M1917

(75)
A lineup of American M1917 tanks bought by Canada
as scrap metal by the "Camp Borden Iron Foundry"
to train the infant Canadian Armoured Corps.

The turn of events in 1940 Europe demonstrated the need for Canada to develop some sort of armour capability and as a result, the Canadian Armoured Corps was established on 18 August 1940. Colonel Worthington became the commandant of the embryo CAC and plans were laid for Camp Borden to become the headquarters and training centre for armoured units. In addition, all regular cavalry regiments were earmarked to become tank battalions. On paper these steps looked good, but the underlying problem in Canada was that save for the small number of Mk VIB Light Tanks recently received from the UK, and the Carden Loyd carriers from the early 1930's, there were no other armoured vehicles in Canada with which to train on. Great Britain required all of it's tank production for it's own defence and Worthington was forced to cast his eyes to the United States in an effort to obtain whatever might be available.

The U.S. M1917 light tanks had been withdrawn from U.S. service in the early 1930's yet, luckily for Worthington, they had been retained in the event of some future need. He bought 219 M1917s complete with spare engines and parts at what amounted to little more than scrap value at $240.00 each. Identifying the shipment as "scrap" was necessary as American neutrality laws forbade selling arms to any of the belligerent nations.

The M1917 had been manufactured at the Van Dorn Iron Works, Cleveland, Ohio, the Maxwell Motor Car Company and the C.L. Best Tractor Company. It was powered by the U.S. built Buda 40 hp four cylinder engine which gave a top speed of 5.45 mph, but by over-speeding the engine, an "impressive" speed of some 7.5 mph could be attained. It had a range of 29 miles. It was a tank that was prone to continual breakdowns, much to the frustration of those who trained on it. While the M1917 was almost six feet wide, the crew compartment was very cramped; ranging from 22" wide at the front to 36" under the turret and it was only 70" in length. Entry and egress for the driver was by means of three hatch doors, and he was forced to clamber over the steering levers while doing so. Armour protection ranged between 6mm and 22mm which would be proof against little more than small arms fire or shell splinters.

With all of it's faults, the M1917 provided valuable service to the embryonic Canadian Armoured Corps as without them, the 1st Army Tank Brigade would have gone overseas with virtually no tank training at all. The M1917 soldiered on in Canadian service as a training vehicle until such time as Canadian produced tanks started to arrive in 1942. Most were sold off at that time for "real" scrap.

(76)
M1917 exhibiting cammo paint, in Canadian service.

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© Chris Johnson, 1997