transformation of Renault FT tanks into unmanned vehicles

The Renault FT tanks created in 1917 during the First World War were transformed in April 1940 into remote-controlled vehicles.

The Renault FT tanks, originally designed for the needs and technologies inherent to the First World War, were still used at the beginning of the Second World War, but they were then obsolete compared to the tanks built during the interwar period.

GROUP OF RENAULT TANKS GOING UP IN LINE.

GROUP OF RENAULT TANKS GOING UP IN LINE.

Photographe : LE PLAY Emile Camille Albert (1875 - )
© Paris - Musée de l'Armée, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Emile Cambier

It was therefore on 26 April 1940 that the decision was taken to transform FT tanks into unmanned, radio-controlled vehicles, intended for the destruction of enemy positions. Their obsolescence made them less efficient but reusable in other ways on the battlefield.