Renault FT - French light tank

Tank warfare has proven its valor in the battlefield of World War I, but these machines were very hard to build, to maintain and deploy. By 1917 the French have visioned another way to use it, with a lighter and faster tank simple enough to be built in large numbers.

The Renault FT was a true revolution in tank design, crewed by only 2 men this small tank weighted 6.7 tons and used a simple 4 cylinders 39 hp engine, the FT could reach up to 7,5 kmh (4.66 mph) of top speed and the protection was provided by steel plates with 22 mm of thickness, the armament was a single Puteaux SA 18 37 mm cannon.

The first operational unit equipped with FT was the 1st BCL (Batallion de Chars Légers), and its baptism of fire was recorded by May, 1918 when a group of tanks managed to reach enemy lines and break through German defenses, despite its small size the FT proved to be capable to cross trenches and deal with incoming fire while the rotating turret could aim 360º around the tank.


An impressive number of 4500 Renault FT were built and used by French army and 20 more countries until late 40s.