Schneider CA1 (pic heavy)

[voltan]

(Some photos I found looking for something else on the hard drive, thought someone may find them of intrest, all captions came with the pictures so assume they're right. )
Some pictures of France's first operational tank, the Schneider CA1, mostly from Nivelle's Spring Offensive in April 1917.

This offensive, the Second Battle of the Aisne, didn't live up to Nivelle's pre-publicity and ended having not achieved much except for very high casualties in the French army. It also fuelled the discontent which resulted in the mutinies of May-June 1917. Nivelle lost his job.

The Aisne did, however, mark the first use of tanks in large numbers - between 130 and 200 depending on which source you believe. Most of the tanks were Schneider CA1s but some St Chamonds apparently also took part.

The CA1's performance was not impressive, most of them getting knocked out early in the battle. The tank was slow, prone to getting stuck and went up in flames readily (earning a reputation as a mobile crematorium). Of course, it was a new weapon and everything was still to learn.

Weighing in at about 13 tons, the CA1 was armed with a 75mm mortar plus two 8mm machine guns. It had a 60hp engine and, on a good day, it could reach 5 mph (8 km/h). It had a crew of 6 whose accommodation was extremely cramped.

Captions with each picture but corrections, additions etc are most welcome.

1;CA1 leaving the assembly area at Courlandon (loaded with other people's stuff), April 1917


2;Crewmen and their mascot posing with CA1 'Malèche' (not sure what that means - is it a name?), April 1917


3;CA1 with extra armour plating


4;A knocked out CA1 named Aisne-something (I can't make out the second word), April 1917


5;Crewmen posing with CA1 'Patte de Velours' (Velvet Paw) near Courlandon, April 1917


6;Crew members of CA1 'Fleur d'Ajonc' (Gorse Flower?), April 1917


7;CA1s, possibly of the Groupement Lefebvre and possibly in early May


8;A very scabby picture of three CA1s in training


9;CA1s of Groupement Bossut leaving their assembly area at Courlandon, April 1917


10;A knocked-out CA1, April 1917


11;Posing with walking sticks and a CA1, April 1917


12;CA1 crossing a ditch, April 1917. I can't make out the name above the barrel of fuel - a person's name possibly?


13;CA1s of Groupement Bossut on their way to the front, April 1917


14;Capitaine de Blic with members of the crew of his CA1, April 1917


15;Capitaine de Boisgelin with members of the crew of the CA1 named 'Jeanne d'Arc' (Joan of Arc), April 1917


16;CA1 training with infantry


17;Crewmen of CA1 'Pourquoi pas' (Why not) at the assembly area near Courlandon, April 1917


18;A CA1 showing the design of the front which was intended to deal with barbed wire


19;Side view of a CA1 crossing a ditch


20;CA1, date and location unknown


21;A knocked-out CA1 with the remains of crew members beside it


22;US infantry apparently training with a French CA1, 1918 (probably)


23;One of several CA1s supplied to the Spanish army after WW1, seen here taking part in the Rif War in Morocco in the first half of the 1920s.
One or two of these tanks survived long enough to fight in the opening stages of the Spanish Civil War.

[aircav]

Brilliant, I love the look of the CA1.

Thanks for sharing 

[tomek917]

Great pictures!

In the second picture, why are there arabic letters on the tank? Was that common? Anyone know what it means?

[voltan]

It could be they're from the Armée d'Afrique, but I don't know if it was common to use arabic script on the tanks or not.

[Ignatieff]

Cracking photos.  Helps enormously with scaling as well.  Not as large a vehicle as I imagined.

S