A Renault FT light tank stands abandoned in a field somewhere between Reims and Metz, mid-June 1940. It’s vehicle number is most likely 74565, which would make it one of the tanks of 1 Compagnie, 3 Section, 29 BCC, 2 Armée. There’s only one other known photo of this tank, which gives a clearer view of the number. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to turn up any details on its final battle or the fate of the two-man crew.
The 29e Bataillon de Chars de Combat operated in northern France, providing mobile defense in the gaps between fortifications in the north part of the Maginot Line. The German onslaught pressed the French lines south, and on 14 June the 1 Compagnie and the tank in the photo were lost, probably while fighting a rearguard action. The rest of the 29e BCC fought on, its tank strength whittled away until the last four tanks are destroyed by their crews on 17 June. The remaining personnel were ordered to join the 16e BCC, but on 22 June, they were captured by the Germans.
The opened hatches cover the driver’s position; the size of the tank is that of a car. The commander was also the gunner, operating the 37 mm cannon (alternatively an 8 mm machinegun). Nothing in the photo suggests that it was knocked out by enemy fire, so it probably suffered a mechanical breakdown or ran out of fuel. While it may look obsolete, the design was the grandfather of modern tanks, being the first with the engine in the rear and the main gun mounted in a rotating turret. It saw service in German security and second-line units until the end of the war.
World War 2 in Photos 