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Description
The Artillerie Spéciale (Special Artillery - AS) was the name of the French tank corps during the Great War. Lead by the enthusiastic and forward thinking General Estienne, this branch of the French Army would be raised and developed at the same rate as the British tank corps. With the help of his initiative, the AS would have an impressive array of talented staff for the tank crews which included officers taken from the cavalry, heavy artillery, and DSA. The AS would be considered a specialist role within the military, and thus given elite troop status. While this would typically mean that the soldiers would be given a distinctive uniform, there was an initial rejection of any unique uniforms for the tank crews. One of the main reasons for pushback against a unique uniform for the Artillerie Spéciale was due to operational security. It was considered extremely important to move the tanks in secret when preparing for an attack, so having a distinct uniform for the tankiste would indicate the presence of tanks to enemy reconnaissance and the enemy would be able to prepare accordingly. This notion was quickly dismissed and it was decided that a unique uniform would be created to distinguish the new units as elite troops. Officers were instructed to wear unmarked and indistinct uniforms when in transit to the battlefield, and tankiste were instructed to keep their uniform plain until they reached the frontlines. The uniform would be further developed by the tankiste themselves in the field to maximize their performance. While these modifications were unregulated and technically illegal, French High Command would allow these modifications as they knew that the best place to test new uniform effectiveness was in combat. The frontline is where the unregulated modifications to the uniform would take place and where the tank uniform would be further developed. The Artillerie Spéciale, much like the Aéronautique Militaire, was a new type of military branch and General Estienne believed that the soldiers on the ground should be given the initiative to optimize their equipment to function best for them. Modifications to the uniform made during the war by the original tank crews would be improved and adopted as standard issue equipment for new recruits after the war's end. The French High Command's acceptance of uniform development from the ground up allowed the French tank uniform of the Great War and the few decades after to be the perfect blend of utilitarian simplicity and distinct esprit de corps not seen in any other military unit.

Description
The Artillerie Spéciale (Special Artillery - AS) was the name of the French tank corps during the Great War. Lead by the enthusiastic and forward thinking General Estienne, this branch of the French Army would be raised and developed at the same rate as the British tank corps. With the help of his initiative, the AS would have an impressive array of talented staff for the tank crews which included officers taken from the cavalry, heavy artillery, and DSA. The AS would be considered a specialist role within the military, and thus given elite troop status. While this would typically mean that the soldiers would be given a distinctive uniform, there was an initial rejection of any unique uniforms for the tank crews. One of the main reasons for pushback against a unique uniform for the Artillerie Spéciale was due to operational security. It was considered extremely important to move the tanks in secret when preparing for an attack, so having a distinct uniform for the tankiste would indicate the presence of tanks to enemy reconnaissance and the enemy would be able to prepare accordingly. This notion was quickly dismissed and it was decided that a unique uniform would be created to distinguish the new units as elite troops. Officers were instructed to wear unmarked and indistinct uniforms when in transit to the battlefield, and tankiste were instructed to keep their uniform plain until they reached the frontlines. The uniform would be further developed by the tankiste themselves in the field to maximize their performance. While these modifications were unregulated and technically illegal, French High Command would allow these modifications as they knew that the best place to test new uniform effectiveness was in combat. The frontline is where the unregulated modifications to the uniform would take place and where the tank uniform would be further developed. The Artillerie Spéciale, much like the Aéronautique Militaire, was a new type of military branch and General Estienne believed that the soldiers on the ground should be given the initiative to optimize their equipment to function best for them. Modifications to the uniform made during the war by the original tank crews would be improved and adopted as standard issue equipment for new recruits after the war's end. The French High Command's acceptance of uniform development from the ground up allowed the French tank uniform of the Great War and the few decades after to be the perfect blend of utilitarian simplicity and distinct esprit de corps not seen in any other military unit.