French armored vehicles in World War II. Tanks of France Modern tanks of France

The second country to use tanks on the battlefield was France. Stuck in a static environment, they understood the superiority of defensive means over attacking ones. To change the balance it was necessary to use a radically new weapon of attack.

The first French combat tank was ready in September 1916 thanks to the activity of J. Etienne, who is considered to be the founder of French tank building. Being Chief of Staff artillery regiment, he, like other insightful commanders, saw the main possibilities for changing the situation at the front. His idea was to break through the first line of defense with tracked vehicles, and, already being directly on the first line, suppress with artillery fire the subsequent ones that were not accessible to field artillery. That is, put artillery on carts storming the defense. Looking ahead, it must be said that the armored combat vehicles that we called “tanks” were called by the French precisely as “assault artillery tractors.”

The French generals, like the military leaders of other countries, were very skeptical about the idea of ​​​​building a tank, but thanks to the persistence of J. Etienne and the support of the commander-in-chief, General J. Joffre, they managed to obtain permission to build a prototype.
The leader in mechanical engineering in those years was the Renault company, headed by its founder L. Renault, so it is quite obvious that it was J. Etienne who suggested that he be the first to build a tank. He, in turn, refused, citing a lack of experience working with tracked engines. Then Etienne turned to the designer E. Brillet, the head of the Schneider company, the largest arms manufacturer, especially since he already had some similar experience; some time before that he had reserved a Holt tractor. In January 1916, with the assistance of J. Joffre, the company received an order to create 400 vehicles. These machines would later become known as "Schneider" or CA1.

For some unknown reasons, the head of the army motorization department, separately from the commander-in-chief, placed an order for the construction of 400 tanks at the FAMN company in the city of Saint-Chamon, under whose name the tanks would go into production.

A specific concept for the tank was not formulated, so France received two different models of tanks based on the Holt tracked tractor. Unlike English tanks, the tracks did not cover the perimeter of the hull; they were located on the sides and underneath, and the chassis was sprung, which greatly simplified the operation of the tanks and increased the comfort of the crew. But due to the overhang of the front part of the tank's hull over the tracks, any vertical obstacle became insurmountable.
After the first successes, Etienne again turned to Louis Renault, this time he did not refuse, especially since Etienne was able to more specifically formulate the task - a light infantry escort tank on the battlefield, with a less noticeable silhouette and less vulnerability. The result was one of the most iconic tanks in the world - the Renault FT.

Development of tank building

Until the end of the First World War, the FCM company developed heavy tanks 1A and 1B, but things did not go further than the development of prototypes.

After the war, France had the most a large number of battle tanks. On this basis, General Etienne tried to organize independent tank forces divided into light, heavy, and medium tanks.
The generals thought differently, and from 1920 all tank units were subordinated to the infantry. A division into infantry and cavalry appeared.

But Etienne’s activity was not in vain; until 1923, the FCM company produced 10 heavy multi-turret 2C tanks, and the FAMN company produced a whole series of light tanks of the 1921, 1924, 1926 and 1928 model, under the designation M21, M24, M26 and M28. On models of this series, the French were the first in the world to use the possibility of dual cross-country ability: tracked engine + wheels. The type of propulsion varied depending on the circumstances. The most original solution was used on the M24 and M26.

Regretting the write-off of the Renault FT, created with such difficulty, they were constantly modernized. After another modification in 1927, the tank was already called NS1, and NS3 became the prototype of D1, in 1936 D1 “grew” into the medium D2.

France was not spared the craze for wedges in the 1930s. From 1931 to 1940, the French produced 6,200 light tracked vehicles UE from Renault, which in appearance resembled the English Vickers-Carden-Loyd Mk VI wedges. The troops called them “infantry tractors.”

After France adopted the army motorization program in 1931, Special attention focused only on the development of wheeled and reconnaissance vehicles. Renault is introducing the AMR light tank for this program. Without much support from senior officials. Renault and FCM are starting a joint production of the B1 heavy tank, which is not an ordinary tank in all respects.

Due to a lack of understanding of the capabilities of tanks and their assigned infantry support roles, France built only 170 new tanks in the 17 post-war years. The country did not have tank troops in 1936; at that time, the army had, in addition to the obsolete FTs, 17 B1, 17 D2 and 160 D1. After the well-known events in Spain and Ethiopia, the command, realizing the approaching threat and the complete incompatibility of its own army with the new maneuver war, adopted a 4-year army construction plan. During the period 1936-1940, 3 light mechanized, 2 tank divisions and 50 separate tank battalions equipped with new tank developments should have been organized.

Mass serial production of the H35 and R35 light tanks, newly created by Hotchkiss and Renault, begins. (the number in the name of French tanks often indicates the year of creation).
H35 was considered cavalry. The FSM company presented interesting model FCM36, but before the start of the war, due to the high cost, only 100 were produced.

In 1936, the SOMUA S-35 became the main medium tank, which was originally created for operations as part of cavalry units. Due to the absence of other similar tanks, it is credited with the role of a tank capable of independently solving tactical problems.

At the time of the German invasion, France had 2,700 light tanks in service, a little more than 300 medium, 172 heavy, old 1,600 Renault FTs and 6 2Cs. Although the number of combat vehicles increased, the lack of understanding of the doctrine of using tanks on the battlefield and poor training and manning of the crews did not bring any serious results; all the tanks were destroyed or passed into the hands of the Germans.

Modern tanks of France

After the war, tank production, like other industrial sectors, was in a completely destroyed state. The army was armed with American or captured tanks. The first post-war tank ARL-44 was released in 1945; in fact, it was the embodiment of pre-war ideas, but it was not assigned a “competitive” task, producing 50 units. the industry was revived.

In accordance with adopted in 1946 The tank building program began full-fledged mass production in 1951. light tank AMX-13, its distinctive feature is the oscillating turret.

Trying to catch up with the USSR, in 1951 a heavy tank AMX-50 was produced in a small series, which in appearance was very reminiscent of ISs. The next model of the AMX-65 heavy tank was a combination of the “pike nose” IS and a copy of the Royal Tiger.

The niche of medium tanks was occupied by the AMX-63, which entered service with the troops in 1965.

In the same year, the AMX-30 main battle tank began to enter service, which over time became the basis of the armored forces. Its further development was the AMX-40 model introduced in 1983. Models AMX-32 and AMX-40 were developed exclusively for export.

At the end of the 70s, specialists from Germany and France teamed up to jointly create the Napoleon-1 and KPz-3 tanks; in 1982, joint work was stopped. But the French continued to develop general developments, as a result of which in 1991 the third generation main battle tank AMX-48 Leclerc began to enter service with the army.

Serial tanks of France

Name of the tank	Released
AMX-48 "Leclerc"

Hello, fellow tankers! Today we will look at French branch of tank development(V game World of Tanks), or rather, I will describe to you all its pros and cons in as much detail as possible from my point of view and, perhaps, help you decide on the choice of nation.

Popularity of French tanks in World of Tanks

Vive La France! Indeed, glory be, France! French vehicles are the best vehicles in the game! Many people can say so. And for good reason. French tanks are considered master and bender tanks, and this is due to their many excellent abilities, which you can read about in the pros/cons section.

Advantages and disadvantages of French tanks

The fastest, most dynamic, high-speed, etc. French tanks are considered to be in the game. Also, the nickname “barabashki” firmly stuck to them. These are all considered positive aspects. And now more details. As mentioned earlier, the huge advantages of French technology are speed and maneuverability (except for the initial levels and tanks such as the AMX 40). Good dynamics in the French it begins to be felt with the light tank ELC AMX. After the sixth level (except for light tanks, they have from the fifth) there are fast tanks, including heavy ones.

