M1918 Light Tank
The Ford Motor Company agreed to develop a two-man light tank for the US Army. The US program was augmented in the summer of 1918 by the development of this 3-ton, 2-man tank, originated by the Ford Motor Company. This third tank to be mass-produced during 1918 was powered by two Ford Model T, 4-cylinder engines, and had a maximum speed of 8 miles per hour. Armed with a .30-caliber machine gun, it had a crew of two (driver and gunner).
The French, British, and (with French equipment) Americans organized light tank units in 1918. The British "Whippet" tank was faster (7.5 miles per hour versus four miles per hour) than most heavy tanks. Light tanks were much easier to redeploy in secret from one sector to another, because they could be loaded onto trucks instead of moved by rail. Thus, technological innovations of the times increased the mobility and effectiveness of tanks. Not only did tanks increase in mobility, but trucks improved greatly in operational mobility by 1916.
The M1918 was one of the first light tank designs by the US. Initial production was fifteen vehicles and one was sent to France for testing. Small and cramped, the US Tank Corps felt it did not meet their requirements, and continued using the French Renault FT-17. Although 15,000 were ordered, only fifteen were built due to the ending of the war.
