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165-667: The SOMUA S35 was a French cavalry tank of the Second World War . Built from 1936 until 1940 to equip the armoured divisions of the Cavalry, it was for its time a relatively agile medium-weight tank, superior in armour and armament to its French and foreign competitors, such as the contemporary versions of the German Panzer III medium tank. It was constructed from well-sloped, mainly cast, armour sections, that however made it expensive to produce and time-consuming to maintain. During

330-417: A Bowden cable . The driver's hatch was exposed to direct fire and could be damaged from the front. The turret ring had a diameter of 1.267 metres (49.9 in). The turret had a flat face in the center of which was mounted the 3.72-centimetre (1.46 in) main gun. On the right side was another 7.92-millimetre (0.312 in) machine gun in a ball mount. The commander had four episcopes in his cupola and

495-569: A French rearmament, declined ratifying the agreement. In November 1940, the Japanese government had requested Germany to allow production for Japan. When Japan became a belligerent through the Attack on Pearl Harbor , on 9 February 1942 it was decided that France would produce 250 SOMUA S40s for the Japanese Imperial Army , the first to be delivered in twelve months time, production having to reach

660-672: A LT vz. 35 in fighting with the Czech demonstration detachment returning from Kubinka in med-March 1939. They were impressed and asked Škoda for a quote to repair them. The Hungarians did not accept the price, but Škoda fixed them for free once the Hungarians had bought a license to build the Škoda T-21 medium tank in August 1940. The tanks were returned to Hungary in March 1941 and were used for training through 1943. Related development Background: History of

825-593: A battalion that was later incorporated into the Armoured Regiment . They received LT-35 designation in Slovak Army. Three of these tanks participated in the Slovak-Hungarian War of March 1939. One tank company participated in the invasion of Poland, but did not see any fighting. The Army upgraded the internal communications system of its tanks with German intercoms in 1941, but it is unknown if they added

990-492: A box. In Czech service, the LT vz. 35 carried 78 rounds (24 AP , 54 HE ) and 2,700 rounds of machine gun ammunition, the difference being removed to make room for the fourth crewmember in German service. The German command tank version ( Panzerbefehlswagen 35(t)) exchanged some ammunition - exactly how much is not known - for another radio set and a gyrocompass . It could be recognized by

1155-543: A class largely neglected by the British. It would be Renault 's excellent small tank design, the FT , incorporating a proper climbing face for the tracks, that was the first tank to incorporate a top-mounted turret with a full 360° traverse capability. In fact the FT was in many respects the first truly 'modern' tank having a layout that has been followed by almost all designs ever since: driver at

1320-674: A decisive offensive in 1941. As the French production capacity for cast armour sections was insufficient, at the time of the defeat negotiations were ongoing to employ American producers, and during the crisis caused by the German attacks in June it was even proposed to let US firms build two thousand vehicles. Four tanks of the AC4 pre-series of the S35 entered service in January 1936 with the 4e Cuirassiers . On 15 April 1937,

1485-541: A first order for fifty was made. The tank was then more commonly known as SOMUA S35 (S for SOMUA and 35 from 1935, the year of introduction); today the even shorter abbreviation "S35" is most often used, in English sources usually with a hyphen: "S-35". The mass-production vehicles would have the longer SA 35 gun. Originally, a total production of six hundred was planned to provide each of the three Cavalry armoured divisions with two hundred tanks. Later, budgetary restraints led to

1650-611: A fourth crewman as did the Germans. When Slovakia joined the German invasion of the Soviet Union it sent a Mobile Group that included thirty LT vz. 35 s. The Mobile Group was reinforced and reorganized in early July 1941 as the Mobile Brigade , also known as Brigade Pilfousek after its commander, and it mustered only twenty-seven tanks despite seven reinforcements because breakdowns had caused ten to be evacuated back to Slovakia. This

1815-407: A good anti-tank capacity. The S35 is sometimes described as the best medium tank of the 1930s. The French Cavalry, however, judged their main tank to be imperfect in many respects. The one-man turret, though it is today typically mentioned as its single most important drawback, was not seen as a major flaw. A commander was supposed to acquire such a degree of dexterity that his workload did not negate

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1980-777: A key decision changing the Mechanised Light Divisions into true armoured divisions. It also decided against the continued mass production of even lighter vehicles like the AMR 35 and AMC 35 . This again implied that the Germans would in May 1940 have a large superiority in strategically mobile large armoured units, of ten to three, because the four French armoured divisions of the Infantry did not possess sufficient organic artillery and infantry to operate effectively in an independent role. France intended to raise many more armoured divisions for use in

2145-477: A large number of variants, including 195 self-propelled howitzers, 44 AMX-30 Pluton tactical nuclear missile launchers, 183 AMX-30Rs, 134 AMX-30Ds and 48 engineer vehicles (AMX-30EBG). The last 35 new battle tanks were in 1989 ordered by Cyprus and the last new variant vehicles, a batch of twenty GCTs, in 1994 by France. In the late 1990s, the French Army began to accept the new Leclerc main battle tank to replace

