The tank had

2071-414: A single Tetrarch were dispatched in support, catching up with the lead elements of the infantry near the town of Anamakia. Here the invasion force encountered the first French defences, consisting of camouflaged trenches and pillboxes dug in along a ridge. The tanks attempted to breach them, but the rocky ground made manoeuvring difficult and they could not close with the pillboxes and trenches; they engaged

2180-611: A study with view to develop a glider capable of being towed by aircraft. This directive was set into motion through Classified Technical Instructions (CTI-198 on 24 February 1941, and CTI-203 on 4 March 1941), which authorized the procurement of 2-, 8-, and 15-place gliders and equipment. Eleven companies were invited to participate in the experimental glider program, but only four responded with any interest, Frankfort Sailplane Company (XCG-1, XCG-2), Waco Aircraft Company (XCG-3, XCG-4), St. Louis Aircraft Corp. (XCG-5, XCG-6), and Bowlus Sailplanes (XCG-7, XCG-8). Only Waco Aircraft Company

2289-745: A troop-carrying glider was assigned to Hans Jacobs of the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug to develop the DFS 230 which could carry 9–10 fully equipped troops or 1,200 kg (2,800 pounds). The Germans were the first to use gliders in warfare, most famously during the assault of the Eben Emael fortress and the capture of the bridges over the Albert Canal at Veldwezelt, Vroenhoven and Kanne on May 10, 1940, in which 41 DFS 230 gliders carrying 10 soldiers each were launched behind Junkers Ju 52s . Ten gliders landed on

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2398-449: The 3rd Parachute Brigade and 5th Parachute Brigade (which did not utilise gliders) should land in the first lift to clear the landing zones, allowing the 6th Airlanding Brigade to land in the second lift. The Horsa and Hamilcar gliders of the brigade landed at 21:00 on 6 June in a landing zone cleared of obstructions by the 5th Parachute Brigade. The primary tasks of the brigade were to bring in reinforcements and supplies, and to aid

2507-503: The China-Burma-India Theater . The CG-4A was constructed of a metal and wood frame covered with fabric, manned by a crew of two and with an allowable normal cargo load of 3,710 lb, allowing it to carry 13 combat-equipped troops or a jeep or small artillery piece. The CG-10 could hold 10,850 lb of cargo, such as two howitzers , at a time. The final glider mission of the war was at Luzon on 23 June 1945. By

2616-599: The Gotha Go 242 (23 trooper) and Messerschmitt Me 321 (130 trooper) to transport heavy armaments in anticipation of Operation Sea Lion and Operation Barbarossa . Gliders were also used by Germany in Greece in 1941. On April 26, 1941, the troops from six DFS 230 gliders captured the bridge over the Corinth Canal accompanied by 40 plane-loads of German paratroopers. (Fortuitously, the British were able to demolish

2725-589: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 prompted the United States to set the number of glider pilots needed at 1,000 to fly 500 eight-seat gliders and 500 fifteen-seat gliders. The number of pilots required was increased to 6,000 by June 1942. After Barringer was lost at sea on a flight to Africa in January 1943, the program came under direction of Richard C. du Pont . Bigger gliders, such as

2834-651: The Panzer IV and the Sturmgeschütz III . Instead, when the division required armoured support, it summoned it from armoured units outside the division, and the Tetrarchs were used to support infantry patrols and provide fire support. By August, in the division's preparation for the planned breakout from the Normandy bridgehead, the majority of Tetrarchs in 'A' Squadron were replaced with Cromwell fast cruiser tanks ; only three Tetrarchs remained, assigned to

2943-701: The Royal Air Force in the Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association and for cadet training by the Air Training Corps , they are not used in combat operations. No troop-carrying gliders have been in British service since 1957. Major General Henry "Hap" Arnold , Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for Air (becoming Commanding General of the United States Army Air Forces on March 9, 1942), initiated

3052-600: The USSR as part of Lend-Lease . In early 1941, the Royal Armoured Corps formed three squadrons for use in overseas amphibious operations, one of which was equipped with Tetrarchs. In May 1942, a small number of Tetrarchs formed part of the British force which participated in Operation Ironclad , the invasion of Madagascar. In June 1942, Tetrarchs were attached to the 1st Airborne Division after it