• Significant advantages are French guns. For many, the presence is controversial, although in general it often helps in difficult situations. The real advantage of their guns is their armor penetration. Each tank has a different one. One-time damage cannot be considered a plus (except for top tank destroyers), but it is covered by the same drum. French tanks have good visibility, angles of inclination along which they often pass, and good maneuverability (on soil, roads, etc.).
• Minus the French is the hull reservation. In almost all cars it suffers greatly. Even heavy tanks penetrate the frontal armor quite easily and can only tank through a turret or track. The big disadvantage is for a long time reloading the gun drum.

General

Vehicles are divided into 4 initial WoT development branches: tank destroyers, armored light tanks (up to D2), heavily armored light tanks (up to ELC AMX) and self-propelled guns (artillery).

Fri-Sau

French anti-tank installations are famous for their guns, and the top tanks of this branch have drums and good armor. You can get a lot of pleasure from their penetration and damage at any level of battles, and also not be discouraged by their speed. In general, we can say about them that they are pleasant to play and they can decide the outcome of the battle. The only negative is the armor and speed (not for all anti-tank self-propelled artillery units), and the guns are the best at the level. The most popular vehicles of this type of technology are SAu-40, AMX50Foch, AMX50F155 and some low-level tank destroyers.

Armored light tanks

Light tanks of France, initial levels - this is an interesting and fun topic. They are so “light” that they crawl to positions last, and it is difficult to penetrate them. The guns don't really shine. At their level, beginners can only receive “splashes” in the form of missed shots and ricochets. It's all about D1. Following it is the almost identical D2 tank, which also has good armor and a weak gun. Heavy tanks start along this branch. And they start with the B1 tank, which is poorly armored, even for its level. Then there are also “cardboard” tanks, but with guns that are more suitable for play, and with the AMX M4 45, a loading drum and dynamics appear in tank guns.

Heavily armored light tanks

The peace-loving turtle slowly crawls out to bask in the sun, but after long search“places in the sun” small insects fly out at it and begin to shoot at the shell. The turtle quickly gets tired of all this, it pulls out its trunk and begins to destroy the enemies with less inconvenience for itself. This is how tanks can be characterized, starting with the H35 and ending with the AMX 40. These tanks have excellent armor, but not the best guns. Few beginners know where to push such machines. They are true steel monsters, but they are also too slow. There are a lot of jokes and memes written about the AMX 40, as well as about the American tank destroyer T95, so it can also be classified as a “legendary” World of Tanks. After the AMX 40 comes the no less interesting light tank ELC AMX (or simply “Christmas tree”), which will surprise you with its speed, top gun and low silhouette. After the ELC AMX there are light tanks with a drum loading mechanism: AMX 12t, AMX 13 75, AMX 13 90. After that come the medium tanks, where the top BatChat 25 is located, with its incomparable popularity among the top medium tanks.

self-propelled guns

French artillery as controversial as all French tanks. She is fast, maneuverable, has worse damage, but has the best penetration at her level, and B.Chat. 155 has a constant loading drum and a turret that rotates 360 degrees. About the French artillery it was subtly noted in the joke: “The French artillery is so severe that it is on its own.” The guns are quite accurate, which makes it possible to fire “gold” shells.

Bottom line

To summarize, we can say that French tanks are good for experienced players and professionals, they are convenient for their speed and gun penetration, but they are clearly not for beginners, because... due to their armor, they do not forgive any mistakes (except for the initial levels of tanks of this nation). They are fun to play, but quite difficult to play alone, and again, because of the armor and the drum, you can’t hold the direction alone. They may well be a good competitor to any nation, and in a platoon they can completely take over the entire battle. It is recommended to download French tanks to participate in clan championships, as well as simply to gain experience in order to experience the full taste of these entertaining machines. When downloading this nation, it is worth remembering that these are high-speed vehicles and are more suitable for supporting allies.

• Light equipment
• Medium tanks
• Heavy

French tanks of the Second World War, in short, although they had good characteristics, could not compete with the more modernized equipment of the enemy. And they didn’t really have to take part in battles. Although some of them still managed to go through the entire war in various theaters of military operations. The truth is not always in its original quality.

Light equipment

Medium tanks

Heavy French tanks

• B1 - heavy tank French army actively participated in battles with the German occupiers and showed good results.
• Therefore, after the capture of France, it was not only adopted by the Wehrmacht tank forces, but also actively used on the battlefields with the Soviet army.
• True, tanks in the best technical condition were selected for these purposes, and the rest were converted into self-propelled guns and flamethrower tanks.
• Speaking about French tanks, it is worth mentioning the “FCM” Char 2-C, which was the largest serial tank that time. Weighing 75 tons, its dimensions were 10.27 m in length, 3.0 in width and 4.09 in height.
• It was armed with a 75 mm cannon and four machine guns, and its crew consisted of 12-13 soldiers.
• However, he never took part in the battles of World War 2, since the train with combat vehicles was destroyed by German aircraft.

At the start of World War II, France came up with a highly controversial set of tanks. While most tank-building powers had by that time taken up the development and production of medium tanks, in the French army the situation with middle-class vehicles was almost catastrophic. Orientation of production towards the production of light tanksRenault R 35 and “battle” (actually heavy) tanksChar B1 bis led to the fact that the French infantry had only fifty medium tanks.

Against this background, it is still quite unexpected that France still built medium tanks in large quantities, albeit for cavalry, and they were officially called armored vehicles. This is aboutSOMUA S35, a cavalry tank, which in terms of its overall combat characteristics was the best French tank of the pre-war period.

Thick-skinned cavalryman

The fairly strong position of the cavalry in the French army led to the fact that by the beginning of the 30s a situation had developed here that was very similar to what was happening at that time in the USA and Japan. Officially, the cavalry did not have their own tanks in all these countries, because such vehicles were traditionally intended to support infantry units. But in fact a new type of tank appeared, in different countries called either a “combat vehicle” or an “armored car.” In fact, these were real tanks, sometimes even middle class, but, as a rule, they were light tanks with a crew of 2–4 people and the main armament in the form of machine guns. The main requirement for such combat vehicles was high mobility.

At first, French cavalry tanks developed in the same direction. The armored firstborn of the French cavalry was the AMR 33 (Automitrailleuse de reconnaissance, “reconnaissance armored car”), later the more advanced AMR 35 appeared. These two-seater vehicles with machine gun armament were quite consistent with the classic idea of ​​cavalry tanks. In parallel with the AMR program, launched in 1931, a program to create a more powerful “armored car” - AMC (Automitrailleuse de combat, armored combat vehicle) was launched. Here the first-born was the Schneider P16 half-track armored car, which had more serious weapons in the form of a 37-mm SA 18 cannon and a coaxial machine gun.

But since 1933 the situation began to change. This was not least due to the activity of the Hotchkiss company, which proposed the concept light tank, in the design of which casting was massively used. On August 2, a specification for a new combat vehicle was developed, to which 14 companies responded. The Hotchkiss company, however, quickly refused to participate in the competition. It is possible that Saint-Denis sensibly assessed their chances of victory and began to look for an alternative customer, who was found in the person of the cavalry command. As a result, a tank very similar to the Renault R 35, but almost one and a half times faster, designated Hotchkiss H 35, ended up in service with the French cavalry. Moreover, here he managed to “eat” the AMR 35, occupying, among other things, its niche.

The Schneider-Creusot concern also participated in the same competition for the development of a light tank. Unfortunately, there is no data on this car, we only know that it was designed as a two-seater. The development was carried out by a subsidiary of Société d'outillage mécanique et d'usinage d'artillerie (SOMUA). It is worth noting that starting with the Schneider CA1, the first production French tank, it was SOMUA that dealt with the concern's armored tank orders. This also applied to the development of the Char B , and cavalry combat vehicles.

Even before the competition for the light 6-ton tank began, the Saint-Ouen firm was developing the SOMUA AC 1 half-track armored vehicle within the AMC theme. Unlike the Schneider P16, this three-seat vehicle had a more tank-like layout. Later, a heavier armored car, the SOMUA AC 2, began to be designed. At the same time, the cavalry command increasingly understood that it needed a tank instead of an armored car.

