Renault FT

Renault FT
Paul Hermans · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Renault FT
Caption	Renault FT in service
Origin	France
Type	Light tank
In service	1917–1945 (various)
Designer	Renault
Manufacturer	Renault
Produced	1917–1921
Number	~3,872 (France) + licensed
Weight	~6.5 tonnes
Length	5.00 m
Width	1.74 m
Height	2.14 m
Crew	2 (commander/gunner, driver)
Armament	37 mm Puteaux SA 18 or 8 mm Hotchkiss M1914
Engine	Renault V4
Speed	7–8 km/h cross-country, 7–9 km/h road

Renault FT

The Renault FT was a French light tank introduced during World War I that established the archetype of a rotating turret, rear engine and front crew compartment which influenced tank design worldwide. Designed by Louis Renault and produced by Société des Automobiles Renault and licensed firms, the FT saw service with French Army, American Expeditionary Forces, Italian Army, British Army and multiple other states through the interwar period and into World War II. Its compact layout and operational use in 1918 helped shape tactics employed in later armored formations and campaigns.

Design and development

Development began within Renault under industrialist Louis Renault in response to requests from the French Army and the requirements set during the Battle of the Somme era for a more mobile, crewed armored vehicle. Key contributors included technicians from Société des Automobiles Renault and engineers influenced by earlier armored vehicle concepts demonstrated by designers such as Ferdinand Frot and ideas circulating during First World War armored vehicle committees. The FT’s configuration—single turret, two-man crew, rear-mounted engine—contrasted with the multi-compartment, nose-engine designs fielded in British Mark I tank and German A7V prototypes, creating an immediately more practical platform for reconnaissance and infantry support. The design incorporated a welded and riveted armored hull, a suspension derived from tracked agricultural tractors demonstrated before 1916, and provisions for either the 37 mm Puteaux SA 18 gun or the 8 mm Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun as primary armament.

Production and variants

Initial production took place at the Renault Billancourt plant with serial output accelerated by standardized components and subcontracting to firms including Berliet, FAMH and others across France. Variants emerged rapidly: the FT 17 with the 37 mm gun, the FT 17 mitrailleuse with the 8 mm machine gun, the command versions fitted with extra radios for use by Général Jean Degoutte-era staff, and later adaptations such as the FT 18 with modified gearbox and the FT CWS Polish-built series produced under license by FWB and H. Cegielski workshops. Licensed production and local modifications occurred in United States factories supplying the American Expeditionary Forces, in Italy by FIAT-linked facilities, and in Soviet Union factories adapting captured examples into training and engineering roles. Total French production reached around 3,800 examples, with additional foreign-built units and conversions raising the global count significantly.

Combat service and operational history

The FT first saw significant action during the Second Battle of the Marne and later in the Hundred Days Offensive, supporting infantry advances with direct fire and maneuver previously unattainable by heavier British models. Attached to French Division Légère Mécanique and American armored elements in 1918, FTs participated in coordinated assaults alongside COA (French Army) infantry and artillery brigades. During the interwar years FTs were deployed in colonial campaigns in Morocco and Syria and used for internal security by various European states. In World War II many FTs remained in service with French Third Republic armored units during the Battle of France, and captured examples equipped German training units and occupation forces; others fought in Polish–Soviet War and later in the Spanish Civil War where both Nationalist Spain and Republican Spain forces employed them in early armored actions. Operational limitations—thin armor, low speed, short range—became increasingly evident by late 1930s as tank doctrine and technology evolved.

International use and legacy

The Renault FT’s export and license footprint spanned United States, Poland, Japan, Italy, Soviet Union, Belgium, Romania and Yugoslavia, among others; nationally produced derivatives influenced indigenous projects like the Vickers 6-Ton and informed designs by firms such as Fiat and Mitsubishi. The FT’s turret concept was foundational for interwar tanks fielded by armies at Geneva Conference-era rearmament programs and later for Soviet T-26 and British Vickers Medium Mark I development paths. As a training, engineering and armored car substitute, the FT extended armored doctrine into colonial policing and mechanized infantry experiments in the Interwar period, shaping armored schools and staff colleges in France, Poland and the United States Military Academy curricula. Many preserved FTs survive in museums such as the Musée des Blindés and Imperial War Museum, underlining its status as a milestone in armored warfare.

Technical specifications

- Crew: 2 (commander/gunner, driver) — used by units in French Army and American Expeditionary Forces - Dimensions: length ~5.00 m, width ~1.74 m, height ~2.14 m - Weight: ~6.5 tonnes combat - Armor: riveted and welded plates up to ~22 mm (bow) as fitted by Renault and subcontractors - Armament: primary 37 mm Puteaux SA 18 or 8 mm Hotchkiss M1914; some command variants fitted with radio equipment sourced from Ernest Mercadier-era factories - Engine: Renault V4 gasoline engine producing ~35 hp, driving sprockets; gearbox improvements in FT 18 variant influenced by Berliet engineering - Performance: road speed ~7–9 km/h, cross-country ~7–8 km/h, operational range limited by fuel capacity leading to tactical constraints in World War II campaigns

Category:Tanks of France