FT-17s in Morocco, 1925

[von Poop]

Reading Beevor's Spanish Civil War book led to some googling that turned up this footage:
YouTube - FT-17 tanks fighting in Northern Morocco
Grainy and sparse, but any film of armour from that period's quite uncommon.
Nice page of veteran photos of the vehicles too:
Renault FT-17 Tanks in the Rif War

One of those small colonial wars that I know next to nothing about,
1893 - 1927: Campaigns in the Rif
haven't worked out if the film is of Spanish Tanks, or French, as they seem to have been involved too?

Cheers,
Adam.

[Bodston]

I tried getting my head around the Rif campaigns a while back. I admit that I couldn't make any sense of it. Similar in many ways to our own tribal/territorial 'small wars' in Africa, India, Afganistan, Palestine et al...
We, however tended to supress whatever percieved enemy with the RAF rather than armour though.
As a nation I think the British have always preferred the bomber to the tank.

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Originally Posted by Bodston

As a nation I think the British have always preferred the bomber to the tank.

Something which has always grated on Von Poop's nerves!!!!

[Capt.Sensible]

Originally Posted by Bodston

I tried getting my head around the Rif campaigns a while back. I admit that I couldn't make any sense of it. Similar in many ways to our own tribal/territorial 'small wars' in Africa, India, Afganistan, Palestine et al...
We, however tended to supress whatever percieved enemy with the RAF rather than armour though.
As a nation I think the British have always preferred the bomber to the tank.

The RAF were quite happy to use armoured cars in the inter-war years to ensure uppity natives toed the Imperial line. Unsurprisingly, there is not much about this on the official RAF website but the defence of RAF Habbiniya in 1941 included mixed bomber/AC/infantry resources:
The Royal Air Force - History (Campaign Histories) - Habbaniya 1941

CS