Breton-Prétot machine [SEP] country of origin
Breton-Prétot machine
The Breton-Prétot machine was an experimental wire-cutting device developed in France from November 1914. It was developed by Mr. Prétot, engineer, and Jules-Louis Breton, member of the French National Assembly.
Background.
The immobility of the trench warfare characterizing the First World War led to a need for a powerfully armed military engine that would be at the same time protected from enemy fire and could move on the extremely irregular terrain of battlefields. Barbed wire especially posed a considerable threat
wire cutter by engineer and Member of Parliament Jules-Louis Breton, the Breton-Prétot machine. Ten of the fifteen available "Baby Holt" vehicles were to be armoured and fitted with the wire cutter of which ten systems had been ordered on 7 August. This involved the "Service Automobile" in the project. On 10 September, new experiments were made for "Commandant" L. Ferrus, an officer who had been involved in the study (and ultimate rejection) of the Levavasseur tank project in 1908.
Development The