3161-771: The United States Army 's capabilities on 1 January 1953. However, the United States Air Force continues to use sailplanes at the United States Air Force Academy to train cadets in the fundamentals of flight. In April 1941, United States Navy officer Marc Mitscher proposed that the Navy develop amphibious gliders with flying-boat hulls with a goal of deploying an amphibious glider force capable of delivering an entire United States Marine Corps brigade of 715 men to

3270-684: The Yakovlev Yak-14 (35 trooper) in 1948, and the Ilyushin Il-32 (60 trooper) also in 1948. In 1950, a Yak-14 became the first glider to fly over the North Pole . The Soviet Union maintained three glider infantry regiments until 1965. However, Soviet Air Force transport gliders were gradually withdrawn from service with the arrival of turboprop transports like the Antonov An-12 and Antonov An-24 , which entered service in

3379-670: The capture of the Caen canal and Orne river bridges in a coup-de-main operation at the very start of the invasion of Normandy . Other glider actions included Operation Dragoon (the invasion of southern France), Operation Market Garden (the landing at Arnhem Bridge to try and seize a bridgehead over the lower Rhine) and Operation Varsity (crossing of the Rhine). Out of the 2,596 gliders dispatched for Operation Market Garden, 2,239 were effective in delivering men and equipment to their designated landing zones. Although gliders are still used in

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3488-481: The 17th and 13th brigade groups from 5th Infantry Division . The 29th Brigade formed the core of the invasion force due to its training in amphibious operations, and under its command was 'B' Special Service Squadron, created by amalgamating six Valentines from 'B' Squadron and six Tetrarchs from 'C' Squadron into a single unit. The squadron was formed into four troops, one Headquarters troop of three Valentines and one Tetrarch, one of four Valentines, and two formed from

3597-611: The 1st Airborne Division and an unnamed airborne division to be formed in India, led to the Tetrarch's eventual replacement by the US M22 Locust . A number of design faults of the Tetrarch were revealed through its operational use. Its size limited the possible crew to three, a driver in the hull and a gunner and commander in the turret, resulting in too few crew members to operate the Tetrarch effectively. The gunner or commander, in addition to his own duties, had to act as loader for

3706-494: The 1st Airborne Division, and on 19 January 1942 the War Office decided that a light tank unit would be one of the support units attached to the division. This unit, designated the Light Tank Squadron, was to be formed of nineteen light tanks and would operate to the fore of the division, using their tanks' speed to capture objectives and then holding them until relieved by other units. The obvious unit for conversion

3815-611: The 2-pounder, which caused delays in combat. A report on the tank written in January 1941 stated that as the commander had to both fight and control the tank, controlling a troop of Tetrarchs during combat would be almost impossible. Problems were also found with the Littlejohn adaptor fitted to the 2-pounder to increase its range and penetration power; after they had been fitted the adapters could not be removed, and could only fire specially designed armour-piercing rounds, which took time to manufacture. The War Office also considered

3924-749: The 30-troop Waco CG-13A and the 42-troop Laister-Kauffman CG-10 A were designed later. The most widely used type was the Waco CG-4A, which was first used in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and participated in the D-Day assault on France on 6 June 1944, and in other important airborne operations in Europe, including Operation Market Garden in September 1944 and the crossing the Rhine in March 1945, and in

4033-700: The Army and airborne forces. One of the major problems was the limited number of these tanks that existed after production ended in 1942, which particularly affected the airborne forces. The transport of 20 of the tanks to the USSR under the Lend-Lease Act depleted the number available for use by airborne forces, as did the loss of several more during Operation Ironclad , the invasion of Madagascar . A Royal Armoured Corps report issued in December 1942 stated that approximately 50 Tetrarchs were available for use. In

4142-420: The British airborne establishment was formed, the War Office was able to accept only 500 volunteers for training as airborne troops. Progress in setting up proper training facilities and acquiring suitable transport aircraft was so slow that the first British airborne operation, Operation Colossus , was conducted by a retrained Commando unit. By 1942, there existed specifically trained airborne units, including

4251-591: The British airborne landings in Normandy . The operation began on the night of 5 June, with the deployment of 6th Airborne Division to eastern Normandy. It was tasked with protecting the eastern flank of the Allied seaborne landings, securing strategically important areas east of Caen , capturing several important bridges over the Caen Canal and River Dives , and destroying a coastal artillery battery. Insufficient transport aircraft were available to land all three of