2310-443: A matériel reserve of two tanks and regimental and brigade commanders in practice had personal tanks too, resulting in a total of 88 vehicles per division. Furthermore, 31 were present in the general matériel reserve, 49 in factory stocks and 26 were being processed for acceptance. These vehicles were later issued to several ad hoc units, such as the 4th DCR (commanded by Charles de Gaulle ) which received 39, part of 3e Cuirassiers ,

2475-487: A maximum of 10 can actually be repaired out of the 41 Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) reported as needing repair. The Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) can no longer be rebuilt. All of the components are worn out. To be practical, maybe the armored hulls are still useable. Due to the cessation of production of these tanks, and the absence of spare parts being made, it was decided that the summer campaign of 1941 was to be their last. The fighting in Russia exposed

2640-406: A monocular mirror, 1.3 × 30° periscope which he could extend, once he had removed its armoured cover in his hatch, to give vision while "buttoned-up". As the sole occupant of the turret, the commander was responsible for loading, aiming and firing the main gun and the turret machine gun while simultaneously commanding the tank. The Germans added an extra crewman on the right side of the turret to load

2805-408: A more gradual and limited procurement. In 1936 a second order was made of fifty, followed by a hundred in 1937, and two orders of 125 each in 1938, resulting in total prewar orders of 450 units. The hull and turret were castings with a maximum thickness of 47 mm and 40 mm respectively — the former of four sections, bolted together: two longitudinal plates formed the bottom; the superstructure

2970-528: A much heavier design than had been originally specified in 1931. The new type had to be immune to contemporary anti-tank guns . By 17 May the Army had already contacted a subsidiary of Schneider et Cie — the Société d'Outillage Mécanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie (SOMUA) based at Saint-Ouen — to build a prototype. The company accepted this proposal on 16 July and construction began on 12 October 1934. The prototype, with

3135-566: A new design that used the pneumatic system and engine earlier proved by its unsuccessful SU or S-II light tank prototype. One prototype was ordered from each company for delivery during the summer of 1935. Both tanks had the same armament and three-man crew, but ČKD's P-II-a was much smaller at 8.5 tonnes (8.4 long tons; 9.4 short tons) and had only a maximum 16 millimetres (0.63 in) of armour while Škoda's S-II-a weighed 10.5 tonnes (10.3 long tons; 11.6 short tons) and had 25 millimetres (0.98 in) of armour. The army thought that P-II-a

3300-478: A new tank based on the larger 75 hp Holt chassis in a very short period of time, the first French tanks were poorly designed with respect to the need to cross trenches and did not take the sponson-mounting route of the British tanks. The first, the Char Schneider CA equipped with a short 75 mm howitzer, had poor mobility due to a short track length combined with a hull that overhung front and rear. It

3465-532: A peak of eight vehicles per month in eighteen months. Both production and delivery were precluded by the Axis occupation of Vichy France in November 1942. In early 1942, France was finally given permission to reequip its forces with SOMUA S40s, now that the type had become obsolete and the Germans had lost interest. Two versions were considered on 24 April 1942, both fitted with the larger FCM-turret, originally developed for

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3630-647: A pepperpot muzzle brake and a prominent armoured recoil cylinder above the barrel. Škoda called it the A3 . It fired a 0.815-kilogram (1.8 lb) armour-piercing shell at 690 metres per second (2,300 ft/s). It was credited with penetrating a plate inclined at 30° from the vertical 37 millimetres (1.5 in) thick at 100 metres (110 yd), 31 millimetres (1.2 in) thick at 500 metres (550 yd), 26 millimetres (1.0 in) thick at 1,000 metres (1,100 yd), and 22 millimetres (0.87 in) thick at 1,500 metres (1,600 yd). Kliment and Francev quote penetration of

3795-461: A similar thickness of bulletproof glass. The Germans replaced the original three colored lights used by the Czechs to communicate with the driver with an intercom system. The radio operator sat on the left and had his own 150-by-75-millimetre (5.9 in × 3.0 in) observation port with the same protection as the driver's. His radios were mounted on the left wall of the hull. The hull machine gun

3960-508: A single Char B1 "Eure" was able to destroy thirteen German tanks within a few minutes in Stonne on 16 May 1940, all of them Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks. The 37mm and 20mm guns the Germans used were ineffective at penetrating the thick armour of the B1, which was able to return safely despite being hit a large number of times. Even German General Rommel was surprised at how the French tanks withstood

4125-522: A single leaf spring , a front idler wheel, and four track return wheels. An unsprung road wheel was located directly underneath the idler wheel to improve obstacle crossing. The transmission, brakes and steering were mechanically assisted with compressed air, reducing driver fatigue. This last feature proved problematic in the extreme conditions of the Eastern Front . The main armament was a Škoda 37mm ÚV vz. 34 (German designation "KwK 34(t)") gun with

4290-529: A standardised common tank project. In 1963, both West Germany and France declared that they would produce purely national tanks. Development towards main battle tank projects such as the AMX-30 occurred soon afterwards. AMX-30 production occurred at the Atelier de Construction de Roanne in the town of Roanne . This heavy manufacturing factory was built during World War I to produce artillery shells, although by 1952

