Renault Taxi de la Marne

Last updated
Renault Taxi de la Marne
Taxi de la Marne Renault Type AG 1913.JPG
Overview
Manufacturer Renault
Also calledRenault Type AG
Renault Type AG-1
Renault Marne Taxi
Production1905–1910
Designer Louis Renault
Body and chassis
Class 2-door taxi cab
Body style 4-door sedan
Layout FR layout
Powertrain
Engine I2, 1205 cc, 8 CV
Transmission Manual

The Renault Type AG, commonly referred to as the Renault Taxi de la Marne or Marne Taxi is a hackney carriage automobile manufactured by the French automaker Renault from 1905 to 1910. The name Taxi de la Marne was not used until the outbreak of World War I, when the fleet of Paris taxis was requisitioned by the French Army to transport troops from Paris to the First Battle of the Marne in early September 1914.

Contents

Production and sales

It was the first car produced after Marcel Renault's death in 1903, along with another four models. The vehicle was produced in Renault's 22,000 square metres (240,000 sq ft) assembly plant in Billancourt. [1]

A car-rental company in Paris ordered 1,500 cars in 1905 as a result of a recent invention that automatically calculated how much the passenger had to pay, the taximeter.[ clarification needed ] By 1907, Renault had sold over 3,000 Type AGs, with exports to Argentina, the United Kingdom, and the United States. [1] Approximately 1,100 vehicles were shipped to London to serve as taxi cabs. [1]

First Battle of the Marne

Prior to the start of the war, Paris had over 10,000 taxis. [2] However with the onset of World War I, only 3,000 taxis were still in service in Paris by September 1914; typically driven by chauffeurs aged 55 to 65. [2] Many of these taxis were Renault Type-AGs, owned by the G7 taxi company; [2] and as a result, gained the attention of the public for its role in transporting soldiers to the First Battle of the Marne from 6 September to 8 September. [3]

During the battle, the French Army's 62nd Division arrived at a railway station outside Paris, a significant distance away from the main battle. The French Army estimated it needed approximately 1,200 taxis to transport the 6,000 man division to the battle, resulting in the National Gendarmerie searching for taxis throughout Paris, and the village of Gagny. [2] On 6 September 1914, General Gallieni gathered about six hundred taxicabs at Les Invalides in central Paris to carry soldiers to the front at Nanteuil-le-Haudouin, fifty kilometres away. In the night of 6-7, two groups set off: the first, comprising 350 vehicles, departed at 10 PM, and another of 250 an hour later. [4] Each taxi carried five soldiers, four in the back and one next to the driver. [2] Only the back lights of the taxis were lit; the drivers were instructed to follow the lights of the taxi ahead. The chauffeurs were willing to provide their services to the French Army due to the promise of reimbursement for distance travelled, which resulted in races between taxi cab drivers to reach the collection points, as well as a traffic jam at the collection points themselves. [2] Most of the taxis were demobilised on 8 September but some remained longer to carry the wounded and refugees. The taxis, following city regulations, dutifully ran their meters. The French treasury reimbursed the total fare of 70,012 francs. [5] [6] [7] In total, taxis helped transport approximately 4,000 men, or five battalions to the battle. [8]

Although the Marne taxis were used to transport members of the 62nd Division, its public prominence was largely due to the improvised nature of the effort. Analysis of the battle typically view the role of the taxis' as marginal in the overall course of the battle; [2] [9] as the bulk of the 150,000 soldiers in the French 6th Army had already been brought to the battle earlier by train. [8] However, reports on the Marne taxis had a real effect in boosting the morale of French Army, and its civilian populations. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of the Marne</span> 1918 battle in the Western Front of World War I

The Second Battle of the Marne was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, supported by several hundreds of tanks, overwhelmed the Germans on their right flank, inflicting severe casualties. The German defeat marked the start of the relentless Allied advance which culminated in the Armistice with Germany about 100 days later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault</span> French multinational automobile manufacturer

Groupe Renault is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans and in the past, has manufactured trucks, tractors, tanks, buses/coaches, aircraft and aircraft engines, and autorail vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of the Marne</span> World War I battle

The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by occupying Paris and destroying the French and British armies (Allies/Entente). The Germans had initial successes in August. They were victorious in the Battles of Mons and the Frontiers and overran a large area of northern France and Belgium. In what is called the Great Retreat the Germans pursued the retreating Franco/British forces more than 250 km (160 mi) southward. The French and British halted their retreat in the Marne River valley while the Germans advanced to 40 km (25 mi) from Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault FT</span> French light tank

The Renault FT was a French light tank that was among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history. The FT was the first production tank to have its armament within a fully rotating turret. The Renault FT's configuration became and remains the standard tank layout. Consequently, some armoured warfare historians have called the Renault FT the world's first modern tank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chasseurs d'Afrique</span> Military unit type of France

The Chasseurs d'Afrique were a light cavalry corps of chasseurs in the French Armée d'Afrique. First raised in 1831 from regular French cavalry posted to Algeria, they numbered five regiments by World War II. For most of their history they were recruited from either French volunteers or French settlers in North Africa doing their military service. As such they were the mounted equivalent of the French Zouave infantry. The other major cavalry element in the Armee d'Afrique were the Spahis—recruited from the indigenous peoples of Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco with mostly French officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Renault (industrialist)</span> French industrialist (1877–1944)

Louis Renault was a French industrialist, one of the founders of Renault, and a pioneer of the automobile industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michel-Joseph Maunoury</span> French Military Commander

