Tankopedia
WW2LightLight TankUnited Kingdom

Light Tank Mk VII Tetrarch

In service 1941 - 1949

The first tank in history to land by glider, flown into Normandy on D-Day inside Hamilcars.

Built byMetropolitan-Cammell

Light Tank Mk VII Tetrarch
Tetrarch, Light Tank Mark VII — Unknown author, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Development history

The Tetrarch used steerable road wheels that bent the tracks to turn, saving the weight of a conventional steering system. Rejected for normal armoured units, it found its role when the airborne forces needed a tank light enough for the Hamilcar glider: on the night of 5 to 6 June 1944 Tetrarchs of the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment were flown into Normandy, the first glider-borne tank landing ever made. A few also went to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease. One survives at Bovington.

Variants

One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.

  1. Tetrarch I

    1941

    Standard version with the QF 2-pdr gun.

  2. Tetrarch I CS

    1942

    Close-support version with a 3-inch howitzer.

  3. Tetrarch DD

    1941

    Duplex Drive amphibious trials vehicle with a canvas flotation screen.

Notable actions

  • Operation Tonga (D-Day landings)
  • Madagascar campaign
  • Eastern Front (Lend-Lease)