A characteristic detail of the model is a large muffler. A less bulky design was made in metal

In the early spring of 1934, a meeting took place between SOMUA and the cavalry command. In its course, the concept of a new tank was born, the design of which combined technical solutions light car, created for the 1933 competition and (partly) the requirements for AMC armored vehicles. The combat weight of the three-seater vehicle was estimated at 13 tons, while it had to reach a speed of at least 30 km/h, have 30 mm thick armor and a cruising range of 200 kilometers.

In May, the armor thickness was increased to 40 mm, which should have been enough to provide reliable protection against a 25 mm anti-tank gun. It was planned to use a 47-mm cannon and a coaxial machine gun as weapons. In general, the result was not an armored car, but a real medium tank, similar to the Renault D2, but at the same time having a higher speed. The program was finally approved on June 26, 1934 by the commander of the French cavalry, General Flavigny.

190-horsepower engine, which was developed with the participation of Janvier, Sabin et Cie

The development of the machine, designated SOMUA AC 3, became a real challenge for the company from Saint-Ouen. A number of serious issues arose that needed to be resolved quickly. This was especially true for the power plant. SOMUA produced trucks, but their engines were not suitable for the new tank. A more powerful power plant was needed, and quite urgently. SOMUA turned to Janvier, Sabin et Cie, which was designing the motors. In quite short term an 8-cylinder V-shaped power plant was developed there. A set of drawings was purchased, on the basis of which SOMUA built its own engine, the design partly resembling the Hispano-Suiza 8B aircraft engine. With a volume of 12.7 liters, it developed a power of 190 horsepower.

The AC 3 suspension design turned out to be similar to the one that Škoda designed for its tanks

No less pressing was the question of chassis. There was nothing suitable in the SOMUA range of equipment, so the chassis had to be developed from scratch. It was here that the “Czechoslovak” trace, beloved by many historians, surfaced. Indeed, there was a partnership between Schneider-Creusot and Škoda, and it was this that allowed SOMUA to make things easier for itself. True, for some reason the Škoda Š-II-a, aka LT vz.35, is usually indicated as the basis for copying the chassis and especially the suspension. An extremely dubious statement, since the development of this Czechoslovakian tank began around the same time as the AC 3. For some reason, researchers forget the fact that Škoda used a similar suspension earlier - on light tankŠ-II, aka Škoda SU. The SOMUA suspension developed on this basis was slightly different in design. However, her Czechoslovak origin is beyond doubt.

Automitrailleuse de combat AC 3 during testing, spring 1935. Ballast installed instead of tower

The preliminary design of the AC 3, as well as its 1:10 scale wooden model, were prepared by SOMUA by October 1934. Renault also did not sit idly by: not wanting to lose the opportunity to get an impressive contract for the production of six hundred AMCs, the factory design bureau quickly developed a project designated as AMC 40 mm. There is no detailed information on this development, but most likely it was about the development of the Renault YR cavalry tank, also known as AMC 34. In any case, the cavalry rejected this project, without even spending money on making a prototype. But for AC 3 the situation turned out completely differently: on October 12, 1934, an order was received for the production of a prototype of the machine.

You can clearly see how the AC 3 differs from the front from the production tank

Work on the construction of the SOMUA AC 3 began in November 1934, and already on April 11, 1935, the machine with registration number 745-W1 was ready. Taking into account the fact that we had to start from scratch for many components and assemblies, the deadlines look very tight. During development, significant changes had to be made to the original technical specifications. With the specified armor thickness, it turned out to be unrealistic to keep the combat weight within 13 tons, so the bar for AC 3 was raised to 17 tons. Since there was no tower at the time of construction, ballast was installed on top of the vehicle instead. It was in this form that the cavalry tank underwent testing, which lasted from July 4 to August 2, 1935 in Vincennes.

AC 3 after conversion, March 1936. The tank received an APX 1 turret and a 47 mm SA 34 gun

The resulting tank from SOMUA engineers turned out to be typical of French pre-war tank building. It made maximum use of the Hotchkiss idea of ​​assembling a tank hull from large cast parts. The hull consisted of only four main parts: two halves of the lower part of the hull, the turret box and the box covering the engine and transmission compartment. These parts were fastened together using bolted connections. Of course, the manufacture of such large parts required the highest precision, but assembling them was not difficult.

It is worth noting that the body configuration of the AC 3 was still far from what the production machines had. There were also obvious mistakes, the most visible of which were the headlights, located directly in the forehead of the body. The viewing devices in the front part of the hull were also not the most successful design. They turned out to be bulky and were bolted on; this design was vulnerable. However, that’s what it was done for prototype in order to identify design flaws during testing and eliminate them.

Much more important was that, in terms of its characteristics, the SOMUA AC 3 turned out to be perhaps the best medium tank. Possessing projectile-proof armor that, at a distance of over 300 meters, quite confidently “held” the projectile of the German 3.7 cm Pak anti-tank gun, this vehicle had something that the similar Renault D2 was deprived of – good mobility. The test results exceeded the cavalry's expectations. The maximum speed of the tracked “armored car” exceeded the requirements by 10 km/h, while the vehicle had decent characteristics in terms of cross-country ability. The successful suspension design ensured an acceptable ride, and visibility, despite the need to refine the viewing devices, turned out to be quite decent.

After the tests were completed, the tank went to the factory, where work on its alteration was carried out until March 1936. Already at the end of November 1935, it was decided that AC 3 would go into production. It was accepted into service on March 25, 1936 under the designation Automitrailleuse de Combat modèle 1935 S. Later it was called the Char 1935 S, but this tank is better known as the SOMUA S 35.

A masterpiece in the middle class

Contract No. 60 178 D/P for the production of 50 tanks was concluded on March 25, 1936, but in fact it was known about it as early as November 21, 1935. Initially, the cavalry had grandiose plans for the SOMUA AC 3: it was assumed that a total of 600 tanks of this type would be purchased. This number was required to equip three light mechanized divisions (Division Légère Mécanique, or DLM). However, these plans had to be adjusted quite quickly, since SOMUA’s capabilities turned out to be limited. It was thanks to this that Hotchkiss was able to find a loophole for its light tank. The order was divided in half: it was supposed to purchase 300 SOMUA S 35 and Hotchkiss H 35.

According to staffing table DLM, it was supposed to include 96 SOMUA S 35. Of this number, 84 vehicles were included in eight squadrons, another 4 vehicles acted as command tanks, and the remaining 8 were in reserve.

SOMUA AC 4 without installation of turret box and engine compartment roof

The prototype returned for testing in March 1936. In addition to eliminating design flaws discovered during testing, it was distinguished by the fact that a tower was finally installed on it. The cavalrymen did not have much freedom in choosing this part of the tank: like the Renault D2, the vehicle was equipped with an APX 1 turret equipped with a 47-mm SA 34 cannon.

However, it was not used in its original form for long: by that time it became obvious that the SA 34 was rather weak to fight tanks with armor thickness of about 60 mm. This is how the Char B1 bis was protected. For this reason, a more powerful weapon was soon installed in the turret - the SA 35, the projectile of which penetrated armor 60 mm thick at a distance of a kilometer. However, the first 4 production SOMUA S 35s received APX 1 turrets with SA 34 cannons, which were later replaced by APX-1 CE turrets with SA 35 cannons. These vehicles were manufactured in January 1936 and went to the 4th Panzer (Cuirassier) ) regiment for testing.

SOMUA S 35, registration number 67225, the third production copy of the tank. Additional fuel tanks are clearly visible

Based on the results of tests and improvements, a modernized version of AC 3 appeared, which received the factory designation AC 4. It was this machine that became the model serial version SOMUA S 35. The first tanks of a large series began to be produced in July 1936, but until January 1937 these vehicles remained unready. This time, the bottleneck turned out to be the production capabilities of the related company APX. We had to wait six months for the towers to be delivered, during which time one important change was made to their tower design. The fact is that the diameter of the APX 1 shoulder strap was only 1022 mm; this was not enough for normal use of a 47 mm gun. The result of the improvements was the appearance of an improved turret, designated APX 1 CE (chemin élargi, that is, increased shoulder straps). The diameter of the turret ring increased to 1130 mm, and the additional 11 cm turned out to be quite useful.

