[烛光生存狂]-法国FT-17坦克简介

The Renault FT17 is probably the first modern and one of the most successful tanks of WW1. This light tank was the first of the classic tank design, which featured a turret with a 360° traverse. Thanks to its small size it could enter wooded areas, where larger British Mark or French Saint-Chamond and Schneider CA-1 were useless. The main task of tank units was to eliminate MG nests and destroy barbed-wire obstacles, enabling infantry to cross the no-man's-land and to pierce the enemy lines. The main advantages of the Renault tanks were their small size, agility on the battlefield and large numbers.

French troops praised their support and although tank/infantry cooperation was at first poor due to lack of training, infantry units always requested the support of the tanks in offensive operations. The tactics were improved and the tanks were not only associated to infantry attacks but also cooperated with the artillery and the aircrafts. The first beginnings of the tank/aircraft couple were there. Renault FT17 tanks took part in 4356 engagements during WW1. Field guns were the main threat for the tanks, accounting for 356 totally destroyed Renault FT17 tanks of the 440 lost during the war. Anti-tank trenches, shell holes and wide infantry trenches temporarily put more tanks out of action than enemy fire. This tank remained in service right up to 1944 when the Germans used them in the street fighting in Paris. The allies encountered a few following the Torch landings in 1942.

The FT17m was armed with a 8mm Hotchkiss MG and in 1931 it was replaced by a Reibel MAC31 in 7.5mm (these tanks are called FT31), the FT17c was armed with a 37mm SA18 L/21 gun and the FT-17BS had a 75mm Schneider L/9.5 gun. There will be many more versions : a command radio version (TSF), a FT17 minesweeping tank with 2 plough shares mounted on the front, a searchlight variant for police use and a version carrying fascines, which could be dropped into wide trenches. The first 100 FT17 are armed with a MG and have a completely cast and rounded turret. This first turret is not adapted for the mounting of the 37mm gun. Two kinds of turrets, able to receive either a MG or a gun, are then adopted : the polygonal OMNIBUS turret (made of bolted rolled armor plates) and the rounded GIROD turret made of several cast armor parts.

3728 Renault FT17 tanks had been built in France until 1921 (2100 with MG, 1246 with 37mm gun, 39 with 75mm gun, 188 TSF, 155 for school units) with more than 3177 during WW1 alone (by the Renault, Berliet, Somua and Delaunay Belleville factories). During WW1, the Germans only produced about 35 tanks, the British about 2600 tanks and the French 3977 tanks (3177 Renault FT17, 400 Schneider CA-1 and 400 Saint-Chamond). It has also been widely exported : Belgium, Spain, Brazil, Canada, China, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Yugoslavia etc. Italy produced the Fiat 3000 on the basis of the Renault FT17. The USA produced about 100 Renault FT17 and 450 copies called "six tons". The USSR also produced the MS1, MS2 and MS3 based on the Renault FT17 tank. The French and the Spanish armies used the Renault FT17 during the Rif war between 1919 and 1926. The Polish 1st tank brigade built with French officers used this tank in 1919-1920 against the Bolsheviks. 1297 FT17 tanks were still in service in 1940 : 1062 tanks in France and 235 in the colonies. From the 1062 FT17 tanks in France, 462 were in combat units and many others were in airfield protection platoons, anti-paratroops tank companies, regional platoons protecting important buildings protection etc.

Weight : 6.7t

Length : 4.10m

Width : 1.74m

Height : 2.14m

Crew : 2 men

Maximum armor : 22mm on the turret, 16mm on the hull and 8mm on the top

Maximum speed : 7.5 km/h (Renault engine, gasoline, 35 hp at 1500 rpm, 4480 cm3, water cooled)

Autonomy : 35 km

Armament : a 8mm Hotchkiss TMG (4800 cartridges), a 7.5mm MAC1931 TMG (34x150 cartridges drum magazines), a 37mm SA18 L/21 gun (240 shells including 12 canister shells) or a 75mm L/9.5 BS gun (probably 40-50 HE shells)

These WW1 tanks were completely obsolete in 1940. They were much slower (about 10 times in cross country) than the German tanks, poorly armored and armed either with an infantry gun or a MG.

