Com-Central.net

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:37 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Larkum's Preserved Tanks in France says there is an FT-17 at the "Somme Museum" in Amiens... Anyone know which museum this is, or have a pic of this FT-17?

Neil

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:02 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Here is an FT-17 TSF at Zeiterholz in France (yes, the suspension is not original - or useful!):

www.mablehome.com/molv...rholz2.htm

There's apparently also an FT-17 TSF in Fermont, France and at the Hackenberg Museum in Veckring, France.

Apparently they were buried on the Maginot Line - not sure which location this is from:

There were also turret emplacements, but these appear to be seperate from hulls:
po2260.club.fr/FT17/FT...DIVERS.htm

Neil

the_shadock · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:14 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Neil,

I also noticed these hulls and not listed FT-17s. I will check this up this week, not really the time yet. The museum with the turrets and the FT-17 body is 20 kilometers far from where I live and I wondered what's this steel box with big rivets... Laughing

. That's the famous "Bunker with a tank on the top" a.k.a. the Casemate Esch museum. Here are some photos :

(not mine)

P-O

JimWeb · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:51 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

- Neil_Baumgardner

Here is an FT-17 TSF at Zeiterholz in France (yes, the suspension is not original - or useful!):

Thats a Citroen-produced suspension unit used to emplace the hulls after they had been stripped of the suspension - the hull should be sat on steel platform between the track units. Merely used to carry the hull.

Cool

the_shadock · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:38 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

- the_shadock

Which tank does this turret come from? I did a quick search.. but obviously it doesn't correspond to any French pre-WW2 tank..

P-O

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:10 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Based on the rear pictures at this link, I am not sure the turrets are attached to hulls:
po2260.club.fr/FT17/FT...DIVERS.htm

Neil

bsmart · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:43 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

- the_shadock

- the_shadock

Which tank does this turret come from? I did a quick search.. but obviously it doesn't correspond to any French pre-WW2 tank..

P-O

I was wondering if they are not tank turrets but were purpose designed to be used in the fixed location

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

Here is the FT-17 tank turret at Riva Bella in Normandy

Andre_Flener

- JimWeb

- Neil_Baumgardner

Here is an FT-17 TSF at Zeiterholz in France (yes, the suspension is not original - or useful!):

Thats a Citroen-produced suspension unit used to emplace the hulls after they had been stripped of the suspension - the hull should be sat on steel platform between the track units. Merely used to carry the hull.

Well, I once did some investigations about those dug out FT-17 TSF hulls on display at the "Ouvrages" of Zeiterholtz (but this one is an "abri"), Hackenberg, Fermont, etc. for the "Wheels & Tracks" magazine. They had their running gear and engine removed and were concreted into the soil with only their 'transmisson'-turret above ground level to act as observations posts in the "Ligne Maginot".

The Zeiterholtz example's non-original suspension actually came - according to its removers/restorers, with which I then spoke - from an old small tracked vineyard tractor (the famous "Moselle" valley is in the vicinity)! It even has sprockets - very unusual for a towed vehicle. Furthermore, I never heard of any such 'transport platforms', nor saw a picture of one in books about the Maginot Line...

Hope this helps.

Regards,
AndrÃ© Flener
(facing the Maginot Line bunkers (du secteur fortifiÃ© de Thionville) in neighbouring Luxembourg Smile

)

JimWeb

- Andre_Flener

The Zeiterholtz example's non-original suspension actually came - according to its removers/restorers, with which I then spoke - from an old small tracked vineyard tractor (the famous "Moselle" valley is in the vicinity)! It even has sprockets - very unusual for a towed vehicle. Furthermore, I never heard of any such 'transport platforms', nor saw a picture of one in books about the Maginot Line...

That will teach me to rely on the memory of an 90 year old frenchman...

Cool

mdc1 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2007 Posts: 11

I believe that is a Hotchkiss Mle1935-1937 turret for fortifications.

- bsmart

- the_shadock

- the_shadock

Which tank does this turret come from? I did a quick search.. but obviously it doesn't correspond to any French pre-WW2 tank..

P-O

I was wondering if they are not tank turrets but were purpose designed to be used in the fixed location

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 2:01 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Not to steal his thunder, but Pierre-Olivier got some pretty interesting info from Mr Otoupalik on various FT-17s & M1917s...

According to him, the FT-17 at APG with the M1917 turret was the first FT-17 sent to the US by France for use as the standard for the M1917...

The M1917s at the AAF Tank Museum in Danville VA, West Point Museum, Littlefield's collection & Otoupalik's collection were all owned by M.C. Bradley Military Rental Studios in Hollywood from 1922 to 1967.

Mr Otoupalik's FT-17 was originally a gift of the French government to the city of San Francisco and actually saw combat during WWI - it was hit by a 77mm shell!

Neil

the_shadock · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:15 am Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

- mdc1

I believe that is a Hotchkiss Mle1935-1937 turret for fortifications.

Thanks mdc1.

P-O

bialy-r · Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 2:01 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

FT-17 or 6 Ton Tank at Aberdeen Ordnance Museum (photo from November 2009)
www.flickr.com/photos/...761401831/

Neil_Baumgardner · Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 3:11 pm Post subject: Re: French and American FT-17

Hmm... It appears they have repainted the “First US Sample Tank” (M1917), which was made from mild steel - previously on loan from the Smithsonian Institution to the National Museum of the U.S. Marine Corps at Quantico. I last saw it at museum warehouse.

Neil

Com-Central.net

Select Language

Login

`±`Recent Visitors

`±`User Info-big

Com-Central.net

Select Language

Login

±Recent Visitors

±User Info-big

`±`Recent Visitors

`±`User Info-big