(Also available with soft cover 27023)
Introduced in 1917, the Renault FT-17 and its American-built copy, the M1917, revolutionized tank design. The vehicle’s rotating turret, rear-engine, driver-forward design are characteristics of the most advanced tanks even today. This volume presents a careful study of the details and variations of this innovative vehicle, inside and out. Two-hundred thirty-seven photographs reveal the intimacies of no fewer than 14 of the finest surviving examples of these machines, preserved on three different continents. Examples feature a variety of paint schemes and camouflage patterns, the rounded and flat-plate castings for the rear of the vehicle and the tail skid and turret variations between the Renault FT-17 and U.S.-made M1917. The driver’s compartment in the interior of the tank is revealed, and close ups record the configuration of the engine. Nine detailed line drawings supplement the photos and comprehensive captions. 80 pages.
