M1917 light tank: Difference between revisions
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A requirement of 1,200 was decided, later increased to 4,400, and some sample Renault tanks, plans, and various parts were sent to the US for study. The design was to be carried out by the Ordnance Department, under the job title "Six-ton Special Tractor," and orders for the vehicles placed with private manufacturers. However, the project was beset by problems: the French specifications were metric and incompatible with American (imperial) machinery; coordination between military departments, suppliers, and manufacturers was poor; bureaucratic inertia, lack of cooperation from military departments, and possible vested interests delayed progress. |
A requirement of 1,200 was decided, later increased to 4,400, and some sample Renault tanks, plans, and various parts were sent to the US for study. The design was to be carried out by the Ordnance Department, under the job title "Six-ton Special Tractor," and orders for the vehicles placed with private manufacturers. However, the project was beset by problems: the French specifications were metric and incompatible with American (imperial) machinery; coordination between military departments, suppliers, and manufacturers was poor; bureaucratic inertia, lack of cooperation from military departments, and possible vested interests delayed progress. |
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The Army in France was expecting the first 300 M1917s by April, 1918. In the event, production did not begin until the autumn, and the first completed vehicles emerged only in October. Two tanks arrived in France on November 20, nine days after the end of hostilities, and a further eight in December. In the summer of 1918, with no sign of the M1917s and US troops desperately needed at the Front, France supplied 144 Renault FTs, which were used to equip the US Light Tank Brigade. |
The Army in France was expecting the first 300 M1917s by April, 1918. In the event, production did not begin until the autumn, and the first completed vehicles emerged only in October. Two tanks arrived in France on November 20, nine days after the end of hostilities, and a further eight in December. In the summer of 1918, with no sign of the M1917s and US troops desperately needed at the Front, France supplied 144 Renault FTs, which were used to equip the [[304th Tank Brigade|US Light Tank Brigade]]. |
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After the war, the Van Dorn Iron Works, the Maxwell Motor Co., and the C.L. Best Co. created 950 M1917s. 374 had cannons, 526 had machine guns, and 50 were signal (wireless) tanks. These were delivered to the Tank Corps, to complement about 200 Renault FTs brought back from France. |
After the war, the Van Dorn Iron Works, the Maxwell Motor Co., and the C.L. Best Co. created 950 M1917s. 374 had cannons, 526 had machine guns, and 50 were signal (wireless) tanks. These were delivered to the [[Tank Corps, National Army|Tank Corps]], to complement about 200 Renault FTs brought back from France. |
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== Distinguishing features == |
== Distinguishing features == |
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There are several features that distinguish the M1917 from the Renault FT. External: the exhaust was on the left hand side instead of on the right; a new [[mantlet]] for the machine-gun or 37mm cannon replaced that of the FT; extra vision slits for the driver were added, and the frontal armour below the turret was slightly modified. Internal: the steel bulkhead separating the engine from the crew compartment was modified from that one existing on the French-made Renault FT; the 4 cylinder 42 HP Buda engine on the Six Ton Tank had a forced water cooling system which was more effective than the Renault's. The 6 Ton Tank was crank started as on the Renault FT, with one crank handle position outside in the rear and one inside the turret's compartment. All M1917s had a polygonal turret; none had the circular turret type fitted to approximately 50% of Renaults. |
There are several features that distinguish the M1917 from the Renault FT. External: the exhaust was on the left hand side instead of on the right; a new [[mantlet]] for the machine-gun or 37mm cannon replaced that of the FT; extra vision slits for the driver were added, and the frontal armour below the turret was slightly modified. Internal: the steel bulkhead separating the engine from the crew compartment was modified from that one existing on the French-made Renault FT; the 4 cylinder 42 HP Buda engine on the Six Ton Tank had a forced water cooling system which was more effective than the Renault's. The 6 Ton Tank was crank started as on the Renault FT, with one crank handle position outside in the rear and one inside the turret's compartment. All M1917s had a polygonal turret; none had the circular turret type fitted to approximately 50% of Renaults. |
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It is notable that the driver's vision slits were sited approx 2" higher on the M1917 than on the Renault, since it was found that American crewmen tended to be taller than the French. |
It is notable that the driver's vision slits were sited approx 2" higher on the M1917 than on the Renault, since it was found that American crewmen tended to be taller than the French.{{citation needed}} |
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== Operational use == |
== Operational use == |
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Revision as of 14:05, 17 April 2013
| Six Ton Tank M1917 | |
|---|---|
 M1917 tank at Ropkey Armor Museum | |
| Type | Light tank |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 7.25 tons |
| Length | 16'5" |
| Width | 5'10 1/2 " |
| Height | 7'7" |
| Crew | 2 |
| Armor | 0.25" to 0.6" |
Main armament | One 37mm gun or one Marlin M1917 machine gun (later replaced by the M1917 Browning machine gun)[citation needed] |
Secondary armament | none |
| Engine | Buda HU modified 4-cylinder, with forced water cooling 42 HP |
| Transmission | sliding gear, 4 speed forward, 1 reverse |
| Suspension | coil and leaf springs, with bogies and rollers. |
| Fuel capacity | 30 gallons (30 miles on the road) |
Operational range | 48 km (30 miles) on road. |
| Maximum speed | 8 km/h (5.5 mph) |
The Six Ton Tank M1917 was the USA's first mass-produced tank.[1] It was a license-built near-copy of the French Renault FT,[1] and was accepted by the army in October 1918. The US Army ordered approximately 4,440 M1917s between 1918 and 1919, receiving about 950 before cancelling the contract. None reached Europe in time to participate in World War I.
