Book Review: French Tanks of the Great War

Having recently finished guiding a WW1 battlefield tour in France and Belgium, I found myself curious to learn more about the details of French tank development and service. We are used to seeing and hearing about the British tanks, but it was actually the French Renault FT-17 light tank that would set the future of modern tank development. The book I found was Tim Gale's "French Tanks in the Great War"; a history of both the development and combat use of the three models that saw French service (the Schneider, the St. Chamond, and the FT-17). The developmental story is not really technical in this book - it is focused instead on the logistic and organizational development of the tank service (the "Special Artillery"). The technical development is covered, but not in much detail.

Where the book is loaded with detail is in the combat history of the tanks. From the Nivelle Offensive in 1917 through the end of the war, Gale describes the actions of the tank units deployed to each major unit. This information comes form the original after-action reports of the French military archives, and is loaded with details, often down to the actions of individual tanks. What we see from this is a very interesting evolution of French tank doctrine, from a shaky start when no-one had any experience in the employment of tanks (and when a poor performance could have jeopardized their whole existence) to the fall or 1918 when the art of tank employment (which was really the art of combined arms operation, including infantry, tanks, aircraft, and artillery together) was really coalescing as a proven doctrine.

The ties to small arms are  a bit slim, but the book does discuss German anti-tank weaponry and tactics, including the deployment in 1918 of the tankgewehr AT rifles. In my opinion, the understanding of tanks is essential to a proper well-rounded understanding of the First World War, but this is definitely not a book heavy on small arms information. For the price, though (around $20 on Amazon at the time of this writing), it is a wealth of information and I would definitely recommend it.

Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle #36270
Tucson, AZ 85704

[HistoryNut]

I knew a guy once that had a nice military vehicle collection. Among these vehicles was a FT-17 or the US manufactured equivalent. This one had a Model T car engine. He actually started it up(hand crank) and drove it around his yard one time while I was visiting. Very cramped, very thin armor. Thanks Ian for the channel and the book recommendation.

[gunner]

The FT was the first real modern tank design, with rear engine, fully rotating turret mounting the main armament, and used for breakthrough. The other French designs were really used as artillery . General Estienne was known as 'la pere de char'. His early ideas of armoured doctrine were very close to what would later be called blitzkrieg. Guderian in his work 'Achtung Panzer', borrowed greatly from Britain's Basil Liddell-'Hart and France's General Estienne. The Russians too drew on these ideas. Unfortunately Britain and France failed largely to benefit from it, at least pre war and the early years of the war.

[MontgomeryCollections]

Love that Ian always tries to shed light on French military stuff. The French military and it's weaponry are always underated.

[eoinocnaimhsi]

Enjoyed this. I like the variety of including info about the events surrounding the small arms of a certain period. I hope you continue this evolution going forward.

Very much enjoy the book reviews in general. Thanks.

[paulosborne]

Just one thing... The official designation of the Renault tank was 'FT'. It was never called 'FT-17' by the French. It appears to have been a post-war misnomer on the part of a writer or historian that somehow stuck - possibly because the US licensed production version was referred to as the 6 ton M1917. [exactly the same error as befell the Jagdpanzer 38[t] 'Hetzer' in WW2, which some Allied intelligence officer confused with the E-10 Entwicklungspanzer 'paper project' a light tank destroyer which *would* have carried the official name Hetzer... but the mis-identification stuck and is in popular parlance to this day].

If you are interested in the early use of tanks, I thoroughly recommend 'Following the Tanks - Cambrai' by Jean-Luc Gibot and Philippe Gorczynski. It documents actions in minute first hand detail and has a vast pictorial content I've not seen elsewhere. The episode in which Tank C48 'Caesar' came to the rescue of C47 'Conqueror II is, in my opinion, the most selfless, heroic and harrowing thing I have ever read about a tank crew. It is a famous event and easily searchable online - if you just want to read the account of that incident.

[arkadeepkundu]

Ian: French tanks of the Great war
Me, an intellectual: Armoured baguettes.

