Show TANKS I. I ARE SUCCESS I I In Immense Type Used in ill Early Part of War ar Proved Discouraging i 1 With the French Armies Oct 14 I The armored caterpillar motor car CRr or h favor as asI tank which Is now In hl high avor an en engine lne of or assault against the tho enot cue eno- I nies' nies lines almost fell Cell Into discredit t Jn France in 1117 The Tho most successful srul I type ha has been the new ne lighter car with a swinging swinging- turret from which an inch tand and a half aU caliber cannon or ora or-a a machine gun cun can tan fire ire in An any direction While tho the British 1 were lug their Imm immense nse heavy tanks tho the French without knowing of or the work 1 their allies s were doing experimented with lighter tars cars one typo type wel weighing thirteen tons and twenty three r tons tone The Tho toh thirteen cars ar made mauD their appearance in April 1917 taking tal part partIn In tho the French offensive between Rheims and the AIsne as an I Ill ment mente en t. t The losses appeared to bo bf ex excessive ami the report spread that the they caught fire every time they thoy were sero hit by i a R. pro- pro I j The death of ot Commandant Dos Dos- sut aut ut while leading an assault with one of or the cars created a profound sion Two later operations however modified modified mod mod- military opinion regarding them and they prove proved to be o most effective During the winter other experiments were made and toward the thc last of May I 1918 tho the light tanks tank mado made their ap appearance appearance ap- ap on oil the tho battlefield In greater reater numbers They were assigned nod to tho the do- do of tho the forest of oC when the tue Germans made malle their rush between between between be be- tween Soissons and Rheims During Durin the first fifteen en days das of June Jupe they mado made more than twenty counterattacks and Kept I the tore forest l clear of or the enem enemy The Them m medium wel weight ht cars in the meantime bad had helped the Americans take talo Can- Can tigny Their first lr t spectacular feat feal wa was wag In InI I mobilizing itt twelve hours south of Montdidier to prec precede the infantry in a successful counterattack that th stopped the advance of oC the Germans on the Noon Noyon line These and subsequent successes convinced con con- vinced the French military authorities that the light lIht tank was wa an effective o and efficient arm 4 |