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JimWeb · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:31 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Scrap was more welcome in the UK than iron ore which required far more processing, Imports of it tailed off once we began to win battles, capture the ground and started advancing as there was a closer (and free) supply recovered from the battlefield. American ships even carried it as ballast on their return to the USA.

Cool

bsmart · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 6:26 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

That's why the comment about the scrap coming back from North Africa and Europe (And I KNOW you've heard my Matilda story at Aberdeen Rolling Eyes

)
but going the other way especially during the war doesn't make sense. maybe after the war, but by then there was so much scrape over there I can't see much reason to import any in from further than the continent.

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 5:10 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Well, one, they were probably scrapped at the end if not after the war.

Plus, remember, scrap was sent this way from the UK at least via reverse lend-lease - so its not unheard of to send scrap across the Atlantic during WWII... Thats how the Ordnance Museum got its Matilda II Wink

Neil

bsmart · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 4:49 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Given the shortage of shipping, especially early in the war why would scrap be sent to the UK? It seems it would be much more efficient to melt it down on this side of the ocean and send ingots, plate steel, etc to the UK to meet their needs. later in the war much older equipment was sent from North Africa & Europe back to the U.S. and Canada as scrap but many ships would have been coming back in ballast anyway.

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:08 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Hmm... I wonder if the "two" are the ones at APG & Fort Meade. Werent "all" of the Mk VIIIs supposed to have been sold to Canada in 1939? Probably unlikely, but if that was truly the case, then the two US museum examples could have been acquired back at the end of the war...

Neil

JimWeb · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:58 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

- Neil_Baumgardner

Speaking of which, whatever happened to the Canadian Mk VIIIs?Neil

Apart from two (fate unknown) the rest were sent to the UK as scrap apparently.

There is a rumour of an image showing a ship being loaded in Halifax(?) harbour and you can see sections of Mk VIII among the scrap. Never managed to find it myself - I suspect someones hoarding it for a book.

Cool

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:32 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Chris,
Sure, here's where I got the info. No idea where in Huntington it is stored:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One a related note, while looking for a website for Nitro "War Memorial Museum" or "World War I Museum" (unsuccesfully), I did find the following note on the Nitro M1917, from last week nonetheless:

"In other business, Casto said he wanted City Attorney Troy Giatras to recover a World War I era Renault tank that is stored in Huntington. The tank, which had been stored at the cityÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s World War I museum, had been removed for cleaning.

"Casto said he was worried that the cleaning process might involve sandblasting, which would permanently damage the relic. Ã¢â‚¬Å“If its ruined, I might go down there with a World War I machine gun,Ã¢â‚¬Â? Casto joked."

wvgazette.com/section/...2006112118

Neil

Chris_C · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:50 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Neil, in your AFV list you have that the M1917 that was formerly in Nitro, WV, is being stored in Huntington. That's where I live; would you happen to have any record who told you that, or any contact info for who has custody of the tank? Just curious...

Thanks. Smile

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 11:13 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Pierre-Olivier,
Another Canadian M1917 to add to your list - there is one at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden. It is of the ones bought as "scrap metal" by "Mister Worthington" in 1939.

It is mentioned here by Bruce Clark:
www.pbase.com/mrclark/...orden_2004

No pictures that I can find though...

Neil

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 7:39 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Pierre-Olivier, I am told that it is an M1917... And that the turret is still on the farm it was recovered from Wink

It is almost certainly one of the M1917s the US gave to Canada in 1939, along with a bunch of Mk VIIIs. Speaking of which, whatever happened to the Canadian Mk VIIIs?

Neil

the_shadock · Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 6:39 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

- Neil_Baumgardner

Pierre-Olivier,
Here's another one for your list, albeit partial. Its apparently in the collection of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

[img]http://collections.civilization.ca/public/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=1105276[/img]

collections.civilizati...�’Â©=0

Neil

I think it may be a 6-ton M-1917 tank, because of the front wheels, they seems to be of the US type (You will notice that the big front wheels are different on the US M-1917 tank and on the FT-17). Also notice that the tracks are unusual.. that's the only ones I've seen for the moment with 2 holes in each link..

I just can't update the PDF files for the moment, the server is down..

Pierre-Olivier

Chris_C · Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:54 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Thanks for the update. Sad news. Sad

armyjunk2 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Sep 22, 2006 Posts: 1416

I was at Nitro a couple months ago and the building looks like abandoned property. The guy next door said someone came with a crane and took the tank. A 7.5cm Minenwerfer is still there. I think the owner died....

Chris_C · Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:27 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

- armyjunk2

The Museum at Nitro WV is gone, I was by there a month ago...building is falling in...Tank is gone

Oh no! I haven't been by there in months. Any idea what happened to the collection?

Are you around Nitro, by the way?

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 12:13 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Pierre-Olivier,
Here's another one for your list, albeit partial. Its apparently in the collection of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

[img]http://collections.civilization.ca/public/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=1105276[/img]

collections.civilizati...amp;lang=0

Neil

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