History
The USA entered the First World War on the side of the Entente Powers in April, 1917, without any tanks of her own. The following month, in the light of a report into British and French tank theories and operations, the American Expeditionary Force decided that both light and heavy tanks were essential for its conduct of the war, and should be acquired as soon as possible.[2] A joint Anglo-American programme was set up to develop a new type of heavy tank similar to those then in use by the British. It was, though, expected that sizeable quantities would not be available until April of the following year. Because of the wartime demands on French industry the Inter-Allied Tank Commission decided in that the quickest way to supply the American forces with sufficient armour was to manufacture the Renault FT light tank in the USA.
A requirement of 1,200 was decided, later increased to 4,400, and some sample Renault tanks, plans, and various parts were sent to the US for study. The design was to be carried out by the Ordnance Department, under the job title "Six-ton Special Tractor," and orders for the vehicles placed with private manufacturers. However, the project was beset by problems: the French specifications were metric and incompatible with American (imperial) machinery; coordination between military departments, suppliers, and manufacturers was poor; bureaucratic inertia, lack of cooperation from military departments, and possible vested interests delayed progress.
The Army in France was expecting the first 300 M1917s by April, 1918. In the event, production did not begin until the autumn, and the first completed vehicles emerged only in October. Two tanks arrived in France on November 20, nine days after the end of hostilities, and a further eight in December. In the summer of 1918, with no sign of the M1917s and US troops desperately needed at the Front, France supplied 144 Renault FTs, which were used to equip the US Light Tank Brigade.
After the war, the Van Dorn Iron Works, the Maxwell Motor Co., and the C.L. Best Co. created 950 M1917s. 374 had cannons, 526 had machine guns, and 50 were signal (wireless) tanks. These were delivered to the Tank Corps, to complement about 200 Renault FTs brought back from France.
Distinguishing features
There are several features that distinguish the M1917 from the Renault FT. External: the exhaust was on the left hand side instead of on the right; a new mantlet for the machine-gun or 37mm cannon replaced that of the FT; extra vision slits for the driver were added, and the frontal armour below the turret was slightly modified. Internal: the steel bulkhead separating the engine from the crew compartment was modified from that one existing on the French-made Renault FT; the 4 cylinder 42 HP Buda engine on the Six Ton Tank had a forced water cooling system which was more effective than the Renault's. The 6 Ton Tank was crank started as on the Renault FT, with one crank handle position outside in the rear and one inside the turret's compartment. All M1917s had a polygonal turret; none had the circular turret type fitted to approximately 50% of Renaults.
It is notable that the driver's vision slits were sited approx 2" higher on the M1917 than on the Renault, since it was found that American crewmen tended to be taller than the French.[citation needed]
Operational use
The M1917 did not take part in any combat. In July 1932 six M1917s were deployed during the dispersal of the Bonus Army in Washington D.C. George S. Patton Jr. states in his diaries that these vehicles were carried in trucks as a deterrent, but contemporary film shows them moving on their tracks along Pennsylvania Avenue.[3] It is not believed that any shots were fired.
In June 1920 the Tank Corps was abolished as a separate branch, and control of tanks handed to the infantry. The number of tank units was progressively reduced, and the vehicles mothballed or scrapped.
In 1940 the Canadian Army bought 250 surplus examples at scrap value (about $240 each) and the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps gained valuable experience and training on them before embarking to Europe and using the more modern equipment. The Canadian Army took delivery of 236 surplus M1917s. Fifteen of them apparently went to Camp Borden for training use, while others went to train individual units such as the Fort Garry Horse and possibly another three.
Variant
Six Ton M1917 A1: In 1929 an M1917 was fitted with a Franklin six-cylinder, 67 hp, air-cooled engine. This involved lengthening the engine compartment by approx. 1 foot. In 1930-31 seven M1917s were fitted with the 100 hp version of the Franklin. This raised the top speed to 9 mph.
Depiction in Films
M1917s were used by U.S. film-makers on numerous occasions as a substitute for Renault FTs, to depict either American tank actions during World War I or Renaults in use by European armies during and after the War.[2]
See also
- List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog designation SNL G-12
- Tanks in the United States
- SCR-189
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- US M1917 tanks in the Canadian Army, Popular Science, January, 1941
- The Encyclopaedia of Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles; Published in 2007 by Amber Books Ltd.
- Zaloga, Steven J. Armored Thunderbolt, The US Army Sherman in World War II. 2008, Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0424-3.
- Treat 'Em Rough; Dale E. Wilson, pub. Presidio, 1989.
- U.S. Military Tracked Vehicles; Fred W. Crismon, pub. Crestline, 1992.
- The Fighting Tanks Since 1916; Jones, Rarey, & Icks, pub. We Inc., 1933.
- Armoured Fighting vehicles of the World: Vol 1; Various, pub. Cannon Books, 1998.
- The Patton Papers, 1885-1940; Martin Blumenson, ISBN 0735100764.
- America's Munitions 1917-1918, Report of Benedict Crowell, the Assistant Secretary of War, Chapter 8 "Tanks", Washington Government Printing Office, 1919.