Michel-Joseph Maunoury was a commander of French forces in the early days of World War I who was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Paris</span> Overview of transport in the capital city of France

Paris is the centre of a national, and with air travel, international, complex transport system. The modern system has been superimposed on a complex map of streets and wide boulevards that were set in their current routes in the 19th century. On a national level, it is the centre of a web of road and railway, and at a more local level, it is covered with a dense mesh of bus, tram and metro service networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Industrias Kaiser Argentina</span> Argentine motor car company

Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A. was an Argentine automobile manufacturer established in 1956 as a joint venture with Kaiser Motors of the United States. Headquartered in Santa Isabel, Córdoba, the automaker produced a variety of Kaiser Jeep vehicles and American Motors Corporation (AMC) models, including Argentina's most iconic car, the Torino, before partnering with France's Renault, which bought it out in 1970.

The A.M. was a range of automobiles manufactured by the French firm of Ateliers Veuve A. de Mesmay. The vehicles were produced in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, France, from 1906 to 1914 and marketed under the name Automobiles 'Abeille' de Mesmay. They were powered by petrol engines of various sizes made by the de Mesmay firm, all marketed under the 'Abeille' (En:'Bee') trade name. The same engines and chassis were used in the AML and AMC range of commercial vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taxi</span> Type of vehicle for hire with a driver

A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice. This differs from public transport where the pick-up and drop-off locations are decided by the service provider, not by the customers, although demand responsive transport and share taxis provide a hybrid bus/taxi mode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limousine</span> Luxury car with division driven by a chauffeur

A limousine, or limo for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment which can be operated mechanically by hand or by a button electronically. A luxury sedan with a very long wheelbase and driven by a professional driver is called a stretch limousine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Army in World War I</span>

During World War I, France was one of the Triple Entente powers allied against the Central Powers. Although fighting occurred worldwide, the bulk of the French Army's operations occurred in Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Alsace-Lorraine along what came to be known as the Western Front, which consisted mainly of trench warfare. Specific operational, tactical, and strategic decisions by the high command on both sides of the conflict led to shifts in organizational capacity, as the French Army tried to respond to day-to-day fighting and long-term strategic and operational agendas. In particular, many problems caused the French high command to re-evaluate standard procedures, revise its command structures, re-equip the army, and to develop different tactical approaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Grand Couronné</span> 1914 battle between French and German armies in World War I

The Battle of Grand Couronné from 4 to 13 September 1914, took place in France after the Battle of the Frontiers, at the beginning of the First World War. After the German victories of Sarrebourg and Morhange, pursuit by the German 6th Army and the 7th Army, took four days to regain contact with the French and attack to break through French defences on the Moselle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corre La Licorne</span>

Corre La Licorne was a French car maker founded 1901 in Levallois-Perret, at the north-western edge of central Paris, by Jean-Marie Corre. Cars were produced until 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RCI Banque</span> France-based finance company

RCI Banque SA, trading as Mobilize Financial Services, is a France-based international company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Renault and part of Renault's Mobilize unit. RCI Banque specialises in automotive financing, insurance, and related activities for the Renault group brands globally for the Nissan group brands in Europe, Russia, Asia and South America; and for Mitsubishi Motors in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault Classic</span>

Renault Classic is a department within the Marketing and Communications Branch of the French automobile brand Renault. This department preserves, renovates and exhibits historical Renault vehicles. Until 2011, the Renault Classic department was called Renault Histoire et Collection. Prior to moving to Plessis-Robinson, the collection was based Boulogne-Billancourt, in the western suburbs of Paris, France. The technical division is located in the Renault Flins factory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paris in World War I</span>

Parisians entered the First World War (1914-1918) in August 1914 on a wave of patriotic fervor, but within a few weeks Paris was close to the front lines and bombarded by German aircraft and artillery. The Parisians endured food shortages, rationing, and an epidemic of influenza, but morale remained high until near the end of the war. With the departure of young men to the front lines, women took a much greater place in the work force. The city also saw a large influx of immigrants who came to work in the defense factories. The end of the war on November 11, 1918, saw huge celebrations on the boulevards of Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Trouée de Charmes</span>

The Battle of the Trouée de Charmes or Battle of the Mortagne was fought at the beginning of the First World War, between 24 and 26 August 1914 by the French Second Army and the German 6th Army, after the big German victory at the Battle of the Frontiers, earlier in August.

The Royal Automobile Club Volunteer Force was a group of civilian members of the Royal Automobile Club, who at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, took their personal cars and joined the British Army in France and Belgium, to act as chauffeurs for senior officers. Following their involvement in the early battles of the war, several of their number were appointed to senior positions in the British military establishment.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jacobs, A. J. (2015). The New Domestic Automakers in the United States and Canada: History, Impacts, and Prospects. Lexington Books. p. 43. ISBN   978-0-7391-8826-2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mom 2014, p. 244.
  3. Mom 2014, p. 243.
  4. "Septembre 1914 - Les taxis de la Marne".
  5. Boucard 2013, p. 750.
  6. Fierro 1996, p. 1166.
  7. Tyng 1935, pp. 239–40.
  8. 1 2 Mom 2014, p. 245.
  9. 1 2 Hanc, John (24 July 2014). "A Fleet of Taxis Did Not Really Save Paris From the Germans During World War I". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2019.

Sources

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Renault Taxi de la Marne at Wikimedia Commons