We also had to wait for guns: mass production of the SA 35 began only in January 1937.

The same tank from the left side. A molded number is visible on the turret box, which indicates that this is chassis No. 3

There were also plenty of changes in the chassis design. Based on the results of the alterations combat mass increased to 19.5 tons, but the dynamic characteristics of the vehicle remained almost at the same level as that of the AC 3. The design of the frontal part of the hull was changed. The designers removed the headlight covers, and their shape itself became more technologically advanced.

The design of the viewing devices has noticeably improved, in addition, the driver’s position has moved slightly forward, which improves visibility. The front viewing device was made to fold up, thereby improving visibility in stowed position. The viewing devices were also changed on the tower, which, although called APX 1 CE, was structurally almost no different from APX 4.

The rear part of the hull has also undergone a number of changes. The blinds, which were quite rightly considered a vulnerable spot, were removed from the sides of the over-engine plate. The design of the tracks has changed somewhat. Another important innovation was the appearance of additional fuel tanks. They were placed on the starboard side; thanks to the well-designed fastening design, the tanks could be quickly removed.

This tank does not yet have viewing devices. There was a delay in their delivery, for this reason some of the tanks went to the troops without them

The contract for the production of the first 50 tanks was completed in the second quarter of 1937. The vehicles manufactured under it received registration numbers 67 225 – 67 274. All tanks built under this contract went to 1 DLM. Meanwhile, back in 1936, a second contract was signed with SOMUA, No. 61 361 D/P, which also provided for the production of 50 tanks. For a number of reasons, mainly related to the unhurried actions of subcontractors, work on the production of this batch was delayed. By January 15, 1938, only 17 tanks were delivered, and all 50 vehicles were built by April 15. At the same time, the vehicles were delivered to units that were understaffed, including viewing devices.

At the Bastille Day parade held on July 14, 1938, the SOMUA S 35 made its first public appearance. The tanks of the second production series, which were part of the 2nd DLM, were in service. So, even on these machines there were no viewing devices in the body. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg: due to the slowness of the APX company, whose tank production had by that time been nationalized and renamed ARL, even by the summer of 1938, not all SOMUA S 35 had turrets.

Tanks of the second series received registration numbers 22 332 – 22 381.

Tank with registration number 67237, rear view. Chains were a very common type of transport hitch at the time.

Problems with related suppliers also affected the third series of vehicles, produced under contract No. 70 919 D/P, signed in 1937. Unlike the first two contracts, the third provided for the production of 100 tanks. The vehicles, which received registration numbers 819–918, were used to complete the 1st and 2nd DLM. By July 15, 1938, 28 tanks had been produced, but of all 128 SOMUA S 35s accepted by that time, only 96 had turrets. The tanks of the third series were finally delivered in March 1939.

It may seem that work on the production of SOMUA S 35 was going slowly, but in fact, 200 tanks in 2.5 years is a lot for French tank building in peacetime. For comparison, the first order for the Char B1 bis was received on October 8, 1936, and by March 1939, the efforts of three companies managed to produce only 90 of these tanks.

First public demonstration of SOMUA S 35, Paris, July 14, 1938. Tanks still have not received viewing devices

Thanks to the execution of the first contracts, it was possible to completely saturate two light mechanized divisions with medium cavalry tanks. Of course, the issue did not end there. Moreover, the order was expanded to 500 tanks. In 1938, contract No. 80 353 D/P was signed for the production of 125 tanks. These vehicles were supposed to be sent to recruit the 3rd DML, which had not yet been formed at that time. By September 1, 1939, 61 vehicles had been delivered, and 9 more were under construction. After the outbreak of World War II, the pace of production increased: if in September SOMUA delivered 11 tanks, then in the following months 13 vehicles left Saint-Ouen every month. Thanks to this, already in the first ten days of January 1940, the last tanks under contract No. 80 353 D/P left the plant. These cars received registration numbers 10,634 – 10,758.

Tank assembly at the SOMUA plant, November 1939. The technology of using large cast parts assembled with bolts greatly simplified assembly. As a result, SOMUA ensured a relatively high production rate

At the end of September 1939, production plans for the SOMUA S 35 were revised again. The total volume was reduced to 450 units, then it was planned to produce a more advanced model, designated SOMUA S 40. The last contract for the construction of SOMUA S 35 was supposed to be No. 88 216 D/P, concluded back in 1938, which provided for the production of 125 tanks. It began to be implemented in January 1940, when 16 tanks were produced. Starting in March 1940, production volumes increased; already in May, 22 tanks were delivered monthly. Registration numbers 50,210 – 50,334 were reserved for the vehicles produced under this contract. In fact, fewer tanks were produced than planned: already in June, SOMUA’s production facilities were captured by advancing German units. By that time, according to various sources, from 427 to 440 tanks had been produced.

spoon of honey

Like other French tanks, the SOMUA S 35 had a number of “inherent” disadvantages. The most significant of them turned out to be a single-man tower. In addition, the progressive design and decent characteristics cost a pretty penny. For each SOMUA S 35 you had to pay a huge sum for that time of 982,000 francs, that is, almost the same as for five Renault R 35.

But from the point of view of combat effectiveness, the cavalry “armored car” had no equal. Unlike slow-moving infantry tanks, SOMUA S 35 had quite decent mobility. Suffice it to say that average its speed on the highway was 30 km/h, which was more than maximum speed of French infantry tanks. No less important is that cavalry tanks were highly reliable.

A sad ending to the May-June 1940 campaign. The half-track tractor in the picture is the SOMUA MCG, the closest “relative” of the AC 1

But even with 400 high-quality tanks, it was impossible to solve all the problems of the French army. It is also important that the SOMUA S 35 crews from the 1st and 2nd DLM were truly trained. The hastily formed 3rd DLM was distinguished by much lower training, as de Gaulle also recalled. Attempts by the French command to plug all new gaps in the defense with cavalry tanks were not very successful. SOMUA S 35 was that fly in the ointment.

However, we can state the fact that the command of the French cavalry turned out to be more reasonable than the infantry command. SOMUA S 35 was one of the best tanks. These vehicles fought for quite a long time, although mostly no longer under the French flag. But this will be discussed in another article.

Sources and literature:

• Materials Center des archives de l "Armement et du personnel civil (CAAPC)
• SOMUA S 35, Pascal Danjou, TRACKSTORY No. 1, 2003
• The Encyclopedia of French Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles: 1914–1940, François Vauvillier, Histoire & Collections, 2014
• GBM 105, 106, HS1

French armored vehicles in World War II

Leo Cherry

INTRODUCTION

On May 10, 1940, an event occurred that completely changed humanity’s understanding of war as such. German troops crossed the borders with Belgium, Holland, France and Luxembourg over the next ten days (05/10-05/20/1940) and defeated in a series of oncoming battles of the best army in the world, which had the status of “winner in the First World War”, relying on the most powerful in the history of mankind defensive lines and had support from the entire West. In the next 10-15 days, there was a complete and final defeat of this army and its allies, then for another 15-20 days there was a methodical collection of the most grandiose trophies in the history of mankind.
Among these, the Germans received more than 4,500 tanks, self-propelled guns and wedges, which they subsequently used throughout the war. The Germans left only a few armored cars to the Vichy government, and the rest were French, Belgian and British armored vehicles included in their armored forces.
Of all 2909 units of German armored vehicles, only 1150 had anti-ballistic armor (25-30mm) and anti-tank gun(37-75mm).
The Allies had at least 3,295 vehicles with shell-resistant armor, and 2,300 Allied tanks had guns capable of hitting any armored unit in service with the German army, including even the PzKpfw IV and StuG III. While more than 1600 German vehicles (PzKpfw I and PzKpfw II) did not have any special chance in a collision with any armored unit of the French army, except perhaps only tankettes of the AMR 33 type.
In fact, the Allied armored forces had an almost threefold tactical superiority over the enemy in terms of armor and guns (this will be written in detail).
This article will be devoted to an analysis of why, having such a superiority in forces, the Allies suffered such a quick defeat, and why such a huge amount of their armored vehicles were adopted by the victorious side (an exceptional phenomenon in the military history of mankind!).

