America was so ill-prepared for WWI that we had to borrow tanks from the French. Those tanks were pretty good. They were Renault FT light tanks. These revolutionary tanks had traversable turrets and the engine in the rear. It had either a 37 mm. cannon (male) or an 8 mm. machine gun (female). It was 39 horsepower and before you laugh at that, keep in mind that is 39 times the horse it replaced. The two man crew was the driver and the commander/gunner. The commander was in the turret above the driver. It was so noisy that he could not give verbal orders to the driver, so he would kick him. A kick in the middle of the back meant forward, a kick in the head meant reverse. Right shoulder to go right. Left to go left. One of the founders of the tank corps was Capt. George Patton. The A.E.F. first used tanks in the St. Mihiel Offensive. Although they broke down frequently and were vulnerable to artillery, they were useful in taking out machine gun nests, overrunning towns, and capturing prisoners. Patton led his tanks on foot. It played a larger role in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive where two tank battalions supported the infantry. Patton was wounded and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
https://armyhistory.org/the-dawn-of-american-armor-the-u-s-army-tank-corps-in-world-war-i/
Doughboys and WWI tanks – New York Public Library collection
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