WWI Tanks in WWII

The FT-17s were used against Resistance fighters in France by German security forces I believe.

 

Mentioned in the thread a couple of times already. They were used for security against quite a few people.

 

Royal Yugoslav Armor units, April 1941

1. Batalion bornih kola
(1st Armored vehicles battalion)​

"Formed in 1936, it was under direct command of General Staff and stationed in Belgrade. It was made of three companies each with three platoons with five tanks in each platoon. Each company had one reserve tank making it total off 48 FT-17 and Renault-Kegresse M.28 (Char de Combat Muni du Propulseur Kegresse-Hinstin M.27/28) tanks. Until arrival of Renault R-35 in 1940, battalion has only one full company which was used for training with the rest of the tanks in reserve. After receiving R-35 older tanks where deployed into three independent companies.

Independent companies​

Three companies equipped with old FT-17 and M.28 each had three platoons with five tanks in platoon.
All M.28 where destroyed in fighting with Germans tanks near Topola inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Some tanks where destroyed by their crews because of the lack of fuel.
One company equipped with FT-17 was stationed in Macedonia. One of these platoons was heavily engaged in fighting around Stracin in which Germans needed air support to brake resistance. The second platoon was destroyed near Skopje without combat, third probably retreated to Greece."

http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-2/kingdom-of-yugoslavia/armor/

 

Hey? Wouldanyone perhaps have some photos or information as to how the 75mm gun was mounted?

 

The tank shown is a Standard FT flat plate turret without its gun mount 37mm or MG a Char Ft Bs 75 is a fixed turreted tank,

 

Thats correct. I was looking for the information on the 75mm version mentioned being encountered by the Allies. Your attachment is kind of fuzzy. Is that it? And is it fixed or in a Turret?

 

?

Sorry about the quality I overdid the sizing to get within the jpeg limit. It is in a fixed turret- that is the gun is mounted in a limited elevation/traverse mount on the front of the casement. Basically a 1919 version of a StuG. Most of the handful built were stationed in North Africa and were encountered by the Allies during Torch.

 

OK. I wasn't sure what you meant. You stated it was "fixed turreted".

 

View attachment 4645

View attachment 4646

I've tried to adjust the atts. hopefully they might be better this time.

re. photo #131 it is reported in Road to Berlin as a photo of the repair area in Vienna after the city was taken by the Soviets in 1945.

re. photo in #63 there is something strange about the tracks in that they seem to be a smaller pitch or have some form of ice grip fitted.

 

Thanks that's much better.

 

Hey? Any pics perhaps of the FT-17s being used on the backs of the trucks in Indo China?

 

Amazing that these old things still worked after all the mechanical issues they had in the first war

 

Chars français - 1917 RENAULT FT
photo 6 7 in North Africa
photo 14 showing two derilict ft 75s nearest without the back of turret
The others are prototypes and photo 13 is actually a 105mm mle13 schneider not a 75mm mle1897.

Of further interest on this site
Chars français - 1918 CHAR MARK V*
Are Mark V and Mark V* and a single MkIV and in some photos are wehrmacht soldiers.

In the early 1930s the French Government in a cynical piece of publicity seeking behaviour anounced it would it would reduce its holding of offensive (attack) weapons to encourage moves for European peace! To this end the 1918 vintage MkV "breakthrough tanks" would be taken out of service. Obviously by 1940 these disarmed tanks were were only training vehicles. Anyway they are quite interesting.

steve

 

Beginning 1942 the Waffen-SS security forces received 250 FT-17, 30 R-35 and 60 Hotchkiss tanks. Several tanks were given to Germany allies like for example 40 Renault R35 to Bulgaria and other R35 tanks to Croatia. The Luftwaffe used 100 FT-17 (25 for the Luftgaukommando Holland, 30 for the Luftgaukommando Belgien und Nordfrankreich and 45 for the Luftgaukommando Westfrankreich). For example, on December 31, 1944, 350 Hotchkiss based tanks were still used by the German army, although mostly in police and school units.

Axis History Factbook: Captured & converted French vehicles in German service

 

Well they preformed well enough that at least 22 countries including those mentioned above in the thread used them.

 

There were still quite a few in service with many countries at the start of the war and the ones captured by the Germans were put to use by themselves or given to others.

 

"About 124 Renault R35 and 32 Somua S35 and maybe a couple of turretless Renault B2(f) tanks were given to Italy by Germany since February 1941 (a few Renault FT-17 tanks captured after the occupation of France in November 1942 were also used as targets in the Ciriè proving ground). "

"Yugoslavia had been overrun in 11 days in April 1941. The 6 Panzerdivisionen that took part were redirected to the eastern front and the invasion of Russia. The remaining occupation forces in Yugoslavia had not many tanks. Despite the very mountainous area, tanks could be useful to escort convoys, provide fire support to garrisons as well as fight against partisans in search and destroy operations. In 1941, the Italian occupation troops had about 250 AFVs but these were very vulnerable and poorly armed CV33/L3 tankettes. On their side the German troops had only a few Renault FT17 tanks from former Yugoslavian army."

Axis History Factbook: Captured & converted French vehicles in German service

 

Also in addition to all the FT-17/18s the Germans recovered/repaired about 500 more FT-17s from the battlefields.

 

a searchlight variant for police use

 

Could have sworn that there were a pair of shoes at the top. LOL