Renault series of light tanks

RENAULT FT

SERIES OF LIGHT TANKS

The Renault FT tank was conceieved by General Jean-Baptiste Estienne who approached French industrialist, Louis Renault, in July 1916 with the idea of building a light, small, and inexpensive tank and in October 1916 a wooden mock-up of the tank was presented to General Estienne. General Estienne could not convince the Director of Motor Transport, General Mourret, to allocate funds and authorize a pilot program. So he appealed to the Commander-in-Chief, General Joffre, for support. Evenyually the production of a single prototype was authorized but Louis Renault had decided not to wait for formal permission, and had started construction of a prototype immediately after completion of the work on an improved wooden mock-up. Char Mitrailleur, as the tank was named, was presented for the first time in January 1917. It successfully completed tests in the Billancourt factory and the Centre Artillerie Speciale at Champlieu during February - April 1917. The first production order of 100 tanks was placed after approval of the Comite Consultatif de l'Artillerie Speciale in December 1916. The order was later expanded from 150 tanks in February 1917, to 1000 in April 1917, and then to 3500 in June 1917. By October 1918, total orders in French factories for all types of Renault tanks reached an unprecedented level of 7820 examples. Production was extended to other factories and by the end of the war 3530 tanks had been built; of these 3177 were accepted by the Ministry of Armament. Factory production was as follows: Renault 1850, Berliet 800, Somau 600, and Delaunay-Belleville 280. The production of the Renault FT created numerous technical challenges for french industry. Armor plate did not adhere to specifications. There was a shortage of 37mm Puteaux guns, engines, and skilled personnel. Some engine problems were not corrected until after the end of the war. Many units experienced a shortage of spare parts and vehicles suffered from poor workmanship. Mechanical breakdowns resulted in more tanks out of action than those lost due to enemy action. Renault continued production after the war manufacturing an additional 570 tanks which became the backbone of the French armament export and they were used world-wide for the next 25 years with many examples seeing action in World War 2