Renault FT Tank History

The Renault FT tank is a French tank that was created in 1917 and the most influential tank of the century. This tank is known as one of the first modernized tanks of WWII. The vehicle was small and it was not very costly to build like most other tanks of this time. It's design was meant to be fast in order to attack an enemy unawares. The idea and design of it was made by two very important people in the French tank industry. Nearly all of the countries fighting in WWII used this tank in warfare.

This French made tank was manufactured and designed by Louis Renault around 1917-1918. Though the idea of a light and fast tank came from another French man named Col. Estienne, the "Father of Tanks." The machine was also named the FT-17 because of the year it was created, 1917. It became so sought after, it had the largest production of any tank at this time.
For example, the FT was the first light tank to be created. It was small so only two crew members could be inside of the tank and there was not much room to move around. The FT was unusually light at 6 tons and had a rear engine. The engine ran at 39 horse power, which was rather strong at the time. The tank also had special features to help it drive over trenches and difficult terrain. One of these features was the FT-17's tail, which was mounted on the back of the tank and enabled it to cross trenches without falling into them.Due to the tank's special design it was even named the "Trench crosser" In later