Minitracks

Track Story #10, Renault FT

by  Pascal Danjou (English Translation Claude Gillono)

Reviewed By  Marc Blackburn, IPMS# 42892

MSRP: €14.50 Euros (~$21.75) Website: www.minitracks.fr There is a dearth of detailed information on French tanks that were developed in the interwar war period and that fought in the campaigns of 1939-1940. Track Story and its sister publications from Editions du Barbotin have attempted to rectify this sad situation. Each volume of Track Story concentrates on one vehicle and includes an English translation of the text, photographs, and color profiles of specific vehicles and markings. The book has eleven brief chapters and is printed on glossy paper. The photographs are rarely seen factory photographs of the FT 17 in development and in service, many of which I have never seen in print. Beautiful color profiles are included of several vehicles that were in service and of a variety of experimental vehicles, providing plenty of examples for modelers. Unfortunately, it is missing a set of detailed drawings in either 1/35 or 1/72 scale for those who want to either build a vehicle from scratch or modify an existing kit. The Renault FT is one of the iconic tanks of the French arsenal that fought in both World Wars. A light tank developed by Louis Renault in 1916, it became the primary light tank of the French Army well into the early 1930s. Produced in the United States under license, it also equipped American armor units through the interwar period. Weighing approximately 6.5 tons and with a crew of two, it was either armed with a Hotchkiss machine gun or a 37 mm cannon. While it is universally known as the Renault FT, the author points out that FT means nothing, it was a designation given to the vehicle by Renault and it stuck for the life of the vehicle. The developmental history of the FT was a hotly debated topic between armor advocates and the French military bureaucracy. The father of the French armor force, Colonel Estienne saw as early as June, 1916 that the infantry needed a vehicle to accompany them across the trenches. After lengthy delays a prototype was not ready in January, 1917. Trials of the first vehicles were very successful and production began in April. By January, 1919, over 4,000 vehicles had been built, most of which could be armed either with the heavy machine gun or cannon. One of the high points of the book is a discussion of the various variants, including a rudimentary command vehicle and Renault FT BS which mounted a short barreled 75 mm gun. Given the length of service of the Renault, the author also devotes time to the modernization of the FT 17 in the 1930s as well as the various experimental vehicles that were tested in the interwar period. One of the most disappointing chapters is the lack of a complete combat history. The chapter focuses not so much on individual campaigns, but the units that were equipped with the FT 17. Due to the size of the tanks production run, the Germans captured over 1,000 operational vehicles after the fall of France, though, FT 17s in service with the German army will be covered in a separate volume. For those who do not read French, the English text is a welcome addition, though the translation is clunky and very dense at times, making me wonder how much of the meaning of the narrative is lost in translation. Nevertheless, this little book provides a complete, though brief history of the vehicle. The text is descriptive and really does not provide any analysis from either the author or his French language sources on really how effective the vehicle was, in particular during its service from 1917-1918. Since the focus is on French use, those who would like to read more about its use in the AEF should look Dale Wilson's Treat 'Em Rough: The Birth of American Armor (Presidio Press, 1989). Unlike other French vehicles, the FT 17 is well represented in 1/72 and 1/35 scales and are mostly produced by the Polish Company RPM. While not as detailed in the new Vanguard series from Osprey, for modelers who enjoy French vehicles or the blitzkrieg campaigns of 1940, will find this book a welcome addition to their library. My thanks to Editions de Barbotin for providing IPMS/USA with this book for review. All the Track Story books can be seen at www.minitracks.fr .