4360-509: The British airborne landings in Normandy in June 1944. The tanks were landed by glider, where their appearance caused the Germans to cancel a counter-attack at a key moment in the battle but individually, they did not perform well. Several were lost in accidents and those that did see action proved to be inferior in firepower and armour to the armoured vehicles of the German forces. A few days after

4469-481: The CS variation and the rest were armed with 2-pounders fitted with Littlejohn adaptors. On 24 May 1944, after participating in a further series of exercises and manoeuvres, 'A' Squadron moved from their training area to a transit camp at Tarrant Rushton airfield , while the rest of the regiment moved to RAF Brize Norton airfield the next day; from these two airfields, the regiment would be transported from to participate in

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4578-569: The First World War and included camouflaged pillboxes, machine-gun nests and dug-in 75 mm artillery pieces ; the latter, although not specifically designed for an anti-tank role, could penetrate the armour of both the Tetrarchs and the Valentines. The two Valentines advanced first but were knocked out by artillery fire, and two Tetrarchs that were moving behind them suffered the same fate; the third Tetrarch retreated in order to report on

4687-455: The French resistance, machine gunning a motorcycle combination and a truck it encountered on the way back. The commander of the Tetrarch made his report, and was then ordered to take command of four Valentines and two Tetrarchs which had recently arrived and once again attempt to breach the French defences. The tanks followed the road leading to the defensive line and then attempted to out-flank

4796-427: The German invasion of the USSR, Operation Barbarossa began, and the USSR became an ally of Britain. The Lend-Lease program, begun in March 1941 by the United States of America to supply defensive materials to Britain and China, was therefore extended to the USSR. As part of the program, the British government began supplying war materials to the USSR, which in early 1942, included a shipment of 20 Tetrarchs, as well as

4905-567: The Headquarters troop of 'A' Squadron. Operation Tonga was the last that Tetrarchs saw of active combat. During the first week of October 1944, the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment underwent an extensive reorganization, in which it was completely restructured, and all the remaining Tetrarchs were retired. They were replaced with the M22 Locust, a purpose-built airborne light tank of American design; eight Locusts were used by

5014-631: The Middle East for the North African Campaign were left in Britain when their cooling systems were determined to be unable to cope with the intense North African heat. The demise of Tetrarch was prevented by a decision made by the War Office in mid-1941, as it was considering the equipment to be used by Britain's fledgling airborne forces , formed in June 1940 under the orders of the Prime Minister , Winston Churchill . When selecting

5123-439: The Navy took delivery during World War II of 15 U.S. Army Air Forces Waco CG-4A non-amphibious gliders for evaluation under the Navy designation LRW-1. Neither of these initiatives resulted in operational use of gliders by the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps. The Soviet Union built the world's first military gliders starting in 1932, including the 16-seat Grokhovski G63, though no glider was built in quantity until World War II. During

5232-643: The Soviet Union demonstrated the TsK Komsula, a four-place glider, designed by GF Groschev that could also be used for cargo. Larger gliders were then developed culminating in an 18-seater at the military institute in Leningrad in 1935. Luftwaffe Colonel Kurt Student visited Moscow as part of the military collaboration programme with the Soviet Union. He reported back to his superiors in Berlin details of

5341-587: The Tetrarch design, including the Alecto self-propelled gun and the Light Tank Mk VIII but none of these were used operationally by the British Army. The prototype of the Light Tank Mk VII (A17), nicknamed 'Purdah', was first developed in 1937 by Vickers-Armstrongs as a private venture, and was intended to be sold either to the British Army or to foreign militaries. It was to be the latest in

5450-642: The Tetrarch was fitted to the Mark VIII, although the increased weight meant that its maximum speed decreased to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h); its armament also remained the same as that of the Tetrarch. The War Office authorised the construction of three prototype models in April 1941. The new design was considered a success, and the Tank Board of the War Office ordered 1,000 to be constructed in September. However, problems were encountered with further tests of

5559-535: The Tetrarch's cooling system faulty, making the tank unsuitable for service in hotter climates, such as the Middle East and North Africa. The first Tetrarchs were delivered to the Army in November 1940, and were initially deployed with the 1st Armoured Division (which was being refitted after losing the majority of its previous tanks during the Battle of France) and the newly formed 6th Armoured Division . However,