4455-583: A third of these were destroyed by the Soviets, the rest were either abandoned or broke down and could not be recovered. One R-2 arrived from Romania during December as a reinforcement. The 1st Armored Division was ordered home in early January 1943. Despite the delivery of 26 Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) s during 1942, Romania could only muster 59 R-2/Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) s on 1 April and 30 August 1943, but raised this to 63 by 25 March 1944. There were 44 on hand on 19 July 1944. By this time they were relegated to training duties with

4620-574: A total order for 2,300 at least 1,601 had been produced until 1 June 1940 serial numbers known to be actually used indicate a production of at least 1670 vehicles. In the Battle of France , despite an advantage in number and armour against the Germans, the French tanks were not used to good enough effect. Ironically, cooperation with the infantry was poor. The Cavalry units alone were too few in number. In armour and firepower, French tanks were generally not inferior to their German counterparts. In one incident,

4785-404: A vertical plate 45 millimetres (1.8 in) thick at 500 metres (550 yd). The machine gun's ball mount could be coupled to the main gun or used independently. Both weapons could elevate 25° and depress 10°. They both used 2.6× power sights with a 25° field of view. Initially the tank used Zbrojovka Brno Tk vz. 35 machine guns, but these were exchanged for ZB vz. 37 s during 1938. This

4950-502: Is 12,500 kilometres (7,800 mi) for the Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) . The special situation in regard to repair the Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) is well known. It is indeed deemed necessary to point out that repairs can only be accomplished by cannibalizing other Panzers because there are no longer any spare parts for the Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) . This means that after retrieval of the Panzers that are scattered around the terrain,

5115-552: Is preserved until today, inside of original armored tank car from Armored Train Štefánik , which is displayed in the Museum of Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica . Bulgaria used 26 tanks, delivered by Germany from used war reserve stock in early 1940, with the normal A-3 gun and 10 new T-11 tanks with the more powerful A-7 gun from the confiscated Afghan order were delivered between August and October 1940. They equipped

SOMUA S35 - Misplaced Pages Continue

5280-539: The 1st DLM that had very quickly moved two hundred kilometres to the north to help the Dutch, was hurriedly rushed south again. The resulting disorder and breakdown of most of its S 35s rendered this unit, the most powerful of all Allied divisions, impotent; it was defeated by the German 5th Panzerdivision on 17 May. The other DLMs fought a delaying battle, participated in the Battle of Arras and then disintegrated. Committing its only strategically mobile armour reserve early in

5445-469: The 1st Training Armoured Division . A company of R-2 s was sent to Transnistria with the ad-hoc Cantemir Mixed Tank Group on 24 February 1944, but it did not see combat before being withdrawn on 28 March 1944. A company of R-2 s was assigned to the Popescu Armoured Detachment after King Michael's Coup and Romanian's defection from the Axis at the end of August 1944. The Detachment

5610-518: The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade had been annihilated, and two weakened British brigades - the 4th and the motorized 7th Armoured - were forced to retreat to Bir-el-Gubi and to The El-Adem, leaving Bir-Hakeim and the Free French Forces to fight the full brunt of Rommels forces. Rommel's success in the north was very costly, and Rommel's wide flanking plan was proving riskier because of the resistance at Bir Hakeim (his right flank and supply route

5775-475: The 4e Cuirassiers . At the end of 1937 the SA 35 gun became available and deliveries of the main production series could begin. By mid 1938 a hundred had been produced, 270 on 1 September 1939 and 246 delivered. On this date 191 served with the troops, 51 were in depot and four had been sent back to the factory for overhaul. After the outbreak of war a fourth order of 200 was made, bringing the ordered total to 700. Later it

5940-579: The AMX 40 , without planning to introduce this feature into the S35/S40 production run. The strategic flaw was the high unit price of the tank, 982,000 French Francs , and the limited number of large cast sections that could be produced. The tank had to be supplemented by a cheaper type and the only one available had been the Hotchkiss H35 , much inferior in armour, armament and speed, even after it had been improved to

6105-503: The Ariete Armoured Division - to attack Bir Hakeim from the southeast. This division - formed of the 132nd Armoured Regiment, equipped with M13/40s , of the 8th Reggimento bersaglieri and of the 132nd Artillery Regiment - attacked the French position from the rear in two successive waves. The Italian tanks and armoured vehicles attacked without infantry support and tried to cross the minefield. Six tanks managed to infiltrate

6270-464: The Char G1 . The first would have been armed with the SA 35 gun, operated by a two-man turret crew, the second with the longer SA 37 gun placed in a three-man turret. France foresaw a production of 135 vehicles, to equip three squadrons of 45 each, but the preparations were halted in November 1942 when the whole of France was occupied. However, a clandestine development continued, of a SARL 42 , fitted with

6435-624: The Fall of France , work on new designs, such as the Char G1 , officially halted, although there was some clandestine designing done. One of the first key battles the Free French forces fought after they joined the Allies was at Bir Hakeim where they defended against the attack by the Italian Ariete Division in the first phase of the battle of Gazala , and later under attack by a combined force of

