AFV Weapons Profile 058 - French Infantry Tanks PartI (Chars 2C,D and B)

AT the end of the War in 1918 the only tanks in French service which were fit for action, apart from a few British Mark Vs, were the small Chars Renault FT, and these were held in large numbers. Construction of the new. heavy Char 2C was well in hand, having been designed to provide the concentration of armour for an assault that was planned for 1919, but the end of hostilities soon stopped production of any further tanks. General J.-E. Estienne, commander and 'father' of the wartime tank units (artillerie d'assaut), continued to urge the development of tanks that could be used in mass as a decisive weapon on the battlefield, but his voice in peacetime was that of a lone wolf. Although he was placed in charge of technical development, that was not a position of power on policy. No doubt under the influence of General Estienne, an instruction was issued by Army Headquarters in July 1920 calling for the development of a wide variety of tanks.
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