1. FRENCH ARMORED VEHICLES.

1.1. FRENCH WEDDINGS AND OBSOLETE TANKS:

French wedges were presented in two models:

1. AMR 33 (123 manufactured - transferred to the Wehrmacht as Panzerspahwagen VM 701(f).)
2. AMR 35 (more than 240 units were manufactured - transferred to the Wehrmacht as Panzerspahwagen ZT I 702 (f).)

The design features of French wedges are:
a) the armor is quite serious for such vehicles (13mm forehead and 5-10mm hull)
b) a powerful engine (about 82 hp), which gave power density with the weight of the machines themselves being 5-6.5 tons - 16.5-14 hp/t. Combined with an excellent tracked chassis, this provided the French wedges with a highway speed of about 55-60 km/h, overcoming a 1.5 m wide ditch and overcoming a climb of up to 40 degrees, which made them perhaps the best vehicles in their class. The AMR 35 was even equipped with a 25 mm automatic cannon, and the Germans used some of the vehicles as a tracked base for the 8 cm G.W.34 mortar.

The tank's hull and turret were assembled on an angle frame made of steel armor plates using riveted joints. The armor plates had small angles of inclination. The tank's turret was shifted relative to the longitudinal axis to the left side, and the Reinstella engine was shifted to the right. The machine gun was mounted in the turret in a special ball mount. The layout of the tank was classic - the control compartment and the fighting compartment were in front, and the engine was located at the rear of the vehicle on the right. The crew of the tank consisted of two people. One of them served as a driver and was located in the vehicle body in front on the left, almost in front of the turret. Another crew member served as commander and was in the turret, firing if necessary from standard weapons - a 7.5 mm Reibel machine gun with 2,500 rounds of ammunition. The AMR 35 variant also provided for the installation of a large-caliber 13.2-mm Hotchkiss machine gun with 750 rounds of ammunition on late-release versions or a 25-mm automatic cannon.

By the beginning of World War II in September 1939, the French armed forces numbered 139 AMR 35 of three modifications: 129 AMR 35 ZT and 10 AMR 35 ZT2/AMR 35 ZT3. They were part of the following units:

1st Motorized Dragoon Regiment Regiment Dragons Portes (RDP) 1st Mechanized Cavalry Division Division Lxgxre Mecanique (DLM) - 69 vehicles.
4th RDP 2nd DLM - 69 vehicles.
7th tank reconnaissance group Groupe de Reconnaissance de Division d "Infanterie (GRDI) of the 1st mechanized infantry cavalry division Division d'Infanterie Mecanique (DIM) - 4 vehicles.
6th tank reconnaissance group GRDI 3rd DIM - 4 AMR 35 tanks of modification ZT2/ZT3.

Despite some shortcomings, the tanks had high speed and good maneuverability, for which they enjoyed well-deserved respect in French armored units and subunits. In the wedge class, they can be called excellent machines!

The Germans actively used them throughout the war as patrol, security and reconnaissance vehicles, as well as during the counter-guerrilla war.

3. Renault FT-17/18

The next model is the famous Renault FT-17, which was carried over from the First World War, and its modification, the Renault FT-18. Developed in 1916-1917 under the leadership of Louis Renault as a direct infantry support tank. Adopted by the French army in 1917.

A distinctive feature of the Renault FT-18 model from the basic version from the First World War is the presence of a cast turret with a Puteaux SA 18 cannon and 22mm armor. At the same time, the base of the tank was the same from Renault FT-17 (armor with rivets to a single frame of 16mm sheets, 45 hp engine, classic layout for a crew of 2 people).
A total of 3,737 units were delivered to the French army. Renault FT-17/18, all models and types.

By the time of the German attack on France in May 1940. About 1,580 vehicles of this type served in the French army, with at least 500 units. of these were later transferred to the German army, where they were used under the designations: Pz.Kpfw.17R 730(f) or Pz.Kpfw.18R 730(f).
What is the reason for the “survivability” of this model? There are several reasons:

A) an extremely unpretentious and simple machine. Easy to operate and versatile to use. In the French version, the Puteaux SA 18 gun had an armor-piercing projectile capable of hitting all types of wedges and light tanks with bulletproof armor. Its armor penetration was about 12-15mm at a distance of up to 200m.
It could be used as a patrol vehicle and for reconnaissance and to accompany infantry and to destroy tankettes and some light tanks of the enemy. The Germans also often used it as a training vehicle.

B) the French modernized them quite well and tried to squeeze the maximum possible out of the main workhorse of the First World War. Moreover, curiously, the Soviet analogue of the Renault FT-18 - the T-18 tank was removed from service by the beginning of World War II and most of the vehicles were dismantled, but the French vehicles continued to serve and were indispensable for guarding airfields, reconnaissance and partly in counter-guerrilla warfare.

C) Renault FT-17/18 was a relatively simple tank, characterized by low ground pressure - 0.6 kg/cmx, which is important when driving over rough terrain. The tank could overcome trenches up to 1.8 meters wide and slopes up to 35°. It was well armored for vehicles of this class (16-22mm) and had a Puteaux SA 18 (21cal) cannon and a 7.92mm Hotchkiss machine gun as its main armament.

Main vulnerable spot it was low speed(17-22km/h), associated with a weak engine and an outdated agenda.
At the same time, tankettes of the PzKpfw I type and a number of others had no chance in a collision with the Renault FT-17/18. During the Polish campaign in September 1939, in the battle of Brest, only 12 such vehicles stopped 76 German tankettes and destroyed at least 20 enemy armored vehicles.
Renault FT-17/18 was invulnerable to either machine guns or even fire from the 20mm PzKpfw II gun. Its narrow contour made it difficult to hit by anti-tank guns, as well as aircraft. The Renault FT-17/18 was inconspicuous and easily blended into any background, from greenery to arable fields as an armored vehicle. In turn, he could hit any light armored vehicle of the enemy at a distance of up to 500m with an armor-piercing shell from the Puteaux SA 18 cannon, and shoot enemy infantry from a machine gun and the same SA 18 cannon, but with fragmentation grenades and buckshot.

It was a modest but difficult enemy, whose main task was to support the advance of the infantry and destroy the enemy's barbed wire and machine gun nests.

In total there were in the French army on May 10, 1940. up to 2000 units of AMR 33/35 and Renault FT-17/18. About 700 units of them later served in armored forces Wehrmacht.

1.2. LIGHT TANKS

Light tanks of the French armed forces in 1940 were represented by the following models:
1) R35 - 1935 - basic modification, the thickness of the side walls of the turret with an angle of inclination of 32° was 40 mm, the front part - 43 mm, 37 mm SA18 L/21 gun. 1237 units were produced.
2) R39 - 1939 - modification, with an SA 38 cannon with a barrel length of 34 calibers, 273 units were produced.
3) R40 - 1940 - version with a new chassis of 6 small-diameter road wheels on board with suspension on vertical springs, about 120 units were produced
4) H35 - 1935 - first production modification, 34 mm all-round armor, 37 mm SA18 L/21 gun.
5) H38 - 1938 - modification, equipped with a 120 hp engine, all-round armor increased to 40 mm, with a weight increased to 12.8 tons.
5) H39 - 1939 - modification with hull front armor reinforced to 45 mm and an SA 38 cannon with a 34-caliber barrel length. Externally, this tank was distinguished by a higher and angular engine compartment, track tracks extended to 270 mm, and metal contours on the road wheels.
7) FCM 36 - with 37 mm SA18 L/21, armor - forehead - 40 mm, body - 20 mm. and a 96hp engine. With.
Thus, the French had 1630 R 35/39/40 type vehicles and 1250 H35/38/39 type vehicles and 100 FCM 36.