6600-638: The Gembloux gap between Louvain and Namur , where there were no natural obstacles to impede a German advance. They had to spread out somewhat to hold that sector against incursions by the German 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions. This was necessitated by the local tactical situation and did not reflect some fundamental difference in doctrine between the use of the DLMs and the Panzerdivisionen . Both types of units were very similar in equipment, training and organisation, as

6765-545: The German invasion of May 1940 , the SOMUA S35 proved itself to be a tactically effective type, but this was negated by the French command's strategic mistakes in deploying their Cavalry armoured divisions. After the defeat of France in June 1940, limiting production to a total of about 440, captured SOMUA S35s were used by the Axis powers , some of them on the Eastern Front . A derived type,

SOMUA S35 - Misplaced Pages Continue

6930-604: The Munich Agreement was signed. The last shipment departed on 22 February 1939. The R-2 s were assigned to the 1st Armoured Regiment of the 1st Armoured Division where they participated in Operation Barbarossa. The division was withdrawn from combat after the Battle of Odessa in 1941. At the start of 1942, 40 tanks were sent to Pilsen for overhaul while 50 more were repaired in Ploiești . The division returned to

7095-480: The Renault R 35 , which followed the FT concept quite closely with its very small size, two-man crew, and short 37 mm gun armament. It was, however, heavily armored. The R 35 was mostly used to equip the independent tank battalions, an armoured reserve allocated at army level and intended to reinforce infantry divisions in breakthrough operations. French infantry divisions normally had no organic tank component. The R 35

7260-458: The S-II-a prototype and one production LT vz. 35 to the proving grounds at Kubinka for evaluation. The Soviets were interested only in buying the prototype, but Škoda refused to sell unless a license was purchased as well, believing that the Soviets would simply copy the design and build it without paying any royalties. The 298 LT vz. 35 tanks were assigned to the armoured regiments belonging to

7425-642: The Tunisia Campaign . After taking part in the Tunis victory parade, 12e RCA's S35s were replaced by M4 Shermans , but crews often affixed the SOMUA plate on their new tanks. After the liberation of France in 1944 an armoured unit was raised, the 13e Régiment de Dragons , using French matériel, among which were seventeen S 35s. French soldiers used SOMUA tanks in the attack on the German-held Oléron Island on

7590-527: The "H39" variant. The Cavalry had a very low opinion of the fighting value of this light tank. It decided to keep a large number of S35s in the core of their armoured divisions and rejected the easy method of raising more of them by dividing the S35s among the Cavalry Light Divisions — in contrast to the Germans who distributed the also low number of Panzer IIIs partly to their Leichte Kavalleriedivisionen —

7755-415: The "Methodical Battle" concept, adopted because wargaming showed it to be superior. The role of small unit leaders was to execute plans, not to take the initiative in combat. This was nearly the opposite of German doctrine, which stressed initiative and decision-making at low command levels ( Auftragstaktik ). In 1939 a belated effort was made to improve flexibility and increase the number of radios Despite

7920-858: The 1st and 2nd companies of the Bulgarian armored regiment in June 1941. They were supposedly relegated to training duties once the Germans began to deliver the Panzerkampfwagen IV medium tanks in 1944, but apparently remained in service into the Fifties. But Kliment and Francev claim that the T-11 s participated in the fighting in Yugoslavia and ended the war south of Vienna as part of the 1st Tank Brigade . Hungary captured one LT vz. 34 in Carpatho-Ukraine on 15 March 1939, when it conquered that country, and also

8085-512: The 29-litre (6.4 imp gal; 7.7 US gal) auxiliary tank was on the other side. The engine could run on gasoline, an alcohol-gasoline mixture, and "Dynalkohol" (an alcohol- benzole mixture). It was mounted in the rear along with the six-speed transmission which drove rear-mounted drive sprockets. The suspension was derived from the Vickers 6-Ton tank; eight small pairs of road wheels on four bogies per side, each pair of bogies sprung by

8250-404: The 4th DLM (10), and some Corps-francs Motorisés (about 25). Also the destroyed 1st, 2nd and 3rd DLM were reconstituted with a small number of tanks, the first two divisions received ten S 35s, the third twenty; S 35s further served with the 7e Cuirassiers (25) and a platoon of three was present in the 3e RAM of the 3e DLC . In May 1940 during the Battle of France the DLMs were tasked with

8415-671: The AMX-40 began in 1980 as a clean sheet design. In 1983 the first prototype was finished and presented at the Satory Exhibition of that year. Two further prototypes were produced in 1984; the last, fourth, was fabricated in 1985. The design was not intended for service in France, but as a successor to the AMX-32 , the improved export version of the AMX-30 . However the efforts to obtain foreign orders failed,

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8580-670: The ARL 3 turret and a 75 mm L/32 or L/44 gun using an optical range finder. To limit weight, its side armour was to be reduced to thirty millimetres. In 1945 it was proposed to build a tank destroyer by refitting existing S 35 chassis with a superstructure for the British 76.2 mm 17-pounder gun . Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , interwar period Tanks in France#Inter War French development into tanks began during World War I as an effort to overcome

