![](https://armoredwarfare.com/sites/aw.my.com/files/styles/aw_top_image/public/news/images/imgo_4.jpg?itok=biateagQ)
When speaking about French armor and military in general, especially around the time of Second World War, the word "excellent" is rarely used. However, it is one of the great ironies of history that the glorious French military is now remembered for its defeat by German Wehrmacht in 1940 and considered to be "poor" when nothing could be further from the truth. It was the French army that spawned the way tanks look even now, 90 years later, by perfecting the first mass-produced modern tank design, the Renault FT.
![ft17](/us/sites/aw.my.com/files/styles/news_body_image_1/public/u183517/bovington_179_ft-17_1.jpg)