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Why did France, Italy, and the United States treat tanks mainly as infantry-support vehicles after World War I?
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M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks of the U.S. 1st Armored Division moving across the desert in northern Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War, February 1991.
After World War I, France, Italy, and the United States treated tanks primarily as infantry-support vehicles largely because of the success and availability of the French Renault F.T.1
This approach was driven by several factors:
- Doctrinal Alignment: The Renault F.T. was highly serviceable and aligned with traditional military doctrines that emphasized the primacy of the infantry on the battlefield.1
- Standardization: Following the war, France possessed a large number of these light, six-ton tanks. Because they were more reliable than heavier British counterparts, France adopted the doctrine that tanks were merely auxiliary tools to support infantry operations.1
- International Influence: France’s lead in tank doctrine was widely followed. The United States and Italy both adopted this model, explicitly assigning their tank forces to infantry support and producing their own versions of the Renault F.T.—the M1917 light tank in the U.S. and the Fiat 3000 in Italy.1
Consequently, while other nations later experimented with mobile, independent armoured formations, these countries remained focused on the tank's role as a mobile companion to foot soldiers for many years.12