Existing comment:
France and the Accompanying Tank:
In its early development, the design of the French tank focused on self-propelled artillery. They wanted to use tanks to provide mobile firepower to support the infantry. Their tanks carried a 75mm gun, making them the most heavily armed vehicles on the battlefield. They weight only half as much as the British Mark I. Unlike its British counterpart, the early French tanks were not designed to cross trenches, making them ineffective in trench warfare.
In 1917, a third French design, much lighter and smaller than the first two, set the basic design for tanks for years to come. The commander of the French tanks, General Estienne's support of alternate vehicle designs led to the development of the FT-17 by the Renault Company. This vehicle was different from the earlier French tanks, the Schneider and St. Chamond. It was designed to cross trenches. It also carried its main armament in a revolving turret, while the other designs mounted their weapons in the hull. The FT-17 could be equipped with either a machine-gun or a 37mm gun. It was capable of knocking out enemy machine-gun nests.
The tank possessed a two-man crew. The driver rode in the front hull, while the tank commander rode in the turret, directing the driver and operating the weapon. These tanks advanced alongside infantry and became known as accompanying tanks. It became the preferred vehicle of the American army when it arrived in Europe, and was widely copied during and after the war. |