Q: can the dome on the top of turret cupola on the FT-17 be opened like a hatch? I found a photo of then major Patton posing in front of one that seem to show it askew.
1 Like
AFAIK this dome could be open. Some period pics show it damaged after combat…Maybe it was just an air vent 
Interior view (no visible hinges though…)
H.P.
2 Likes
I think the hinge is on the outside, in the space between the overhanging rim of the dome and the cupola wall
1 Like
This says:
It appears that early produced and wartime Renault TSFs have the cupola hinged at the rear of the blockhaus. This carries through into later years when examining Renault post-WW1 TSFs and into WW2.
(But I can’t read much more than that because I’m not a member of the site.)
1 Like
I snapped this outside Fort Cervezas a few weeks ago. I like to think it’s the one we found in Afghanistan. There were actually two, but one was not quite complete.
It’s inconceivable to me that there’d be no egress out the top of that thing,
1 Like
In the old school definition of cupola, they are for sighting only.
1 Like
You got in/out through the hatch at the back of the turret.
Ken
1 Like
And what are the two “nubs” on the outside of the “lid” for that can be seen in Frenchy’s last pic? Might well be bolts holding a hinge under the overhang, I think.
1 Like
The photo with the lid open gives me the impression that it’s hinged for observation only: with it open, the commander can look out over the top edge of the part with the vision slits, but it can’t open far enough to actually get out through the top. As Ken says, there’s a door in the rear of the turret for the commander.
1 Like
I’ll be at the US Army Armor & Cavalry Collection next Saturday. I’ll do my best to get up close and personal before the crowd arrives. We are having a model show, too!
1 Like
The hinge can be seen here.
3 Likes
