Six tonnes of steel

Tim Gosling profiles the US-built version of the French Renault FT tank, a machine given the rather cumbersome name Six-ton Special Tractor Model 1917

A freshly completed tank at the Van Dorn Iron Works. It is fitted with the 1st pattern Marlin machine gun turret

pictures US National Archives

‘The British tanks in service at the time were considered too unreliable by the Americans, but the French FT was found to be ideal’