French tank crew small arms

[Ivan Sorensen]

Anyone happen to have a source on what small arms French tankers would have carried? I assume just sidearms but I am curious if anyone has something particular.

Thanks

[Tony S]

According to Tim Gale, in his book “French Tanks of the Great War”, French tankers were indeed armed with automatic pistols.  In one incident, a St Chamond crew fought off a German grenade assault with their pistols.

That said, in an evaluation report of these new fangled armoured contraptions, one French officer recommended that crews be rearmed with carbines as opposed to pistols, as apparently more Frenchmen had been killed by accidental pistol discharges than Germans.  Not sure if recommendation was acted upon.

[Ivan Sorensen]

Thanks! I even have that book but for some reason that passage escaped my memory.

[Robert Dunlop]

Tank crews also dismounted Hotchkiss machine guns to provide infantry support when the tank itself was knocked out.

Robert

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