Renault FT-17 light tank

[Chris Boonzaier]

I saw this little baby on vacation......

[Tony]

Was your wife expecting to see it?

 

[Chris Boonzaier]

Nah.... luckily! :-)

[Dave Danner]

I saw it too, but my only picture is from a distance as the museum was already closed when I got there.

[Pickelhaube]

That's something you don't see every day. It's just a shame to see this tank outside.

Where is that museum and tank located?

 

Greetings

Pickelhaube

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

at the clearing in the forest at Compiegne...

 

http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/bellenglise/forest-clearing-of-the-armistice.php

[The Prussian]

Here is a FT-17 in Koblenz

[Dave Danner]

Hey! I have pics of another one I had forgotten about. This one is in Kansas City, Missouri at the US National World War I Museum.

Also, note that this one and the one at Compiegne are different from the one at the WTS in Koblenz.  That one appears to have a cast rounded turret, while these have turrets made of flat plates bolted together.

[The Prussian]

The original had the rounded turret. The FT-17 was a Renault, but it was cooperation of different companies like Berliet, Delauney Belleville and SOMUA (Societé d´outillage mécanique et d´usinage d´artillerie).

Some british companies produced the additional steel plates. Until end of 1917 only 83 tanks were built. Some producer had their own turrets, so we see rounded and other ones. Until the end of the war more then 3000 were built.

The german Wehrmacht used them too! Here are some captured ones.

here is a site about survived FT-17

http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_FT-17.pdf

A good book in english:

"French light tank Renault FT and U.S. six-ton tank 1917" (by Witold J. Lawrynowicz)
ISBN-10: 83-60672-00-9

ISBN-13: 978-83-60672-00-6

Edited October 1, 2016 by The Prussian

[peter monahan]

Believe it or not, a member of the Great War Association in the US made a running model of one of these out of plywood and metal and brought it to our Spring 2016 event at Newville.  It was static, as I understand the transmission failed, but very very impressive.  

Even more inriguing was the fact that he scaled up plans from a 1/35th scale Tamiya plastic model rather than using measurements and photos of actual examples.  I have no idea what the interior looked like, but it is a true labour of love and very cool.

[The Prussian]

Very nice work! Respect!!!

[Morar Andrei]

You were talking about Renault Ft17 tanks kept outside. What about this one? It's from the National Military Museum in Bucharest. Also, what model is it? I only know it was received by the Romanian army in 1919 together with other 90 vehicles in the first Romanian tank division.

[No one]

Dear Gentlemen,

 

The French name is Renault FT.

 

(The Renault FT tank (often incorrectly named FT17 or FT-17 which is the name given by the German army in a Taschenbuch der Tanks (identification book) of the 30s, which classifies enemy tanks) was the most effective tracked armoured fighting vehicle of the First World War.)

 

Renault FT - Wikipedia :

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one