Because of a lack of equipment training facilities in mid @-@ 1940 , when 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 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 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 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 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 .