8745-417: The British and the Soviets, the French believed in a strict division of labour between cavalry tanks and infantry tanks ; by law, tanks ( chars ) were limited to the Infantry and the Cavalry had to name its tanks automitrailleuses . The French Army preferred to fight a defensive battle, and was convinced it would be victorious in such an engagement, but understood that the strategic situation might impose

8910-577: The Cavalry, the Divisions Légères Mécaniques or Mechanised Light Divisions ("light" here meaning "mobile", they were not light in the sense of being lightly equipped). Each of these had an organic strength of four squadrons with twenty S35s; each squadron however had a matériel reserve of two tanks, one of them usually used by the squadron commander, resulting in a total of 88 vehicles per division; regimental and brigade commanders in practice had personal tanks too. Furthermore, 31 were present in

9075-506: The Czech Škoda company and based his design on that of the LT35 : eight road wheels paired on four bogies with leaf springs and an equally large tension wheel. The first fifty vehicles had tracks consisting of 144 track links, each link with a length of 75 mm; later vehicles had 103 links of 105 mm length. The engine was in the rear of the hull side by side with two self-sealing fuel tanks, of 100 and 410 litres respectively, separated from

9240-623: The Czechoslovak Army were seized by the Germans where they were known as the L.T.M.35 until January 1940. In German service, they were used as substitutes for the Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank. They were assigned to the Panzer Battalion (Panzerabteilung) 65 (39) of the 1st Light (leichte) Division and the independent Panzer-Regiment 11 (81) where they participated in the invasion of Poland . 77 of these were lost during

9405-611: The French camp. and the Free French Forces fought their way back to the British lines, The French 2nd Armoured Division (French: 2e Division Blindée, 2e DB ), was commanded by General Philippe Leclerc , one of the best French tank commanders. General Leclerc joined the Free French forces after the fall of France and adopted the Resistance pseudonym "Jacques-Philippe Leclerc". Charles de Gaulle upon meeting him promoted him from Captain to Major ( commandant ) and ordered him to French Equatorial Africa as governor of French Cameroon from 29 August 1940 to 12 November 1940. He commanded

9570-472: The French lines, avoiding mines and anti-tank fire, but they were eventually destroyed by very close range 75 mm fire, and the crews were captured. The Ariete Division, reduced to only 33 tanks in 45 minutes, had to retreat. The remaining tanks then tried to outflank the French forces by attacking through the V zone minefield protecting that face. They eventually regrouped and retreated, leaving behind 32 destroyed tanks. However north of Bir Hakeim,

9735-404: The French used tanks for the first time on 16 April 1917, during the Nivelle Offensive , they had four times more tanks available. But that would not last long as the offensive was a major failure; the Schneiders were badly deployed and suffered 50% losses from German long-range artillery. The Saint-Chamond tanks, first deployed on 5 May, proved to be so badly designed that they were unable to cross

9900-409: The German 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions. This was necessitated by the local tactical situation and did not reflect some fundamental difference in doctrine between the use of the DLMs and the Panzerdivisionen . Both types of units were very similar in equipment, training and organisation, as the German armoured divisions too were primarily intended for strategic exploitation, while the breakthrough phase

10065-411: The German armoured divisions too were primarily intended for strategic exploitation, while the breakthrough phase was preferably left to the infantry. The resulting tank battle from 13 to 15 May, the Battle of Hannut , was—with about 1700 AFVs participating—the largest until that day and is still one of the largest of all time. The S 35s gave a good account of themselves, proving to be indeed superior to

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10230-434: The German military governor of Paris, capitulated at the Hôtel Meurice . After the division liberated Paris, it defeated a Panzer brigade during the armoured clashes in Lorraine, forced the Saverne Gap, and liberated Strasbourg. After taking part in the Battle of the Colmar Pocket , the division was moved west and assaulted the German-held Atlantic port of Royan , before recrossing France in April 1945 and participating in

10395-458: The German tank shells and had to resort to using the German 88 artillery as antitank guns against the French tanks to knock them out. Setbacks the French military suffered were more related to strategy, tactics and organisation than technology and design. Almost 80 percent of French tanks did not have radios, since the battle doctrine employed by the French military was more a slow-paced, deliberate conformance to planned maneuvers. French tank warfare

10560-411: The German tanks in direct combat, but they were rather hesitantly deployed as the French High Command mistakenly supposed the gap was the German Schwerpunkt and tried to preserve their best tanks to block subsequent attacks by the rest of the Panzerwaffe . When it transpired the attack was really a feint and the forces in the north were in danger of being cut off by the German advance south of Namur,

10725-407: The German tanks. The R 35 was intended to replace the FT as standard light infantry tank from the summer of 1936, but even by May 1940 not enough conscripts had been retrained and therefore eight battalions of the older tank had to be kept operational. On 1 September 1939, at the outbreak of war, 975 vehicles had been delivered out of 1,070 produced; 765 were fielded by tank battalions in France. Of

10890-410: The Infantry or the Cavalry. The Renault FT had a long life and saw use in World War II and even later in Indochina. It was utilised as far away as in China, during the Chinese Civil wars, and versions of the tank were used both against and by the Japanese during the invasion of China. A large number found their way into both Republican and Nationalist hands during the Spanish Civil War. They were used in