Distinctive feature All models of French light tanks had powerful armor for such vehicles!
The armor of the French “light” tanks was projectile-resistant and poorly differentiated; it was a circular casting of the same thickness. At the same time, the frontal armor of the hull and turret was 40/45mm at an angle of 60 degrees, the sides (hull and turret) - 30/45mm at an angle of 30-70 degrees. and the side of the hull is 30-45mm. For comparison, the armor level of the famous Soviet T-34-76 was exactly the forehead - 45mm/60g. and side - 45mm./40 degrees. Thus, the French “light” tanks R 35 and H35 were practically not inferior (!!!) in protection to our “medium” T-34-76 and were decisively superior to all other Soviet models, both T-26 and BT, and were second only to the heavy ones KV-1/2. Of the German ones, they were inferior only to the T-III and T-IV in terms of security, and not the earlier, but the later models, which appeared only after 1940.

The second distinctive feature of “light tanks” is cast turrets and sometimes cast vehicle hulls.

The third distinctive feature: a narrow contour and a small silhouette.
Tank sizes:
Case length - 4200mm,
Case width - 1850mm,
Height - 2376mm,
Ground clearance - 320mm.

The approximate volume of “armor space” with such dimensions and slopes of the armor plates is about 6.5-7 m3 (versus 12.5 m3 for the T-26 or approximately 20 m3 for the T-34-76).

As a result, despite the powerful armor, the vehicles had a fairly light weight, ranging from 10.4-12.8 tons. depending on the model and a crew of only two people.
With such powerful armor and low weight, they had an extremely weak engine, namely an in-line 4-cylinder liquid-cooled carburetor engine manufactured by Renault, which developed a power of 82 hp. at 2200 rpm.
The speed of the tanks was 10-19 km/h. The H38/40 has a 120hp engine. - about 25-30 km/h.

Three main disadvantages:

A) weak engine.
b) a weak gun 37mm SA18 L/21 or SA 38 cannon with a 34-caliber barrel length. The first had armor penetration up to 10-12mm at a distance of up to 200m. The second is 35-28 mm at distances up to 200-500m. This was quite enough to cope with German armored vehicles of the 40th model, but not enough against Soviet tanks type T-34 or KV. Other models, such as the T-26 and BT, were easily hit by the French.
c) Weak communication system.

Total models with the SA18 L/21 gun were produced
R35 - 1237pcs.
H35 - 401pcs.
FCM 36 - 100pcs.
Vehicles with a more powerful SA 38 gun (37mm. 34cal armor penetration at a distance of 500m - 32-36mm) were respectively:
R35 - 393 pcs.
H35 - 800 pcs.
If the first gun could hit a maximum of PzKpfw I and PzKpfw II from the Germans, then the second gun could quite easily hit at a distance of up to 500-1000m and PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV with their 30 mm frontal armor.
It was after the French campaign that the German leadership decided to increase the armor of medium tanks to 50-60mm.

In total, France had at the time of May 10, 1941. R 35 - 1300 pcs. (340 vehicles of this type were exported before the war), H35 - 1200 units. and FCM 36 - 100 pcs. Of which, approximately 1,400 units were equipped with the SA18 L/21 anti-personnel gun, and about 1,200 vehicles were equipped with the normal SA 38 anti-tank gun.
All models had a 1x7.5 mm Reibel machine gun as an auxiliary weapon.
After a campaign in which France was defeated, the Germans captured in perfect working order and adopted accordingly:
R35/39/40 - 806-840* pcs. under the name Panzerkampfwagen 35R (f)
H35/38/39 - 604-810* pcs. under the name Panzerkampfwagen 35H 734(f)
FCM 36 - 25-37 pcs. were almost immediately converted into self-propelled guns 7.5 cm RAK 40 (Sf), (Marder I).
* The difference in estimates is explained by the lack of accurate data on the use by the Germans of damaged but repairable vehicles for conversion into self-propelled guns, armored tractors or ammunition transporters. Data varies from source to source and a minimum estimate will be used for purity, but the top estimate is also worth checking.

In total, at least 1,435 “light” French tanks served Great Germany, some of which directly fought with German troops, and more than 400 vehicles were converted into anti-tank self-propelled guns.

5 PzKpfw 35R tanks, June 22-30, 1941, took part in the assault on the Brest Fortress, and three of them were knocked out and written off during this assault!

1.3. MEDIUM AND HEAVY TANKS OF FRANCE.

Medium tanks were represented by the following types:
1.) Char D1 - 160 pcs. (passed to the Wehrmacht - 80 pieces)
2.) Char D2 - 100 pcs. (passed to the Wehrmacht - 70 pieces)
3.) S35 - 427 pcs. (passed to the Wehrmacht - 297 units)
Heavy - one single type:
Char B1 - 407 pcs. (passed to the Wehrmacht - 161 units)

In addition, anti-tank self-propelled guns of the Third Republic were represented by one single type, namely Laffly 15TCC - 70 pcs. (passed to the Wehrmacht - 62 pieces).
What kind of cars were these?

The Char D1 tank was a development of the Renault NC27 line, not taken into account in our statistics due to the fact that it was not adopted by the French troops, but was exported. It had 30mm frontal armor, but unlike its analogue, it was armed with a 47mm SA34 cannon (which will be discussed below). This light car (weight 12 tons) had a weak engine (65 hp) and an extremely low speed (15-18 km/h). It was used to accompany infantry and to patrol areas in colonies.

More interesting will be the Char D2, which is a development of the previous model, but with up to 40mm armor, a new APX4 turret and armed with a more powerful SA35 cannon. The front armor of the turret was 56mm, and the turret itself was cast. In-line 6-cylinder carburetor liquid-cooled engine with a capacity of already 150 hp. gave the tank a speed of up to 30 km/h. The weight of the car has already reached 19.75 tons.

It is this tank that leads us to the “famous” S35, almost all of whose representatives subsequently perished in the harsh steppes of the USSR.

The S35 (French: Char 1935 S, also S-35 and Somua S35) is a French medium tank from the 1930s. It is these tanks under the German crosses that shine in the photograph in the title of the article, at the head of their “subordinate” H39 at the parade in Paris in 1941. These tanks went through the entire Great Patriotic War. They stormed the Brest Fortress, burned near Moscow, froze in the steppes near Stalingrad, saw the sights of Crimea and even fought in the doomed Berlin of 1945. Photographs with these tanks depict almost all major events of the Great Patriotic War. 297 vehicles of this type were put into service in the Panzerwaffe and almost all of them died heroically for the glory of Great Germany.

The tank was developed by Somua in 1934-1935 as the main tank of armored cavalry units, which is why in the literature it is sometimes classified as a “cavalry” or “cruising” tank. The first pre-production S35 was released in 1936, and its mass production began in 1938 and continued until the defeat of France in June 1940. A total of 427 tanks of this type were produced.

The S35 had differentiated ballistic armor protection. The car had 36mm/22deg. frontal armor and 35 - 25/10 deg. side armor. A cast turret model APX1 or APX 1 CE was installed, which was solid cast and had 56mm front and 45mm rear armor.

The tank hull was made by casting from homogeneous armor steel and consisted of four parts: a hull “bath” (up to the level of the fenders), assembled from two parts connecting along the longitudinal axis, and two upper parts - the aft one, covering the engine-transmission compartment, and the front , covering the control and combat compartments. The parts were connected using bolts.

The thickness of the hull “bathtub” armor was 36 mm in the rounded frontal part (which had an angle of inclination of no more than 30° to the vertical), 25 mm in the sides (additionally covered with 10 mm screens above the chassis), and in the stern - 25 mm at an angle of 30° in at the bottom, and 35mm at the vertical top. The forehead of the upper half of the body had a thickness of 36 mm and consisted of a rounded lower part (mostly with inclination angles of 45° or more), and an inclined upper part located at an angle of 22°. The sides of the upper half were 35mm thick (at an angle of 22°), and the stern was 25mm thick (at an angle of 30°). The thickness of the hull bottom was 20 mm, the hull roof thickness was from 12 to 20 mm (with an inclination angle of 82° above the engine compartment). Measurements of the captured S35, carried out in the USSR at the Kubinka training ground, gave higher results: 45mm for the frontal part and 40-45mm for the sides.

