French Tanks of the Great War: Development, Tactics and Operations

Couverture
Pen and Sword, 31 août 2016 - 256 pages
A detailed history of France’s development of tanks and the combat the tanks served in during World War I, by an armored warfare expert.

The French tank corps was an essential part of the French army from 1917 onwards, yet its history has been strangely neglected in English accounts of the Western Front. Using information derived from the French military archives at Vincennes—much of which has never been published in English before—author Tim Gale describes the design and development of the tanks, the political and organizational issues that arose between the French military and civilian bureaucracy, and the record of these pioneering fighting vehicles in combat.

All the major engagements in which French tanks participated are depicted in graphic detail, often quoting directly from recollections left by individual tank commanders of their experience in battle, and each operation is assessed in terms of its impact on French tactics in general and on tank tactics in particular.

The Nivelle offensive and the battles of Malmaison, the Matz, Soissons, and Champagne are featured in the narrative, and the actions of the French tanks serving with the U.S. army are covered, too.

Much of the material in Tim Gale’s study will be entirely new to non-French speakers. The story will be fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in the Great War, the French army, military innovation and the history of armored warfare.

Praise for French Tanks of the Great War

“Gale’s book . . . is very easy to dip into.” —Military Modelling

“It is a wealth of information and I would definitely recommend it.” —Forgotten Weapons
 

Table des matières

List of Plates
Very Bad Conditions The Nivelle Offensive 1917
The Turnaround at Laffaux and the Aftermath of the Nivelle Offensive
A Masterpiece of Tactics The Battle of Malmaison and the Tank Regulations
Paris in Peril The Battle of the Matz 11 June 1918
Engine of Victory The Renault Light Tank
The Greatest Day Since the Marne The Battle of Soissons July 1918
From Cantigny to the MeuseArgonne 1918
Fourth Champagne The Battle of SommePy SeptemberOctober 1918
Table of Artillerie Spéciale Engagements 19171918
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À propos de l'auteur (2016)

Dr Tim Gale was awarded his PhD by the Department of War Studies, King's College London for his work on French tank development and operations in the First World War and he is now one of the leading experts on this aspect of armoured warfare. He has contributed chapters on the subject to several academic books and he has made a special study of the career of the French First World War general Charles Mangin. His book The French Army's Tank Force and the Development of Armoured Warfare in the Great War was published in 2013.

Informations bibliographiques