On may 31, 1918, was combat christening of the legendary Renault FT. On this day, the German 7th army advanced dangerously far in a sector Southeast of Soissons, that is, in the direction of Paris. The French General staff ordered all units to be thrown into battle in order to prevent the capture of the Villers Cotterets forest by the Germans at all costs.
Photo: Musée de l'armée