11055-410: The Munich Agreement, two tank battalions were sent to reinforce the 3rd Mobile Division in Slovakia. They were used to repel Hungarian and Polish border-crossers, sometimes up to a battalion in strength. They screened the infantry when they had to evacuate southern Slovakia after the First Vienna Award on 2 November 1938. The S-II-a prototype and one LT vz. 35 tank were returning from testing in

11220-416: The Romanians put a hold on production until these issues were resolved. The constantly changing Romanian demands did not help the situation, but they refused to accept any vehicles until trials were conducted in Romania. Three R-2s were shipped to Romania on 12 July 1938 for the trials, but Skoda knew which one would be chosen and prepared the vehicle well and it passed all tests. After disassembly and checks of

11385-471: The Russian Revolution by both the Bolsheviks and the White Russians, and later by the Finns against the Soviets. France exported the FT right up to World War II . The design was also developed by the Italians as the Fiat 3000 and the USSR as the T-18 . By the mid-1930s the French Army was replacing the aging FT fleet with a mixed force of light tanks both in the Infantry and Cavalry branches, as well as medium and heavy tanks. The Infantry light tanks included

11550-481: The SOMUA S40, with an improved suspension, lowered hull cast and welded turret armour, had been planned to replace the original version on the production lines in July 1940. Agreements to produce this improved type for the benefit of Vichy France , Germany, and Japan, ultimately did not lead to any manufacture. The design of the SOMUA S35 comes from the changed specifications of 26 June 1934 for an Automitrailleuse de Combat (AMC) issued for cavalry use. These called for

11715-441: The Sau 40 be produced as a self-propelled tank destroyer, with the powerful 47 mm SA 37 gun . In order to address some of the shortcomings of the S35, SOMUA presented the improved AC5 type in 1939. Based on the SAu 40 chassis and its Char G1 -project but with the original width, this SOMUA S40 had a welded ARL 2C turret and redesigned cast superstructure, both to lower production costs and to improve protection standards as

11880-483: The Schneider CA's faults with an even larger overhanging body. Its innovative petro-electrical transmission, while allowing for easy steering, was insufficiently developed and led to a large number of breakdowns. But industrial initiative also led to swift advances. The car industry, already used to vehicle mass production and having much more experience in vehicle layout, in 1916 designed the first practical light tanks,

12045-515: The Soviet Union when the fighting began. They detrained in Sevljus and participated in a counterattack at Fančíkovo, but the LT vz. 35 was damaged and captured by the Hungarians. The prototype was forced to retreat into Romania by 17 March, along with most of the other Czech troops in eastern Ruthenia. The Romanians returned the prototype to Škoda six months later. In 1939, following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, 244 vehicles of

12210-616: The Trieste and 90th Light Infantry Division. The battle at Bir Hakeim was at a remote oasis in the Libyan desert, and the former site of a Turkish fort. During the Battle of Gazala, the 1st Free French Division of Général de brigade Marie Pierre Kœnig defended the site from 26 May-11 June 1942 against much larger attacking German and Italian forces directed by Generaloberst Erwin Rommel . The battle

12375-545: The antiquated AMX-30. The first units to be outfitted with the new tank were the 501st and 503rd tank regiments, followed by the 6th and 12th Cuirassier Regiments. In the early 1980s the next in the GIAT manufactured, export-driven AMX series was designed. As the AMX-32 had failed to attract any potential sales, the company decided to produce yet another upgrade. This was the AMX-40 Main Battle Tank. The development of

12540-492: The appearance of the German PzKpfw IV Ausf. F2 and Soviet T-34 . The S 35 had a long 47 mm gun that could kill any tank then in service, as well as heavy cast armour and good speed. The French char de bataille Char B1 tank was a very formidable tank, with heavy cast and riveted armour, the same long 47 mm gun as in the S 35, and a hull-mounted 75 mm howitzer. All Char B1s were equipped with radio and

12705-514: The armistice plans were developed to resume production, partly for the benefit of the Axis powers. On 28 May 1941, the German ambassador in France Otto Abetz concluded an agreement with the French government, the Protocols of Paris . These included the intention to produce eight hundred SOMUA S40s, two hundred for France itself and six hundred for Germany and Italy. However, Hitler, suspicious of

12870-496: The arrival of the rested British divisions: this grain of sand was Bir Hakeim." On the night of 26 May 1942, Rommel started a planned attack with the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions, and the rest of the 90th Motorized Infantry Division, and the Italian Trieste and Ariete Divisions started the large encircling move south of Bir-Hakeim as planned. The British armoured units were taken by surprise and retreated. Rommel then sent

13035-714: The battle for Lipovec earlier in the summer. However, of these 49 only seven were operational as part of the conspiracy to keep the tanks in Slovakia. The LT vz. 35 s were relegated to the training/reserve role by 1943 when the Germans began to supply more modern tanks to Slovakia. At least eight LT vz. 35 s were used by the insurgents during the Slovak National Uprising in 1944. Slovak insurgents used LT vz. 35 tanks also in its 3 armored trains. Not only turrets, but whole tanks were used, when they placed tank on flat wagon, and then built armored walls around it. One LT vz. 35

