(Image above: The M1917 at its new home at the Canadian Tank Museum)

The M1917 is a licensed version of the iconic Renault FT tank that was built in the USA.

The Renault FT is often referred to as the first “modern” tank. This is due to a few significant design principles. Those being: sloped armour, wide tracks, good power to weight ratio, crew compartment at the front, engine compartment at the back, and main armament in a revolving turret. It was the first production tank to have a turret that could revolve 360 degrees.

Over 3,000 Renault FTs were built in France. It was exported to many countries. Both Italy (Fiat 3000) and Russia (T-18) built derivative models. The United States built its own licensed copy as the M1917.

Although 4400 M1917s were ordered, only about 950 M1917s were built by Van Dorn Iron Works, the Maxwell Motor Co., and the C.L. Best Co before the contract was cancelled as the war was over. These were delivered to the US Tank Corp after the war. These tanks were a mix of machine gun tanks (.30 Cal), cannon tanks (37mm) and command tanks (no armament). Manufacturing the M1917 encountered many difficulties the most difficult was that the blueprints and drawings provided by Renault were in Metric while the US engineers used Imperial measurements.

The US did make some modifications to the M1917 that differ from the FT. The first is that the Hotchkiss 7.9mm machine gun was replaced by first a Marlin M1917 7.62mm machine gun and later a Browning M1919 7.62mm. The engine was also changed from the French Renault 4 cylinder with a Buda 4 cylinder engine. The Buda provided about 42 horse power. It did not go any faster (8 km/h (5.5 mph) which is slower than an average man can run) but it did provide a lot of torque. The M1917 could climb very steep grades. The M1917 also used a steel idler wheel rather than wood, switched the exhaust form the right side to the left, added vision slits for the driver, added lifting hooks, and used a different mantlet.

In 1920, the Tank Corp was demobilized and the tanks were transferred into the infantry. Over the next decade, the number of M1917 tanks started to dwindle due to accidents, fires, and cannibalization of parts. By the beginning of the Second World War, practically all of the tanks had been mothballed.

The Canadian Armoured Corps was virtually non-existent in 1939 but its roots start in the 1936 reorganization of the Canadian Militia by Major-General McNaughton, the Chief of the General Staff. This reorganization took the 35 horse cavalry regiments and reduced them to 16. It added 4 armoured car regiments and 2 motor machine gun regiments. It also designated 6 tank battalions. Five of those units were already in existence (Argyl Light Infantry, Ontario Regiment, Three Rivers Regiment, Calgary Regiment, and New Brunswick Regiment). The Essex Regiment (Tank) was created in Windsor, Ontario.

In order to train these new tank battalions, the Canadian Tank School was stood up in London, Ontario on 1 November 1936. It was commanded by Capt. (Breveted Major) F.F. Worthington of the PPCLI. In 1937, he (along with Lt J.H. Larocque of the RCDs) spent a year in training at the Royal Tank Corps School in Bovington, England. In 1938, it was determined that the Tank School in London did not have enough land to train. So, the School was moved to Camp Borden in Ontario and renamed the Canadian Armoured Fighting School (CAFVS).

The CAFVS had in Borden enough open area for training. However, what it did not have were enough vehicles. Its entire fleet consisted of 12 Carden-Lloyd tankettes, a truck, and a Dragon artillery tractor. CAFVS conducted its first course from 11 to 23 July 1938. The fleet was enlarged by the addition of 2 Vickers Mark VIB light tanks in September of that year, another 14 would be received in early 1939. Their usefulness was limited due to a lack of spare parts.

At the beginning of World War 2, the staff complement at CAFVS was 39. The Canadian Armoured Corps was formed on 13 August 1940 by General Order 250. The Canadian Armoured Corps and the CAFVS were still limited by a lack of training Vehicles. The CAFVS also change its name (again) to A-33 Canadian Armoured Corps Training Establishment.

In July 1940, there were high level staff talks between the US and the Canadians. The US was still bound by the Neutrality Act of 1935 which barred the export of “arms, ammunition, and implements of war” to any foreign nation at war – like Canada. At the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, there was a large number of mothballed M1917s. In late August of 1940, Mr. Worthington (the rank was dropped as he visited as a civilian) inspected and earmarked 250 for purchase for $250 dollars per tank.

Of the 250 selected, only 236 were delivered on 8 October 1940. The Opposition Party (Conservatives under Robert Manion) in Ottawa attempted to foil the deal but when Mackenzie King’s Liberal party read out that the train delivering 1,500 tons of scrap metal to Mr. Worthington had arrived at the Camp Borden Iron Foundry, the matter was quietly dropped.

Training ramped up rapidly. New crewmen were trained in 13 weeks. This training was intended to cross train crewmen to do at least two jobs in the squadron. The training started with 13 weeks of general training. That was followed by 4 weeks of wheeled vehicle driver training and the 2 weeks of tracked vehicle training. Speciality training followed. Four weeks for a gunner, 8 weeks for driver/radio operator, or 4 weeks for driver/mechanic. Finally, there were 2 weeks of crew training and 2 more weeks of tactical field exercises.

In December of 1940, the British War Office requested that Canada deploy an armoured division which the British would equip and train. They were willing to accept an armoured brigade. 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade was formed on 4 February 1941 and consisted of The Calgary Regiment (Tank), The Ontario Regiment (Tank) and The Three Rivers Regiment (Tank). 1 CATB was shipped to the United Kingdom in July 1941, where the brigade received Matilda tanks and British training.

The M1917s (called “Renaults” by the Canadians) were the primary armoured training vehicles for the Canadian Army until 1943 when they were phased out with RAM tanks. The remaining M1917s were sold to the civilian market, going to mostly farmers and loggers.

Of the 236 M1917s purchased by Major-General Worthington, there are two survivors. One example is in Camp Borden Military Museum. The other was located in Alberta being used as a log skidder. It was acquired by the Canadian War Museum in 1997. Restoration work began in 2008 with the vehicle in very poor shape. The upper hull and turret were missing. The tracks and running gear were salvaged from a rifle range hard target in Kingston Ontario. The turret and remaining hull pieces were fabricated by DEW Engineering. Neither of those have any engines or transmissions.

The Canadian Tank Museum’s M1917 was purchased from the American Armored Foundation Museum in Danville VA in 2024. It is one of 4 M1917s that were owned by M.C. Bradley Military Rental Studios in Hollywood California. It is claimed that these were used in the 1927 silent movie “Wings” and starred beside John Wayne in “Sands of Iwo Jima” where it played a Japanese tank. It was sold in 1967 to the Furrer War Museum in Arizona when the company was folded. This tank was purchased by Hayes Otoupalik and then sold in 1987 to the AAF Museum. The M1917 is 95-97% complete and was a “runner” in the 1960s. The Museum plans to get it running again as a moving memorial to all of those in the Canadian Armoured Corps who trained in them and then served Canada during the Second World War.