French Armor - 1919 - Estienne Infantry Support
After the end of the Great War, the French army had the largest tank fleet in the world. But then, tank building in France entered the delayed stage, or one can even say in the sleep stage. In the 17 post-war years, only 280 new tanks were produced. For a long time, the vision of General Estienne prevailed in regards to tank design and deployment. Emphasis was on overwhelming the enemy with a swarm of light tanks, which were a cost-effective solution, being less expensive and with smaller crew. Armored cars and scout tankettes (also classed as “armored cars”) were the only vehicles allowed by law.
In 1925 the High Command created a commission to examine the role of the tank. The commission concluded that the tank was essentially an infantry support weapon rather than an independent arm. The French War Ministry in 1925 or 1926 decided to produce light, medium, heavy, and super heavy tanks. The Program de 1926 defined the need for a light tank, under 13 tons that would support the infantry. A battle tank between 19 and 22 tons to support the light tanks and battle heavier resistance and foreign tanks. A heavy tank, up to 70 tons, for supporting the other tanks and infantry.
In 1929, the instructions of the employment of the combat tank stated: "Tanks are only supplemental means of action placed temporarily at the disposition of the infantry. They considerably reinforce the action of infantry, but they do not replace them". French doctrine viewed combined arms as a process by which all other weapons systems assisted the infantry in its forward progress, Tanks were considered to be fsa sort of armored infantry, subordinated to the infantry branch. This at least had the advantage that armor was not restricted purely to tanks. The French cavalry experimented extensively during the l920s with armored cars and ultimately half-tracks. These half-tracks sometimes formed combat teams with armored cars, towed artillery, motorcycles, and light tanks carried on trucks until contact was made.
After the end of the Great War, France became the first army power in the European continent and even the world. At that time, the French defense department made a brand-new adjustment to the future direction of the army based on the experience of the War. That was to say, the development of the army will enter the era of full mechanization, and tanks will become the main weapon of future land warfare. The French war ministry hoped to continue to develop new types of tanks based on the Renault FT-17 tank to strengthen the French army's mobile armor combat force.
However, the original intention of France to establish a mechanized force was not to launch a large-scale offensive, but to rely on the Maginot line being built to implement mobile defense. Therefore, the development of French tanks was divided into two categories like British tanks, equipped with small-caliber rapid fire. Guns, tanks whose armor was thick enough to resist most of the enemy's conventional flat-fire artillery are called infantry tanks. The tanks equipped with powerful tank guns, fast but weak armor are called cavalry tanks. (British ones are called cruiser tanks).
From the 1920s to the 1930s, France developed and produced a variety of infantry tanks and cavalry tanks. Especially in 1935, the French army had become the country with the largest armored force in the world, with the number of tanks reaching 4,436. If you include armored vehicles and other combat vehicles, the French army had more than 10,000 mechanized combat vehicles at this time, and no one dared to challenge France! Even the old enemy of France, Germany.