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5668-510: The Tetrarch's design, Soviet authorities believed it to be comparable to the T-70 light tank in use at the time, and decided that it was suitable to be used in combat. A number of Tetrarchs were sent to Tank Training Schools which were subsequently sent into battle, and in September 1943 two were assigned to the 132nd Separated Tank Battalion, which was attached to the 5th Guards Tank Brigade; both tanks were destroyed in combat, one on 30 September and

5777-414: The Tetrarchs they carried; a third Hamilcar hit another Tetrarch as it was being unloaded and flipped the tank upside down, rendering it unusable, although the crew escaped without injury. The surviving tanks were then rendered temporarily immobile when parachute rigging lines became tangled in their suspensions, forcing their crews to cut the lines away with welding torches. The squadron retrieved all of

5886-486: The Tetrarchs was conducted by the Soviet military and the design was admired for its controllability, manoeuvrability, and speed, as well its ability to run on low-quality fuel, unlike contemporary Soviet designs. The thinness of the Tetrarch's armour was found to be a problem and one which could not be solved, as the weight of extra armour plating caused an unacceptable reduction in the tank's speed. Despite these drawbacks in

5995-483: The US sometimes used them as if they were, since it was easier than recovering them. Troops landing by glider were referred to as air-landing as opposed to paratroops . Landing by parachute caused the troops to be spread over a large drop-zone and separated from other airdropped equipment, such as vehicles and anti-tank guns. Gliders, on the other hand, could land troops and ancillaries in greater concentrations precisely at

6104-575: The airborne forces. Beginning in January 1944, training exercises were conducted carrying the Tetrarchs and their crews inside Hamilcar gliders. These exercises were successful; during the training by 'C' Squadron of the Glider Pilot Regiment , which specialised in flying the Hamilcars, over 2,800 lifts were made with an average of 50 lifts per crew. Only three incidents resulted in fatalities or injuries, with seven pilots killed during

6213-429: The beginning of the operation, the tanks were removed from direct engagement with German armour and used only to provide fire support. By August 1944, most of the Tetrarchs in action were replaced with Cromwell tanks and the remainder were replaced by the M22 Locust in December 1944. Tetrarchs did not see any further combat and were deemed obsolete by 1946; the last was retired in 1950. There were several variations on

6322-415: The bombing raids of the Luftwaffe during May 1941 against the factories where the tanks were assembled. The cumulative effect of these delays resulted in the production of only a small number of Mk VIIs; estimates place the final total produced to be between 100 and 177. The name 'Tetrarch' was given to the Mk VII, on 22 September 1941, on the orders of the War Office. The last of the tanks were built in

6431-432: The bridge a few hours later.) Next, General Student then convinced Hitler that Crete could be captured using only airborne troops. Consequently, on May 20, 1941, 500 German transport aircraft carrying paratroopers and 74 DFS 230 gliders took off from the Greek mainland. During the capture of the island, 5,140 German airborne troops were either killed or wounded out of the 13,000 sent. Among the 350 German planes destroyed in

6540-433: The division's brigades simultaneously; one would have to be landed in a second lift later in the day. Major General Richard Gale had initially intended for the 6th Airlanding Brigade , to which the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment was attached, to be landed first; however, aerial photography revealed that anti-glider poles had been erected in the landing zone selected for the brigade. Therefore, Gale decided that

6649-503: The end of the war, the United States had built 14,612 gliders of all types and had trained over 6,000 glider pilots. The designs of the Waco Aircraft Company were also produced by a wide variety of manufacturers including Ford Motor Company and Cessna Aircraft Company as well as furniture, piano and coffin manufacturers. Following World War II, the United States maintained only one regiment of gliders. Gliders were used in military exercises in 1949, but glider operations were deleted from

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6758-414: The end of the war. The Junkers Ju 322 Mammut ("Mammoth") was the largest such glider ever built, but it was never used operationally. Not all military gliders were planned for transport. The Blohm & Voss BV 40 was a German glider fighter designed to attack Allied bomber formations but was not used. The British glider development started in mid-1940, prompted by the assault on Eben Emael . Among

6867-423: The equipment for the airborne forces, officials at the War Office concluded that gliders would be an integral component; gliders would transport troops and heavy equipment, which, by 1941, was to include artillery and some form of tank. Plans to transport a tank went through a number of revisions, but, by May 1941, the feasibility of a 5.5 metric tons (5.4 long tons) tank to be carried for 350 miles (560 km) in