13200-561: The battle had made the French Army fatally vulnerable to a German strategic surprise. After the June 1940 armistice , twenty-three S 35s were allowed to be sent to West Africa to bolster the hold of the Vichy regime on that region. They were issued to the 12e régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique that, after French forces in Africa had sided with the Allies, operated them against German and Italian forces during

13365-408: The campaign, mostly due to mechanical breakdowns, but only 7 of these were irreparable. From 1940 on, there had not been any spare parts available and tanks had to be completely rebuilt to remain operational. The 1st Light Division absorbed the 11th Panzer Regiment and was redesignated as the 6th Panzer Division on 18 October 1939. It took 132 Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) s into the Battle of France where it

13530-523: The campaign. For the invasion of the Soviet Union , 6th Panzer Division had 160 Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) s. to support 4th Panzer Group 's drive on Leningrad . By 10 September 1941, the division had only 102 operational Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) , despite having received two replacements from Germany. Eight tanks were repairable, but 47 were total losses. By 31 October, only 34 were operational with another 41 requiring repair. On 30 November, all Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) s were reported non-operational. The average distance driven

13695-474: The cannon by the Atelier de Construction de Bourges , the cupola and machine-gun by the Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Étienne and the optics by the Atelier de Construction de Puteaux ; all these again used many subcontractors. In a series of corporate mergers under state guidance, most of these firms would eventually be concentrated into GIAT. Originally, 300 AMX-30s were ordered by the French Army, and by 1971

13860-693: The captured S 35s were delivered to German allies: 32 to Italy in 1941, two to Hungary in 1942 and six to Bulgaria in 1943. They were used by the Italians to equip the CC Tank Battalion S35 of the 131st Tank Infantry Regiment , which was transferred in December 1941 to the XIII Army Corps in Sardinia . The Bulgarian vehicles were after the war used by police units. A vehicle captured by the partisans of Tito

14025-486: The cast sections, delivered by eighteen subcontractors, sometimes were of inferior quality. The new suspension strongly improved the climbing capacity, of which the Cavalry had officially complained in November 1938; its greater weight was compensated by lowering the hull height by fourteen centimetres, causing a weight gain of four hundred kilogrammes. In contrast, the engine deck was raised to fit an improved 230 hp engine, increasing maximum speed to 45 km/h, although

14190-601: The caterpillar tracks were too short for the tank's length and weight. The most significant French tank development during the war was the Renault FT light tank, which set the general layout for future tank designs and was used or redesigned by various military forces, including those of the United States. While the British began the design and use of tanks in World War I, France at the same time developed its own tracked AFVs, but

14355-650: The chassis could serve as a munition carrier or an artillery tractor, the Artillerie Schlepper and the Mörserzugmittel 35(t) . These had a towing capacity of 12 tonnes (12 long tons; 13 short tons). Romania ordered 126 of the tanks on 14 August 1936 as the R-2 and received the first 15, which had been diverted from the Czech order, in April–May 1937 to display in a parade. They suffered from numerous teething problems and

14520-454: The column which attacked Axis forces from Chad , and, having marched his troops across West Africa, distinguished himself in Tunisia . The French 2nd Armoured Division was formed around a core of units that had raided Italian Libya since the end of 1940 to entering Tripoli 1943 under Leclerc, but was known for its fight at Kufra in 1941; later renamed the 2nd Light Division, in August 1943, it

14685-470: The commander to fight buttoned-up. This had been caused by the need to adopt the APX-1 turret, purely for budgetary reasons. The B1 bis's APX4 turret faced similar criticism from the Infantry. The operational flaw was its poor mechanical reliability. The suspension units were too weak and too complicated, demanding enormous maintenance efforts, especially since the cast armour modules did not allow an easy access to

14850-444: The commander was expected to direct the tank while also loading, aiming, and firing the 47 mm SA 35 main gun — although at least the radio duty could be left to another crew member. Radios were planned to be part of the standard equipment of S35s. In practice the platoon commander had an ER ( émetteur-récepteur ) 29 set for communications with a higher command level, but a shortage of the short range ER28 sets for communication within

15015-435: The crew compartment was increased and the engine noise and heat increased crew fatigue. The driver sat on the right side of the tank using a 390-by-90-millimetre (15.4 in × 3.5 in) observation port protected by 50 millimetres (2.0 in) of bulletproof glass and an armoured shutter 28 millimetres (1.1 in) thick. To his right was a vision slit (120 by 3 millimetres (4.72 in × 0.12 in)) with

15180-476: The destruction of the historic city if the Germans sought to defend it. Leclerc and de Gaulle had to persuade Eisenhower to send Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division and they entered Paris, and the liberation by Leclerc help cement de Gaulle's claim as leader of the French. On 25 August, the 2nd Armoured and the U.S. 4th Division entered Paris and liberated it. After hard fighting that cost the 2nd Division 35 tanks, 6 self-propelled guns, and 111 vehicles, von Choltitz ,

15345-467: The difficult manoeuvre of carrying out a quick advance into the Low Countries , followed by a holding action to allow the infantry divisions following behind to dig themselves in. The 2nd and 3rd DLM were concentrated in the Gembloux gap between Louvain and Namur , where there were no natural obstacles to impede a German advance. They had to spread out somewhat to hold that sector against incursions by

