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ddoyle · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Nov 12, 2008 Posts: 61

Greetings all,
I am trying to get up to speed on the FT-17. It appears that there were three types of turrets used on these tanks (NOT including the M1917), in this order:

a cast turret
b hexagonal turret - as on the example at Fort Meade.
C turret fabricated from riveted rolled armor (aka Berliet turret) such as on the examples at Saumur, and the vehicle at Knox which was recovered from Afghanastan.

It appears that the tank at Bovington is the only survivor with a cast turret, although a turret alone exists at Fort de Seclin.

Do I have this right, and if any other examples of the cast turret are known.

Thanks,
David Doyle

the_shadock · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:48 am Post subject: Re: calling FT-17 gurus

personnaly, I don't know any other example of this kind of turret. However, who knows which treasures are still hidden in some collections..

P-O

Manu-Military · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:49 pm Post subject: Re: calling FT-17 gurus

Bruxelles armor museum has got a Renault FT with a cast turret and 37mm gun.
Overloon in the Netherlands do also have the same tank with what appears to be a prototype cast turret.
For what it's worth...

the_shadock · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:41 pm Post subject: Re: calling FT-17 gurus

- Manu-Military

Bruxelles armor museum has got a Renault FT with a cast turret and 37mm gun.
Overloon in the Netherlands do also have the same tank with what appears to be a prototype cast turret.
For what it's worth...

These two tanks carry the turrets described by David Doyle as being "turrets fabricated from riveted rolled armor". These don't have the rare 1st model of cast turret, infortunately.

Pierre-Olivier

tanker2010 · Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 5:04 am Post subject: Re: calling FT-17 gurus

Here's the one in K.C. at the Liberty Memorial

Since you're coming this way in July, maybe you can spend some time with it.

Gary

JimWeb · Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:08 am Post subject: Re: calling FT-17 gurus

AS far as I can figure out there were the

Berliert (original cast) turret with sharply sloping top.
Berliert (Rounded rolled plate with offset doors)
Omnibus (Hexagonal) turret turret with doors offset to left.
Omnibus (Hexagonal) turret turret with doors offset to right.
Girod [Rounded rolled plate)

and then there was that turret produced with the M1923 rebuilds which had the 37mm & MG in different faces of the turret....