M1917 6-ton

M1917 6 ton history

The M1917 6 ton light tank was an American licensed production copy of the very successful French designed Renault char leger FT-17 light tank that appeared during the First World War. The M1917 represented an early American attempt at mechanized military theory and design, and since there was little American military industry, replicating the popular French design was an important step. The FT-17 also proved popular in other countries, so it was either bought or copied.

Despite mass production in the United States, only 10 M1917 6-ton tanks entered Europe before the end of World War I (November 1918), and none saw action.

Contrary to today's mechanized warfare strategy, in World War I tanks were used more as infantry support vehicles, usually responsible for leading the way in a given attack and shooting the enemy with machine guns or artillery. Tanks proved useful for navigating the vast network of trenches and trenches found on World War I battlefields, and had advantages in breaking through unprepared defenses, including the infamous barbed wire arrays.

Tank-to-tank duels were rare, but the use of armored vehicles combined with infantry assaults set the stage for mechanized warfare for decades to comefinally perfected during the German Blitz at the start of World War II.

The M1917 has angular armor that helps deflect incoming enemy projectiles (mainly small arms fire) and artillery "spray". Tracks span across the sleek in-line hull design, although this improves profile and therefore larger battlefield targets.

The driver remains in the center of the fuselage with the engine behind. The gunner/commander operates the narrow turret and manages the weapons. The single machine gun is mounted in a movable turret with an entry/exit hatch on top. The turret is located above the superstructure, which also has a sloping front with rectilinear plank sides. It is reported to be just over 16 feet long and nearly 6 feet wide.

Height is 7.5 feet. Approximate weight is close to 7.3 US tons. Upon personal inspection, the M1917 appears to have more in common with children's ride-on toys than any perceived weapon of war. Regardless, this tiny tank is designed to kill enemies.

The M1917 is equipped with a single Budha HU modified 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, vertical L-band petrol engine, delivering approximately 42 hp at 1,460 rpm. This gives the tank a slow top speed of 5 mph (hardly any speed to keep up with moving infantry formations) and a range of up to 30 miles -- a far cry from the capabilities of today's modern systems, but for problematic period.

The "M1917A1" variant is a modified American design of the FT-17/M1917 in which the rear fuselage was lengthened to accommodate the 100 hp Franklin engine. Added self-start to replace the original crank start process.

Other changes to the French version include all-steel wheels inserted into a pair of rotating rails, an octagonal turret (as opposed to the round turret in the French design) and additional driver viewing slots. Maintenance has been further improved to simplify repetitive processes and keep the M1917 in top operating condition.

Beginning in 1919, the M1917 was equipped with the Browning M1919 .30 caliber machine gun in place of the available .30 caliber Marlin machine gun. Additionally, the machine gun in the turret can be replaced with a more powerful 37mm M1916 cannon. The aircraft can carry 4,200 rounds of 0.30 caliber ammunition, or up to 238 37mm rounds as required.

In the end, a total of 526 M1917s were equipped with standard machine gun armament, and another 374 were equipped with cannon armament. Another form of the M1917 base exists as a "signal tank" and has no weapon use listed in the 50 full examples.

Van Dorn Iron Works continued post-war production of the 6-ton M1917. Finally, other manufacturers of the M1917 are Maxwell Motor Company and C. L. Best Company.

The Canadian Army purchased 250 remaining (albeit obsolete) M1917s in 1940, the tank peaking decades earlier.

M1917 6 ton size

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

238x37mm projectile.

4,200 x 7.62 mm ammunition.

Changes