Third episode of a series of five: tanks at Malmaison (1917) Far from being a revolution, tanks are a new weapon that struggles to find its place on the battlefield. The Battle of Malmaison thus comes after several major failures in the use of these new vehicles. Their success then depends much more on taking into account upstream the conditions of their use, their strengths and weaknesses, which is not without theoretical debate. This battle therefore allows us to analyze the development of what we would call today the first coherent doctrine of use of tanks in the French army. Channel member of the Label Hérodote https://label-herodote.com/ Sources: 1-François Cochet and Rémy Porte, Histoire de l'armée française 1914-1918, Paris, 2017 2-Hervé Drévillon and Olivier Wieviorka (dir), Histoire militaire de la France. II From 1870 to the present day, Paris, 2018 3-Tim Gale, The French Army's Tank Force and Armoured Warfare in the Great War, Bingdon, 2016 4-Michel Goya, The Invention of Modern Warfare - From the Red Trousers to the Tank (1871 - 1918), Paris, 2019 5-François Cochet, The Great War - End of a World, Beginning of a Century, Paris, 2014 6-Guy Hartcup, The War of Invention. Scientific Development, 1914-18, London, 1988 7-Henri Ortholan, The War of Tanks, Paris, 2007 Notes: 1-This is not the subject of the episode but artillery firing methods have been developed, notably that of rolling fire. All these developments in the tactical capacity of artillery deserve their episode but we must limit ourselves here. 2-This remark is only valid for Malmaison. If the tanks did not convince the Germans for many reasons, they nevertheless equipped themselves with certain anti-tank measures on the entire front during the year 1917 such as guns under casemates. At Malmaison, they were still too confident about this position. 3-The debate was in any case launched in the French army. If the argument of the quantities of ammunition needed had a certain impact, it must be emphasized that it remained a little short. Above all, it lacked a viable overall strategic articulation, particularly in the search for the collapse of the adversary. The debate is far from being limited to the arguments presented here. 4-The story of this episode, centered on the tanks, obviously puts them in too much light. Malmaison is not their victory. It is much more that of the artillery and the success of the concentration of tubes by the RGAL. Overall, it is also a mark of better planning and well-assured coordination with increasingly efficient infantry. 5-We could also count the Levasseur project in 1903 for a self-propelled gun, but that is biased. That being said, the influence of its design on the Saint-Chamond is not necessarily negligible. I haven't dug. / surlechampdebataille / surlechampfr To support the channel financially: https://www.helloasso.com/association... Original theme music composed by Julien Théron and remixed by Clément BOTZ / Symphony Blacksmith. Logo designed by Camille Sanchez. 0:00 Introduction 1:10 Episode framework 2:03 From Verdun to Malmaison 4:22 Objectives of the operation 5:28 Tanks before Malmaison 7:00 Organization of tanks for Malmaison 11:28 Preparation for tanks 17:30 The battle of Malmaison 22:53 Consequences 25:23 Definition of employment doctrine 27:40 What is a tank? 29:09 The invention of the tank 31:21 The tank and the trenches 32:44 Shock or support? 34:08 First experiences and consequences 35:15 Learning lessons 36:42 Employment doctrine and adaptations 37:53 Tactical consequences 39:21 Material-Doctrine dialectic 42:24 Conclusion 45:13 Credits