Why Germany Stole Over 3,000 of France's 'Useless' Supply Tanks

The tiny Renault UE Chenillette was dismissed as a mere supply carrier by the French Army, yet the Wehrmacht captured over 3,000 of them in 1940 and immediately put them to lethal use across Europe and North Africa. When France collapsed in June 1940, German forces seized a staggering 3,104 Renault UE Chenillettes from abandoned depots and shattered units, the largest single capture of armored vehicles in military history. These diminutive tracked tractors, originally designed in 1931 to tow supplies and ammunition trailers behind French infantry, suddenly became prized assets for the Panzerwaffe. The Germans designated them Infanterie Schlepper UE 630(f) and converted hundreds into makeshift weapons platforms, mounting everything from 37mm anti-tank guns to rocket launchers. By 1942, these repurposed Chenillettes were crawling through the rubble of Stalingrad, hauling ammunition through the Libyan desert, and even serving as tracked ambulances on the Eastern Front. The French had built 5,168 of these machines between 1932 and 1940, never imagining their trusty supply mules would end up serving their conquerors for the next four years. This video explores the complete history of the Renault UE Chenillette and its transformation from French packhorse to German workhorse. You'll discover its original development as a supply tractor for the Maginot Line, its technical specifications including the underpowered 38-horsepower engine and its ability to carry 350 kilograms of cargo, and its limited combat service with French forces during the catastrophic 1940 campaign. We examine how the Wehrmacht systematically converted captured examples into weapons carriers, self-propelled guns, cable layers, and even experimental flamethrower vehicles. The video compares the UE to similar supply vehicles like the British Universal Carrier and German Kettenkrad, revealing why this French design proved so adaptable. Finally, we trace the Chenillette's final fate serving on every front from Normandy to the Balkans until Germany's defeat, with surviving examples scattered in museums from Paris to Moscow. Subscribe to Forgotten War Relics for more incredible stories of captured, converted, and forgotten military machines that changed hands and changed history. #RenaultUE #Chenillette #CapturedTanks #Wehrmacht #FrenchArmy #WW2History #MilitaryHistory #ForgottenVehicles #WWII