6976-443: The event they were not used. 'C' Squadron suffered heavy casualties during the invasion; only one Valentine and three Tetrarchs out of twelve tanks were functional by 7 May, and the squadron had suffered seven killed and six wounded. It remained in Madagascar until early 1943, when it was shipped to India and took part in the Burma Campaign as part of 29th Brigade. Because of a lack of equipment training facilities in mid-1940, when

7085-448: The extent that even light tanks could be dropped by parachute. And after the widespread use of radar in the military, silence in the air is no longer sufficient for concealment. The development of modern gliders was spurred by the Versailles Treaty following World War I , under the terms of which Germany was prohibited from constructing certain high powered airplanes. As a result, German aircraft designers turned their attention toward

7194-468: The faults discovered with the Tetrarch cooling system precluded them from being integrated into units that were sent to the Middle East to participate in the North African Campaign. Shortly after, all light tanks were discarded from the establishments of British armoured divisions as not suitable for further service. The Tetrarchs remained in Britain, and would probably have been used as training vehicles before being retired from service, but on 22 June 1941

7303-399: The first quarter of 1942 and delivered at the end of the year. The War Office and the Army were concluding, at this point, that light tanks were a liability and too vulnerable for use in further combat, and the Tetrarch was considered to be obsolete. This decision may have marked the end for the Tetrarch in active service; several of the tanks destined to be deployed to the Eighth Army in

7412-495: The grassed roof of the fortress. Only twenty minutes after landing the force had neutralized the fortress at a cost of six dead and twenty wounded. Hitler was anxious to gain maximum publicity and so several foreign attachés were given guided tours of the fortress. Consequently, the British, American and Japanese became quickly aware of the methods that had been used. By mid-1940, both Japan and Britain had active glider programs. Development then began of even larger gliders such as

7521-443: The infantry brigades and their armoured support was to take control of Antsirane and a nearby town, but although the infantry landed successfully, 'B' Squadron had more trouble; the area of beach designated for its landing craft was blocked for several hours after a Tetrarch came loose from a landing craft and became stuck in the sand. The infantry brigades advanced toward Antsirane without the squadron, but eventually two Valentines and

7630-405: The landing beaches, the defences possessed by the port, and the Vichy French defending forces was limited and vague, although it was believed that the defenders had no weapons capable of penetrating the armour of a Valentine tank. The landings began at 04:30 on 5 May, with 5 Commando landing at Courrier Bay and the three infantry brigades and 'B' Squadron landing at Ambararata Bay. The objective of

7739-421: The late 1950s. Tetrarch tank The light tank Mk VII (A17) , also known as the Tetrarch , was a British light tank produced by Vickers-Armstrongs in the late 1930s and used during the Second World War . The Tetrarch was the latest in the line of light tanks built by the company for the British Army . It improved upon its predecessor, the Light Tank Mk VIC , by introducing the extra firepower of

7848-445: The line by advancing from the right-hand side, using several hills as cover; the artillery pieces were able to turn and face the assault, however, and one Valentine and one Tetrarch were hit and destroyed. The remaining tanks exchanged several volleys of fire with the artillery pieces before retreating back to their original positions. The French line was eventually broken by 29th Brigade, aided by an amphibious assault by Royal Marines ;

7957-498: The operation, half had been Ju 52s, which seriously depleted the force needed for the invasion of the Soviet Union shortly after. As a result, Hitler vowed never to use his airborne force in such large numbers again. Some German glider operations continued later in the war, some examples being the rescue operation of Benito Mussolini at Gran Sasso and emergency re-supply operations in Russia, North Africa and Eastern Europe towards

8066-609: The other on 2 October, the latter a casualty of artillery fire. Several were also used for propaganda purposes, appearing in photographs of Soviet troops who were fighting in the Caucasus region. In mid-1941, the Royal Armoured Corps in Britain created three tank squadrons for special overseas operations, known as 'A', 'B' and 'C' Special Service Squadrons. Both 'A' and 'B' Squadrons were equipped with Valentine Infantry tanks and Mark VIc light tanks , but 'C' Squadron

8175-493: The practical development of unpowered aircraft, with a pilot remaining in the air in a glider for more than 20 minutes and a national glider competition emerging by 1922. The early sporting objectives of gliders were quickly overtaken in the Soviet Union and in Germany by military applications, mainly the training of pilots. By 1934, the Soviet Union had ten gliding schools and 57,000 glider pilots had gained licences. In 1932,