The S35 was equipped with a V-shaped 8-cylinder liquid-cooled carburetor engine model 190CV V8, which had a displacement of 12,666 cm3 and developed a maximum power of 190 hp. at 2000rpm The engine was located in the engine compartment along the longitudinal axis of the tank, and two fuel tanks (the main one with a capacity of 310 l, and the reserve tank with a capacity of 100 l) were located to the right of it. Also, up to four external fuel tanks could be installed on the right side of the tank. The radiator was located above the transmission on the right, while its fan was located opposite it. The tank was controlled, instead of traditional levers, using a steering wheel connected by cables to the side clutches. To control the tank's brakes, the driver had a hydraulic servo drive.

The engine provided a decent speed of up to 45-50 km/h and a range of 260 km, with a combat weight of about 19.5 tons.
The main armament of the S35 was the 47 mm SA 35 U34 semi-automatic rifled gun. The gun had a barrel length of 32 calibers (1504 mm), which allowed its armor-piercing projectile to reach an initial speed of 671 m/s. According to French data, at a distance of 400 meters, an armor-piercing projectile penetrated armor up to 35 mm thick. According to German - up to 50mm at the same distance. Both at a meeting angle of 30 degrees.

Thus, at a distance of 1000 m, this gun could penetrate 30mm. armor and hit any armored vehicle in service with the Wehrmacht in 1940. And the S-35 itself could only be hit by PzKpfw III guns or even 75-mm PzKpfw IV guns at a distance of less than 200m, and only at the side.

Switching to Wehrmacht warfare under the name Pz.Kpfw. S35 739 (f), it briefly became the most powerful tank there, after the French Char B1.
The first units equipped with Pz.Kpfw. S35 739 (f), were formed in late 1940 - early 1941. These were the 201st and 202nd tank regiments, each of which consisted of two battalions, which in turn included three light companies. In addition, the separate 301st Tank Battalion was equipped with S35 tanks, later included in the 202nd Regiment instead of its second battalion sent to Finland. In addition to units equipped exclusively with S35 tanks, mixed units were also formed with platoons of Hotchkiss H35 tanks, in which the S35 served as command vehicles. In varying quantities, the S35 was in service with the 100th, 203rd and 204th tank regiments, as well as the 202nd, 205th, 206th, 211th, 212th, 213th, 214th 1st and 223rd separate tank battalions.

Thanks to its balanced combination of relatively high firepower, protection and mobility for its time, the S35 was rated by many historians as one of the best tanks in the world at the beginning of World War II, as well as the most successful French tank of that period. But at the same time, it was characterized by a number of shortcomings that significantly reduced its effectiveness.

So, we come to the end of our list, namely:

Char B1 - French heavy tank from the 1930s. Developed since 1921. But it was put into service only in March 1934. During serial production, from 1935 to June 15, 1940, 403 B1 tanks were produced in various versions. The B1 was actively used in battles with German troops in May-June 1940, despite the fairly archaic design, showing excellent security. Almost half of the vehicles produced after the surrender of France were captured by the Wehrmacht and were used by them until 1945, also serving as the basis for the creation of self-propelled artillery units and flamethrower tanks based on them. In total, the Germans got 161 tanks - they renamed them Pz. Kpfw. B2 740(f). Of these, 16 tanks were converted into 105-mm self-propelled guns, and about 60 more tanks into flamethrower tanks.

The B1 had a layout with the main armament located in the frontal part of the hull, and the auxiliary armament in a rotating turret. The engine and transmission were located in the rear of the tank. The tank's crew consisted of four people: a driver, who also served as a shooter from the main gun; loading both guns; radio operator and tank commander, who was also a shooter and partly a loader of 47 mm guns.

The main weapon of the Char B1 bis tank was a semi-automatic 75 mm caliber gun, model 1935, with a barrel length of 17.1 calibers. In the French service manual it was designated as “Canon de 75 mm SA 35” or “Canon de 75 mm S.A.” 1935", where S.A. meant "semi-automatique". For combat shooting, two types of shots were used, which had the same sleeve of the 1934 model (Douille Mle 1934) with a length of 245.7 mm: with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile of the 1915 model (I'obus explosif Mle 1915) and an armor-piercing projectile of the 1910 model. (I'obusde rupture Mle 1910). The armor-piercing sharp-headed projectile with a bottom fuse had a length of 238.2 mm and a mass of 6.4 kg. His shot weighing about 8 kg was loaded with 525 g of smokeless powder B.S.P. The initial velocity of the projectile was 470 m/s. But the main purpose of the Canon de 75 mm SA 35 was to shoot at enemy personnel and destroy light field fortifications. The high-explosive fragmentation projectile with a head fuse had a length of 264 mm and a mass of 5.315 kg. His shot weighing about 7 kg was loaded with 540 g of smokeless powder B.S.P. The initial velocity of the projectile was 500 m/s.

The 47mm semi-automatic Canon de 47 SA 1935 cannon installed in the turret was specially designed for tank turrets manufactured by ARCH. This gun had a monoblock barrel 1.50 m long with 20 grooves 0.4 mm deep. According to the Char B1 bis service manual (1939), the ammunition load of the 47mm Char B1 bis gun included 30 armor-piercing and 20 fragmentation shells. In the crew compartment, to the right and below the 75mm gun, a 7.5mm Chatellerault Mle. machine gun was fixedly mounted, and in 1931. The turret was equipped with an additional 7.5mm machine gun with left-hand loading Reibel Mle. According to the Char B1 bis service manual (1939), the machine guns included 5,100 rounds of ammunition.

Reservation: hull forehead - 60mm/60 degrees. hull side - 60mm/0 deg. The turret forehead and mantlet of the 47mm gun are 56mm, the rear is 45mm.
Char B1: Renault engine, in-line, V-shaped, 6-cylinder, 250 hp. at 1600 rpm. Transmission Naeder, hydraulic, 5-speed gearbox, double differential. Char B1bis: Renault engine, in-line, V-shaped, 6-cylinder, 307 hp. at 1600 rpm. Transmission Naeder, hydraulic, 5-speed gearbox with FIEUX switch,

Char B1: The original version of the tank. Production began in 1935. The main armament is a 75 mm SA35 gun. The small turret mounted a 47mm SA34 short-barreled gun, which was ineffective against tanks with armor greater than 20mm. Due to its slowness and insufficient armament, it was outdated by the beginning of World War II, however, it could still be used as an infantry support tank and to fight older models of German tanks. Its main advantage is 40mm armor, but by that time new German tanks(Pz III Ausf. H and Pz. IV Ausf. A) could hit such armor. 35 units produced.

Char B1bis: The most widespread variant, produced since 1937. New APX 4 turret with 57 mm frontal armor and a new long-barreled 47 mm SA35 gun. The hull armor increased to 60mm, and a more powerful one with 307hp was installed. engine and additional fuel supply. The tank demanded good Maintenance, and many tanks broke down on the way to the front. However, the powerful 60mm armor of the vehicle did not penetrate any German anti-tank gun except the 88mm FlaK 18/36. And the long-barreled 47mm gun of the Char B1bis itself, in turn, hit all German tanks of that time, without exception.
A total of 365 units were produced.
Of the 342 combat-ready vehicles, about 130 were destroyed in battle. The tanks were blown up by the crews during retreats, hit by aerial bombs or by a German 88-mm FlaK 18/36 anti-aircraft gun. Firing from Panzerwaffe tank guns or Wehrmacht 37-mm or 47-mm anti-tank guns caused practically no damage to them. Char B1 under the command of Pierre Billot in the battle on May 16, 1940 for the village of Stoney received 140 hits, and not a single vital module of the vehicle was disabled!
It is worth noting that the B1 bis had a serious drawback - the roles of the crew members: the commander aimed, loaded and fired a 47 mm gun, the driver fired a 75 mm gun and a machine gun, which often created fuss in a combat situation. In addition to all this, German aircraft dominated the air, which made it possible to quickly detect the tank. B1 bis was not compact - it was difficult to hide.