[RaeSyngKane]

The armored pillbox of the Schneider, st chamond, a7v, fiat 2000, and British lozenge style of tanks were a tactical dead end. But the great grand daddies of almost all tanks following would be the FT-17, Vickers 6 ton, and the Carden Loyd Tankette. Maybe you can include the Christie tank in there as well but most tanks can trace their lineage to those three in one form or another. They usually formed the backbone of mid war armies

[whitedevil]

So are you doing a crossover with The Chieftain soon?

[filipeamaral]

The Renault FT (or FT-17) is the first modern tank, and formed the basic layout for what we understand as tanks today. The FT was the first to introduce a mobile turret with 360º rotation at the center of the vehicle. The engine was located in the rear for better balance. Their production system was also revolutionary in being designed from the outset for mass production and, by using a monobloc structure instead of stringers, anticipated not only the future of military vehicles as the standard for civilian automobiles; being manufactured according to the techniques of mass production, with the same speed and quality of a model of car or truck. With this in mind, the Renault FT was designed from the start contemplating a diverse family of models on the same chassis.

After World War I, the name "FT-17" began to appear in publications, but this was never an official name. Different from what one imagines, the FT does not have a meaning with respect to the type of vehicle. People started believing that FT meant "Faible Tonnage" (small tonnage), "Faible Taille" (small size), "Franchisseur de Tranchées" (trench crosser), or "Force Terrestrial" (land force). In reality, FT was just an internal Renault production code. The model prior to the Renault FT tank was designated FS and the later FU (a truck to carry the Renault FT).

On WWII, the Renault FT was used in desperation by the French in the final phase of the Battle of France (1940) and later by the Germans in airbase defense and anti-partisan operations. The French still used the Renault FT in their war with Thailand in 1941, and in their second war with Japan in 1945, when the Japanese moved in a surprise attack to destroy the French governament in Indochina. The Renault FT would still see combat after WWII, with at least one being used by the Democratic's Republic of Afghanistan up to 1988, making the Renault FT the longest serving tank ever. Those Renault FTs in Afghan service were given to them by the Soviet Union, of the Renault FTs captured from the Polish Army in the 1920's.

[JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Those little Renauts were the first proper tanks with turrets. End of story.

[weswolever]

🎶 Tanks for the memories 🎶




I’ll see myself to the door

[somersethuscarl]

I believe you are forgetting the British Medium Mark A Whippet tank. That also had normal style tracks and no wrap around, it to had a turret, it entered service in 1917 although saw combat in 1918

[scotttomlinson]

Bought the book... thanks for adding diversity to your channel. Look forward to getting it (shipped form UK)

[shawnr]

Weapons and armor design in a nutshell

Military procurement asks weapons designer can you shoot through this metal plate?

Weapons designer succeeds.

Military procurement takes metal plate with hole in it back to armor designer.

"We got a problem."

Armor designer makes new type of metal plate that will stop the projectile.

Repeat process.

So far nothing has stopped a 120mm Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot round from an M1 Abrams.

Unfortunately not even another M1 Tank.

No idea why I am watching these videos but I find them strangely

[Barabel]

I’ve got this book. Picked it up about a month ago, still have to read it....and about 150 other books.☹️

[WCDodge]

The FT saw service with the Germans in WW2. Panzer Battalion 213 was equippd with Cahr B' and a number of FT for use in the Channel Islands. A number of FT had the turrets removed and put onto fortifications, the chassis being conveted to tractor units and SP. The 213 was the only Panzer battalion never to see action. Ponit of Order Ian, the Mk1 through Mk5 British tank was developed soley to crash thorugh trencgh lines. The Medium Mk A Whippet was designed as a Pursuit tank, similar to the FT in it was to replace cavalry. There is good reason to belive an FT is still intact in a tunnel in Gurnersy. Unfortunaley one end of the tunnel is owned by the Church who don't want to know and recce from above, the land owner wants a lot of dosh, .

[johnfisk]

How does this compare to his 'The French Army's Tank Force and Armoured Warfare in the Great War (Routledge Studies in First World War History)?

[charles_wipman]

Sounds like a great introductory book IMO, begin by the begining i think it's always good.

[edwalmsley]

Ian your long over due a trip to bovington tank museum and I'm sure they would be glad to have you do some recording, and if you could work Nicolas Moran into it that would be awesome