This country is at war with Germany. We shall go on to the end.

I remember the sheets of flame which came up and almost blinded us from our guns.

The Renault F.T is often described as the world's first modern tank,

and with good reason.

Developed by the French during the First World War,

it introduced a revolutionary design,

a fully rotating turret mounted on a tract chassis, with a crew of just two.

It was light, agile and simple.

By the end of the war, more than 3,000 Renault FTs had been built,

and its influence spread far beyond France.

Nearly every tank that followed borrowed something from its layout.

It served in dozens of armies around the world,

fought on into the Second World War and even saw its use in conflicts as far afield as China and

South America. To explore the story of this remarkable little machine, its design, its service

and its legacy.

I'm joined once more by Robbie Hubem from the Belgian Royal Military Museum.

Robbie, thanks for joining me again.

So let's start with this description of the FT being the first modern tank.

It seems like a big claim.

I think it's mostly due because the tank features a few elements,

which are now characteristic of how we view a tank as a first rotating turret on top of the vehicle.

You already had turrets on armored cars or battleships, for example,

...