8284-515: The procurement of 12,000 more amphibious gliders if the concept proved successful. No twin-hulled glider was built, but each company constructed the prototype of a single-hulled amphibious glider, the XLRA-1 by Allied Aviation and the XLRQ-1 by Bristol Aeronautical. The two prototypes made their first flights in early 1943, but by the time they did the Navy and Marine Corps already had concluded that

8393-521: The prototypes, and a report issued in December 1942 stated that production of the Mark VIII had been delayed due to developmental problems. These problems continued to persist into 1943, when the War Office decided against using the tank in active service; approximately 100 Mark VIIIs were produced by 1945, when production ended. A second variant on the Tetrarch design was the Tetrarch Duplex Drive ("Tetrarch DD"). The Duplex Drive system

8502-468: The regiment in March 1945 during Operation Varsity , the airborne operation to cross the river Rhine . A report issued by the Director (Air) of the War Office in January 1946 confirmed that the Tetrarch design was considered obsolete, and any light tanks used in post-war airborne formations would be entirely new in design. A small number of Tetrarchs remained in service with the 3rd Hussars until 1949;

8611-500: The remaining Tetrarchs and advanced to the south of the landing zone to link up with the rest of the regiment; there, they received orders to support the 8th Parachute Battalion in the Bois de Bavent area and conduct reconnaissance duties. After linking with the battalion, the squadron began reconnoitring, and engaged German infantry and armour they encountered. By the end of 7 June, two Tetrarchs had been lost to enemy action, one destroyed by

8720-410: The remaining five Tetrarchs. The invasion force assembled off the west coast of the northern tip of Madagascar on 4 May, near Antsirane and the bay of Diego Suarez. The invasion plan called for an amphibious assault landing on four beaches on the west side of the tip, which would allow the British forces to advance approximately 20 miles (32 km) and approach Antsirane from the rear. Information about

8829-557: The remaining tanks of 'B' Squadron, two Valentines and three Tetrarchs, remained in defensive positions until the afternoon of 6 May, coming under sporadic artillery fire which disabled another Valentine. The squadron played no further part in the battle, as the Vichy French authorities negotiated a formal surrender the following day, although French troops would continue to engage the British occupying force in guerrilla warfare until late November. 'B' and 'C' Squadrons were embarked onto SS Ocean Viking for use during these operations , but in

8938-462: The rest of the conflict. The squadron continued to train as an air-portable unit, and participated in a number of exercises to prepare for its new duties, including reconnaissance of enemy positions and counter-attacking enemy infantry and armour. On 13 December 1943, the War Office decided to expand the squadron into a regiment equipped with a combination of light tanks and conventional reconnaissance vehicles such as scout cars, and on 1 April 1944, it

9047-458: The shortage of more suitable tanks, light tanks that were not designed for use against German armour, were nevertheless deployed against them; the resulting high casualties led the War Office to re-evaluate the suitability of the light tank design. The pre-war role of the light tank, that of reconnaissance, meanwhile had been found to be better suited to scout cars that used smaller crews and had better road abilities. Further delays were caused by

9156-423: The side armour to 17 millimetres (0.67 in), and the turret and hull given more sloped surfaces to help deflect shells fired at the tank. The dimensions of the Tetrarch were also changed; the Mark VIII was longer by 6 inches (0.15 m), wider by 1 foot 3 inches (0.38 m) and heavier. The new tank was no longer air-portable, as it was too heavy to be carried by a Hamilcar. The 12-cylinder engine of

9265-434: The squadron's strength of twenty tanks was severely depleted by the time it landed in Normandy. It lost one tank before the formation landed when the Tetrarch broke loose of its shackles and crashed through the nose of the glider that was carrying it, causing both to fall into the sea mid-flight. The squadron's strength was further weakened when two gliders collided with each other in the landing zone, destroying themselves and

9374-605: The tank's engine. The screen could be collapsed by using a small explosive charge once the tank reached land. The system was fitted during June 1941, as the Tetrarch was the lightest light tank available at the time; the converted tank was successfully tested on a number of lakes and reservoirs, allowing the Duplex Drive system to be tested on heavier tanks, such as the Valentine. The system would be used during Operation Overlord , when M4 Sherman medium tanks would land on