The defeat of France allowed the Germans to take B1 as a trophy. After the surrender of France, all surviving tanks, about 160 units, were placed at the disposal of the Wehrmacht.

1.4. EQUIPMENT OF FRANCE'S ALLIES (ARMORED VEHICLES OF GREAT BRITAIN, BELGIUM AND HOLLAND).

By and large, the equipment of France's allies is completely incomparable with that of France itself. It was represented by extremely varied and unfinished samples. But a number of cars are still interesting.

The British had about 300 vehicles on the continent, namely:

1.) Vickers Mk. VI - 206 pcs.
machine gun wedge armed with two 1x12.7 mm Vickers machine guns. 50 and 1x7.7 mm Vickers, with an 88 hp engine. With. (speed about 55 km/h) and bulletproof armor up to 14mm. The vehicle completely surpasses the German PzKpfw I in all characteristics.

2.) Matilda I - 77 pcs.
an amazing “tank”, essentially the same machine-gun wedge as above, but with... 60mm armor! A vehicle armed with two machine guns, but with armor like a heavy tank! Armament 1x12.7 mm Vickers .50 or 1x7.7 mm Vickers .303

3.) Matilda II - 23 pcs.
But this is a real medium tank, armed with a decent 1x42-mm QF 2-pounder L/50 cannon and powerful armor (front 75mm/0g - 47mm/65g, side - 70mm/0g, turret - 75mm). Two 2x87l engines. With. gave a 27-ton vehicle a speed of 23-25 ​​km/h.

With these forces, Great Britain faced the war on the continent, and only then transferred the following equipment to France:

4.) Vickers MkVIB - 134 units (more precisely, another 134 units).

5.) Cruiser MkI - 24 units.
so-called "cruising tank" according to the English classification. It can go like a “light tank” according to our classification. Armament: 1x42mm QF 2-pounder and 3x7.7mm Vickers. Bulletproof armor, forehead - 15mm. Weight 12.7t. Speed ​​on the highway is 40 km/h.

6.) Cruiser MkII - 31 units.
development of the previous one, the same gun, but the machine guns are already 2x7.92 BESA, and the armor thickness has been increased to the front - 30mm. Anti-ballistic armor.

7.) Cruiser MkIII and Cruiser MkIV - 95 units
development of the previous model. 1x42mm QF 2-pounder gun.

Thus, the overwhelming majority British armored vehicles consisted of Vickers Mk.VI and Vickers MkVIB machine-gun wedges (350 pieces in total), Matilda I armored wedge - 77 pieces. and 173 vehicles can be classified as light or medium tanks with a QF 2-pounder gun. This gun had a Caliber - 40mm (armor-piercing - already 42mm), barrel length, 50klb., and armor penetration with an AP sub-caliber armor-piercing projectile - 54mm, at an angle of 30 degrees. at a distance of 450m. and up to 30mm. at a distance of 900-1000m.

Belgian armored vehicles are interesting in the T13 self-propelled guns (about 230 units), which was armed with a 1x47-mm F.R.C. cannon. Mod.31 L/33 which, despite its short barrel (30.5 klb.), could penetrate 47 mm. homogeneous armor at a distance of 300m. At a distance of 500 m, it easily hit German PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV. In addition, the Belgian infantry was armed with about 500 guns of this type.
All other Belgian and Dutch equipment are licensed French tanks and wedges own production. Total about 100-110 pcs.

1.5. GENERAL SYSTEM ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ALLIED ARMORED VEHICLES IN 1940 SUMMARIZING.

By May 10, the Allies had 5,940 armored vehicles on the border and subsequently brought into battle, not counting armored cars, of which:
785 vehicles were machine-gun wedges (French AMR 33 and AMR 35, English Vickers and all Belgian-Dutch armored vehicles, except for the T-13 self-propelled guns).
It is worth noting that all Allied tankettes were significantly superior in all characteristics (speed, armor, engine reliability, chassis, etc.) German PzKpfw I

300 vehicles were first-class anti-tank self-propelled guns within the framework of that time (French Laffly W15 TCC and Belgian T13 - 47mm guns, 30-35klb.)

1640 vehicles were outdated Renault FT-17/18 with a Hotchkiss Puteaux SA 18 gun (21klb.), with armor penetration up to 15mm. at a distance of 500m.

1000 vehicles were “light” tanks R35 and H35/38 with the same Puteaux SA 18 gun (21klb.), but with hull and turret armor up to 40mm.

1185 vehicles were upgrades of the R39/40 and H39, already equipped with a 37 mm SA38 L/33 cannon

418 vehicles were medium tanks D1 and D2, as well as the “famous” S35, armed with 47mm SA35 L/34

173 were British cruiser tanks Cruiser MkI-IV and Matilda II with a QF 2-pounder gun

And finally, 362 vehicles were B1bis heavy tanks with two 1x75 mm SA32 L/17 guns in the wheelhouse and 1x47 mm SA35 L/34 in the turret.

Approximately 3215 vehicles, out of a total of 5940 units. had serious anti-ballistic armor in the range of 40-75mm, i.e. significantly greater than the level of armor that they had at that time best samples German armored vehicles PzKpfw III and PzKpfw I.

785 vehicles were armed only with machine guns.
2640 vehicles were armed with the obsolete Puteaux SA 18 (21klb.) cannon.
2515 vehicles were in service anti-tank guns caliber 37-47mm, i.e. capable of destroying any unit of German armored vehicles at any distance up to 1000m.

The overall single advantage of the Allied equipment: powerful armor and weapons.

Common common disadvantages: low speed, poor maneuverability and poor communication.

The Allied equipment was massive, the German equipment was maneuverable and better organized on the battlefield.

2. WHAT DID GERMANY HAVE?

In total, on the Western Front, Germany had 35 tank battalions consisting of 10 tank divisions, 2488 tanks, of which:
PzKpfw I - 643 units,
PzKpfw II - 880 units,
PzKpfw III - 349 units,
PzKpfw IV - 281 units,
Pz.Kpfw.35(t) - 128 units,
Pz.Kpfw.38(t) - 207 units,
There were also 187 command tanks:
Pz.Bef. (small command tank (wedge) on the PzKpfw I chassis) - 148 units,
Panzerbefehlswagen III (command tank on the PzKpfw III chassis) - 39 units.

Of the 177 self-propelled guns there were:
Panzerjхger I - 117 units,
StuG III - 24 units,
Sturmpanzer I - 36 units.

Military receipts during the campaign were as follows:
During the campaign, 244 tanks were delivered to active Wehrmacht units:
PzKpfw I - 48 units,
PzKpfw II - 35 units,
PzKpfw III - 71 units,
PzKpfw IV - 19 units,
Pz.Kpfw.35(t) - 35 units,
Pz.Kpfw.38(t) - 36 units,
as well as commander wedges:
Pz.Bef. - 44 units.

Thus, total German tanks and self-propelled guns participating in the French campaign - 2909 vehicles.

Of these, 922 are used as machine gun wedges.
915 vehicles were PzKpfw II with 20mm. the KwK 30 gun (in terms of armor penetration of the gun and the security of the vehicle itself, they are in the same category as the Renault FT-17/18).
177 vehicles were self-propelled guns with 47-75mm guns.
And only 1126 vehicles were armed with the 3.7cm KwK 36, 47mm P.U.V. anti-tank gun. vz. 36 and 7.5 cm KwK 37, i.e. they could fight with Allied tanks on equal terms.

© Copyright: Lev Cherry, 2016