Renault FT Tank - Fort George G Meade, MD
Posted by: 
kb7ywl
N 39° 05.929 W 076° 44.575
18S E 349282 N 4329188
Renault FT Tank "Five of Hearts"
Waymark Code: WMDRN0
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 02/19/2012
Views: 7
The Renault FT, frequently referred to in post-WWI literature as the "FT-17" or "FT17", was a French light tank; it is among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history. The FT was the first operational tank with an armament in a fully rotating turret, and its configuration with the turret on top, engine in the back and the driver in front became the conventional one, repeated in most tanks until today. Armour historian Steven Zaloga has called the Renault FT "the world's first modern tank".
This tank, the "Five of Hearts" (so named from the practice of assigning suits and numbers from playing cards to identify the tanks), was assigned to Company C, 344th Tank Battalion in October 1918, supporting the 16th Infantry in the Fleville sector of the Meuse-Argonne. Overrunning the German lines, this tank was hit more than 1300 times, killing one crewman and wounding at least two others. Due to the bravery of the crew, a break in the German lines was established and members of the 16th Infantry were able to take advantage of the opening. Upon their return to Camp Meade in 1919, the 344th brought the "Five of Hearts" with them as a memorial to all men of the Tank Corps in World War I.
Armament: 1-37mm main gun or 1-7.92mm machine gun
Crew: 2
Max Speed: 4.3 mph
Source: Wikipedia
Location restrictions:
Located at Fort George G Meade Museum, 4674 Griffin Avenue, Fort George G Meade, MD (301) 677-6966. Further information can be obtained at http://www.ftmeade.army.mil/museum/index.html.
|
Visit Instructions:
1.) Only log the places you physically visit.
2.) Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit
3.) Please provide any additional information about the equipment you may have that is not listed in the waymark's description.