French and American Tanks

Success of the Renault Type.

Between this date and the end of the year 1917, the French tanks were again used on several occasions with similar results. On Oct. 23, five "groupes" took part in the battle of La Malmaison and met with much success though the battle was not launched as a surprise and was pre ceded by an artillery bombardment. During this period much discussion took place and designs were prepared for improved medium tanks and for heavy tanks. Finally in Dec. 1917 it was decided to concentrate on the Renault light type ; this was the machine that Col. Estienne had asked for in 1916. Some of these tanks were already on order but production had been very slow. In Jan. 1918 it was decided to increase the orders to a total of 4.000 light tanks, of which I,000 were to be ready by the end of March. The Renault tank was a small machine weighing 61 tons. The length was four metres and in addition there was a short skid tail in rear to assist in trench crossing. It was driven by a 35 h.p. engine. There were two types, one being armed with a 37 mm. gun and the other with one machine-gun. The crew consisted only of two men, one driver and one gunner. The French had hoped to use their tanks in mass in a great offensive in the spring or summer of 1918, but the German advance on March 21 upset all these plans. Instead the tanks were used piecemeal and in local counter-attacks to stem the German advance. In May and June tanks were used on occa sions and the Renault tank made its first appearance in battle on the east of the Forest of Retz. During this time the artillerie d'assaut was reorganizing and rearming. On July 18, the second battle of the Marne took place and the French tanks came into their own. It was in many ways a repetition of the battle of Cambrai, but as the warfare had been of a semi-mobile nature for some months, the wide trenches of static warfare were non existent. This suited the Renault tanks. The attack was launched as a surprise using a total of 120 medium tanks and 700 Renault tanks. The attack was a complete success and definitely estab lished the value of the tank in the French army. From that date until the Armistice, the French tanks—mainly Renault tanks took part in practically every attack and contributed largely to the success of the final French offensive.

American Tanks.

The Americans were quick to grasp the great possibilities of tank action on the Western Front and this form of mechanical warfare appealed to their national charac teristics. Officers were sent to study the employment of tanks and questions relating to their construction and design. As a result the Americans decided to adopt the British heavy type of tank and the French light type known as the Renault tank.

- In Dec. 1917 an allied commis sion was formed and it was de cided to construct a tank known as the Allied tank; this was a heavy tank similar to the latest British type and was to be the Mark VIII. tank for the British Army. It was designed to use the Liberty aero engine and was known in America as the Liberty tank. A factory was erected at Neuvy Pailleux which was eventually to be capable of construct ing and assembling these tanks at the rate of 1,200 a month and the first 600 were to be used for equipping the first American tank units. A large constructional programme was also started in America to produce both this type and the French Renault tank.

The first tanks of this type were not constructed until just after the end of the War, but several American tank units equipped with British and French tanks took part in the latter phases of the War and met with marked success. If the War had continued the American tanks would have come in with an overwhelming effect in 1919.

Anti-tank Defence.

The Germans never made an attempt to construct tanks in large numbers, partly owing to the restricted manufacturing power possessed by Germany compared with the Allies, and partly to the comparative failure of the British tanks at Ypres in 1917. A rather clumsy type of heavy tank known as the A.Y.V. was constructed in small numbers. These and a number of captured machines were formed into units and used in small numbers in a few isolated cases during 1918, but owing to the way in which they were employed and handled they met with little success.

On the other hand the Germans made continual attempts to in troduce some form of anti-tank defence, but as the British tanks met with comparatively small success in the early stages, these measures were only developed half-heartedly. The first step was the introduction of armour-piercing bullets which was countered by the use of thicker armour on the Mark IV. tank. Next the Germans turned their attention to the employment of field guns specially allocated for anti-tank defence and often dug in or concealed in the forward areas. The employment of field guns in this way seriously depleted the power of the German artillery for other purposes, but they were meeting with considerable suc cess until the introduction of the Mark V. tank, which, with its increasing mobility was able to reduce very largely the value of this field gun defence.

In addition the Germans often employed obstacles such as pits and barricades or mines. The former required a large amount of material and labour in construction, and could usually only be made in isolated places or in defiles, and did not seriously trouble the Allied tanks. The latter were a source of danger to friend and foe, and required much time and material before a continuous line of minefield could be constructed. Although tanks were blown up in isolated cases by German mines the dan ger was never serious. The Allies made preparations to meet enemy tank attacks with field gun fire. and in some cases by the use of male tanks kept in hand for this purpose. The latter is the most certain method of secure defence against tanks but was never adopted by the Germans. In 1918 the Germans evolved a heavy anti-tank rifle which was capable of penetrating the armour plates of the tanks, but the rifle had a heavy recoil and was dif ficult to handle and did not prove successful as an anti-tank measure.

After the success of the Allies at the battles of Soissons and Amiens in July and Aug. 1918 the Germans were awakened to the great danger in which they stood from tank attacks. They then constructed a heavy machine-gun firing a 13 mm. bullet and capable of penetrating 3o mm. of armour. The gun was known as the Tuf, and great efforts were made to construct it rapidly and secretly, but none was ready till after the Armistice.