9483-496: The tank's range. The number to be produced was subject to fluctuation as the War Office vacillated in their demand; in July 1938, it requested that 70 of the tanks be produced, then increased the request to 120 after a three-day conference in November. Production was to begin in July 1940, but meanwhile the War Office temporarily returned to its original order of 70 before increasing the number to 100. The number further increased to 220 after Metropolitan Cammell Carriage & Wagon ,

9592-472: The target landing area. Furthermore, the glider, once released at some distance from the actual target, was effectively silent and difficult for the enemy to identify. Larger gliders were developed to land heavy equipment like anti-tank guns , anti-aircraft guns, small vehicles, such as jeeps , and also light tanks (e.g., the Tetrarch tank ). This heavier equipment made otherwise lightly armed paratroop forces

9701-547: The tow craft near the front, they were to land on any convenient open terrain close to the target, hopefully with as little damage to the cargo and crew as possible, as most landing zones (LZ) were far from ideal. The one-way nature of the missions meant that they were treated as semi-expendable leading to construction from common and inexpensive materials such as wood. Most nations seriously attempted to recover as many as possible, to re-use them, so they were not originally intended to be disposable, although resource-rich nations like

9810-551: The training. When the Tetrarch was re-designated as an airborne tank, several changes were made to its design. A number of tanks had their 2-pounder guns replaced with a 76.2-millimetre (3.00 in) infantry support howitzer; these tanks were then designated as Tetrarch 1 CS (Close Support). Additionally, Littlejohn adaptors were added to those Tetrarchs which still possessed their 2-pounders to increase their muzzle velocity and armour penetration. The Tetrarch experienced several setbacks throughout its development and deployment with

9919-402: The two parachute brigades in consolidating the area held by the division; the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron was to aid in the latter task, acting as a reconnaissance force to scout out German positions and impede the movement of German forces attempting to counter-attack. The Tetrarchs of 'A' Squadron were to play an integral part in this reconnaissance role due to their speed, but

10028-429: The types developed were the 28 trooper Airspeed Horsa and the 7-ton capacity General Aircraft Hamilcar cargo glider. The Hamilcar could carry vehicles, anti-tank guns and light tanks into action. The General Aircraft Hotspur – originally planned as a compact assault glider carrying a small number of troops – was used for training the British Army pilots who formed the Glider Pilot Regiment . The Slingsby Hengist

10137-560: The use of gliders to deliver Marines to beachheads was impractical. No further examples of the two glider types were built, and the Navy officially terminated the amphibious glider program on 27 September 1943. Testing of the two prototypes continued until early December 1943, apparently in connection with the development of a glider bomb. The Marine Corps established a glider training unit in early 1942 at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island , South Carolina , using non-amphibious Pratt-Read LNE-1 and Schweizer LNS-1 gliders. In addition,

10246-644: The war, there were only two light gliders built in series: Antonov A-7 and Gribovski G-11 – about 1,000 altogether. A medium glider, the KC-20 , was built in a small series. They were used mostly for providing partisans in Belarus with supplies and armament in 1942–1943. On 21 September 1943, 35 gliders were used in the Dnepr crossing . Later, other types of gliders were built: the Cybin C-25 (25 trooper) in 1944,

10355-596: The wheels was independently sprung. The War Office examined the design and put the prototype through a series of trials during May and June 1938; the model was tested as a possible "light cruiser" since War Office light tank needs were already met by its predecessor, the Mark VI . The War Office then took the view that the tank was not acceptable as a light cruiser because the Nuffield A13 design offered better speed and obstacle crossing performance. Despite this, it

10464-412: Was 'C' Special Services Squadron, as it was trained to act as an independent tank unit and, more importantly, was the only unit that was still using Tetrarchs; it had been re-designated as an airborne tank by the War Office. 'C' Squadron was officially transferred to the 1st Airborne Division on 24 June 1942, bringing with it seven Tetrarchs among its other vehicles. The unit immediately began training, but

10573-516: Was a backup design which was not required when the similar capacity American-built Waco CG-4 (given the British service name "Hadrian") became available in large numbers through lend-lease. Four hundred of the 3,600 Horsas built were supplied to the USAAF. The most famous British actions using gliders included the unsuccessful Operation Freshman , against a German heavy water plant in Norway in 1942; and

10682-474: Was able to deliver the experimental glider prototypes that satisfied the requirements of Materiel Command, the eight-seat Waco CG-3 (modified to become a production nine-seat glider) and the fifteen-seat Waco CG-4 . In October 1941, Lewin B. Barringer was made Glider Specialist, Air Staff, HQ of the Army Air Forces, answering to General Arnold, and placed in charge of the glider program. The shock of

