The division used approximately 20 Tetrarchs during the British airborne landings in Normandy in June 1944 . The tanks were successfully landed by glider , but 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 fighting vehicles of the German forces . A few days after 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 cruiser tanks , and the remainder were replaced by the M22 Locust in December 1944 .