According to Lee Sharp's books :

a) FT17 tank battalions :

• 11e BCC : 42 Renault FT17m/c

• 18e BCC : 63 Renault FT17m/c

• 29e BCC : 63 Renault FT17m/c

• 30e BCC : 63 Renault FT17m/c

• 31e BCC : 63 Renault FT17m/c

• 33e BCC : 63 Renault FT17m/c

• 62e BCC : 30 Renault R35 and 15 FT17 (Morocco) – in transformation on Renault R35

• 64e BCC : 45 Renault FT17 (Tunisia, coming from Algeria) – in transformation on Renault R35

• 66e BCC : 45 Renault FT17 (Morocco) – in transformation on Renault R35

• colonial BCC : 63 Renault FT17m/c

• 343e CACC : 21 Renault FT17m/c

• 344e CACC : 21 Renault FT17m/c

Total in the tank battalions : 567 Renault FT17 tanks.

b) Regional platoons of FT17 tanks :

After the September 1939 mobilization, there were also many regional platoons (sections régionales) of four FT17 tanks to provide armor to the regional regiments. These regional regiments were mobilized to defend important locations and perform construction duties in rear zones of the armies and in the military districts. They were organized from the locally available reservists (series C troops) and were equipped, if at all, with whatever weapons were available.

There were various types of regional regiments :

• "Régiment régional de protection" : guarding factories, ammo and fuel dumps, bridges, telephone exchanges, railway stations etc.

• "Régiment régional d'infanterie" : also tasked with such protection duties

• "Régiment de garde d'étrangers" : guarding interned foreigners

• "Régiment régional de travailleurs" : labour units

1 to 4 FT17 regional platoons (4 to 16 tanks) were issued to 25 regional regiments (sections de chars de régiments régionaux) for a total of 192 Renault FT17 tanks.

c) The rapid German advance and fear of airborne troops led to the break up of the tank training battalions (BIC = bataillon d'instruction de chars = instruction tank battalion) and also the stripping of the tank schools and depots to form companies and platoons providing protection for military and civilian installations in the military district. These units created during May 1940 included :

• Anti-paratroops tank companies : 7 companies of 12 tanks for a total of 84 Renault FT17 tanks.

• Airfield protection platoons : 1 to 5 FT17 regional platoons (4 to 20 tanks) were issued to 11 military districts for a total of 112 Renault FT17 tanks.

• Important buildings protection platoons : 1 to 3 FT17 regional platoons (4 to 12 tanks) were issued to 7 military districts for a total of 72 Renault FT17 tanks.

• Paris military region special group = 50e BCC : 50 Renault FT17m tanks.

• regional platoon of protection tanks : 9 tanks in 10 military regions for a total of 90 Renault FT17 tanks.

• Overseas regional platoons :

--o One independent tank company in Tunisia to guard the coastline : 16 Renault FT17 tanks.

--o District tank platoons to defend the major cities in Morocco (28), Tunisia (16) and Algeria (20) for a total of 64 Renault FT17 tanks.

• In the Levant there were the 56 former FT-17 tanks of the 63e BCC. Most remained in depots but the CACL (compagnie autonome des chars du Levant was created) with 3 groups of 10 tanks (9+1 replacement tank = = 3x FT17m, 6x FT17c, 1x FT17BS) in the cities of Beyrouth, Alep and Damas for a total of 30 Renault FT17 tanks. In June 1940, the CACL is reinforced by 6 FT-17 tanks (1x FT17c in each groups and 3 FT17m for the protection of the airbase in Estabel in Lebanon).

• There were also about 20 Renault FT17 tanks in Indoc

新用户注册返回首页
首页上一页下一页尾页页次1/1 转到第页