10791-524: Was also known as the Harry Hopkins , named after President Roosevelt's chief diplomatic advisor, and was given the General Staff design number A25 by the War Office. The Mark VIII was intended to improve upon the design of the Tetrarch in a number of areas. It had thicker armour than the Tetrarch, with the front hull and turret armour increased to a thickness of 38 millimetres (1.5 in) and

10900-490: Was at Ardmore Air Force Base when plane number 55-023 (named the "City of Ardmore") first went into service as part of the 463d Troop Carrier Wing on December 9, 1956, and later saw action in deployments to Europe, Africa, Japan, Okinawa, and Vietnam (where the plane was nearly destroyed) before finally being decommissioned and placed on static display at Linear Park at Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas in 1989. Ardmore Air Force Base

11009-537: Was closed in 1958. after which it became the Ardmore Municipal Airport . Today, the Department of Defense reports that there are five "medium risk" hazard sites at the former military installation. Military glider Military gliders (an offshoot of common gliders ) have been used by the militaries of various countries for carrying troops ( glider infantry ) and heavy equipment to

11118-410: Was decided that it was essential for some Tetrarchs to be produced, and it was suggested that they be brought in at the end of the light tank program. Accordingly, the War Office gave the Tetrarch the official General Staff specification number A17, and, in November 1938, accepted it for limited production after requesting a few minor changes which included the fitting of an external fuel tank to increase

11227-566: Was decided that the design allowed its use as an air-portable light tank to support British airborne forces . The Tetrarchs were transported and landed in specially-designed General Aircraft Hamilcar gliders. A lack of gliders prevented their participation in the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943; instead they were attached to the new 6th Airborne Division and became part of the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment. The division used approximately twenty Tetrarchs during Operation Tonga ,

11336-658: Was equipped with twelve Tetrarchs transferred from the 2nd Armoured Brigade, 1st Armoured Division. On 31 July 1941, 'C' Squadron was officially activated and immediately received orders to prepare for overseas service alongside 'A' and 'B' Squadrons in an unspecified tropical climate. All three squadrons were transported to Inverary in Scotland for intensive training that focused on embarkation and disembarkation from ships and landing craft to prepare them for action in potential amphibious operations. In early September, elements of 'C' Squadron, including six Tetrarchs, formed part of

11445-418: Was invented by Nicholas Straussler , and was designed to allow a tank to 'swim' through water and participate in amphibious operations. The system functioned by erecting a large waterproof canvas screen around the tank above its tracks, which was supported by thirty-six inflatable tubes and steel struts; this gave the tank sufficient buoyancy to float, and was then propelled along by a small propeller powered by

11554-457: Was not attached to the 1st Airborne Division for long; during mid-1943, the division was transported to the Middle East so it could participate in the Allied invasion of Sicily . 'C' Squadron remained in Britain, as not enough Hamilcar gliders had been built by the time the division departed to transport its Tetrarchs; the squadron was transferred to the 6th Airborne Division, which had been raised in April 1943, and 'C' Squadron remained with it for

11663-578: Was re-designated as the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment. The regiment consisted of a Headquarters Squadron, a Light Tank Squadron and a Reconnaissance Squadron; two Tetrarchs, the Mark 1 CS variation, were attached to the Headquarters Squadron, but the Light Tank Squadron, also known as 'A' Squadron, received the majority of the Tetrarchs. 'A' Squadron had approximately nineteen Tetrarchs split between six troops, two of which were of

11772-615: Was the invasion of Madagascar, the third largest island in the world and then under Vichy French control. The Prime Minister and the Combined Chiefs of Staff decided that Madagascar should be occupied as rapidly as possible to deny the port of Antsirane to Japanese naval forces, which had recently advanced into the Indian Ocean . Operation Ironclad was under the command of Major General Robert G. Sturges and consisted of No. 5 Commando , 29th Independent Brigade Group , and

11881-503: Was then moved again, on August 19, 1943, to Kellogg Field , Battle Creek, Michigan. Later in the war, the post was also used to house German prisoners of war from June 1-November 1, 1945. The post was first operated as part of the Second Air Force but was later transferred to the Third Air Force on April 12, 1943. This was followed by a designation of the post as a sub-field of Will Rogers Air Force Base in June 1943 and then

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