15510-511: The early years of World War II, notably the invasion of Poland , the Battle of France and the invasion of the Soviet Union before being retired or sold off in 1942. It was used for the remainder of the war by other countries and as a training tank in Bulgaria into the 1950s. The Panzerkampfwagen 35(t) was assembled from a framework of steel "angle iron" beams to which the armour plates were riveted. A 4 mm (0.16 in) firewall separated

15675-412: The engine compartment from the crew. It had several mesh-covered openings to allow access to the engine and improve ventilation by drawing air in through the commander's hatch. This had the advantage of rapidly dispersing gun combustion gases when firing, but several disadvantages. The constant draft generated by the engine greatly affected the crew during cold weather, the danger of an engine fire reaching

15840-461: The factory had begun producing armoured fighting vehicles. Before producing the AMX-30, for example, it had made 1,900 AMX-13s and variants. The Roanne factory was responsible for final assembly, most components were made elsewhere: the powerplant by the Atelier de Construction de Limoges , the full armour set by the Ateliers et Forges de la Loire , the turret by the Atelier de Construction de Tarbes ,

16005-663: The fall of France a number of S 35s (297 were captured according to some sources) were taken into service with the Wehrmacht as the Panzerkampfwagen 35-S 739(f) . The Germans modified the cupola by cutting its top off and installing a simple hatch. The 21st and 25. Panzerdivision in 1943 used some S 35s when reforming after having been largely destroyed. Some of these units fought in Normandy in 1944, and there were still twelve S 35s listed as in German service on 30 December 1944. After

16170-563: The fighting compartment by a firewall bulkhead. The nominally 200 hp engine, designed by Javier-Sabin, drew fuel from the smaller tank, which was itself automatically replenished from the larger one. Inexperienced crews sometimes made the mistake of only filling the smaller tank. Engine and suspension maintenance was difficult and time-consuming, due to a poor accessibility, though this was improved in later vehicles. The S 35 had an automatic fire extinguishing system using several tanks placed at critical spots, containing methyl bromide . Like

16335-645: The final fighting in southern Germany. After the liberation of France, the next tank to be introduced would be the ARL 44 heavy tank, which came too late to participate in World War II , but was used post-war for a time. The ARL 44s equipped the 503e Régiment de Chars de Combat stationed in Mourmelon-le-Grand and replaced seventeen Panther tanks used earlier by that unit.Later, AMX-50 tank series will be introduced under rarely-known project 141, which developed around

16500-643: The first line of German trenches. The French used a very wide range of tanks, including many unique types. France was the second largest tank producer in the world, behind the Soviet Union (see French armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II ). French cavalry tank designs saw attempts to balance the needs of firepower, protection and mobility. They also fielded a heavy tank design, and several lighter types for scouting and infantry support. In addition to these types, they were also working on super-heavy breakthrough tanks ( FCM F1 ). The French didn't have an independent Tank Corps. All tanks belonged to either

16665-470: The first two divisions received ten S 35s, the third twenty; S 35s further served with the 7e Cuirassiers (25) and a platoon of three was present in the 3e RAM of the 3e DLC . In May 1940 during the Battle of France the DLMs were tasked with the difficult manoeuvre of carrying out a quick advance into the Low Countries , followed by a holding action to allow the infantry divisions following behind to dig themselves in. The 2nd and 3rd DLM were concentrated in

16830-426: The first two hulls of the main series left the factory. These, produced at a planned rate of twelve per month, still had to be joined with their turrets. At the end of 1937 the SA 35 gun became available and deliveries of finished tanks of the main production series could begin. On 15 January 1938, four of these were operational. By July 1938, 128 hulls had been delivered, but only 96 tanks were completed with turrets. In

16995-602: The four Mobile (Rychlá) Divisions between 1936 and 1939. Each regiment was supposed to detach three-tank platoons to support the infantry divisions and border areas in times of crisis. These platoons were heavily used suppressing the protests and violence instigated by Konrad Henlein 's Sudeten German Party ( Sudetendeutsche Partei - SdP) and the Sudetendeutsche Freikorps (paramilitary groups trained in Germany by SS -instructors) between May and October 1938. After

17160-554: The front on 29 August 1942 with 109 R-2 s. By the eve of the Soviet Stalingrad Counter-offensive on 19 November the division could only muster 84 serviceable R-2 s with as many as 37 unserviceable tanks stationed in the rear. The division was on the outer edges of the Stalingrad Pocket, but managed to break through the western wing of the encirclement, although 77 R-2 s were lost in the process. Only about

17325-438: The front; main armament in a fully rotating turret on top; engine at the rear. Previous models had been "box tanks" with a single crowded space combining the role of engine room, fighting compartment, ammunition stock and driver's cabin. (A very similar Peugeot prototype, with a fixed casemate mounting a short 75mm cannon, was trialled in 1918, but the idea was not pursued.) The FT would have the largest production run of any tank of

17490-603: The gap was the German Schwerpunkt and tried to preserve their best tanks to block subsequent attacks by the rest of the Panzerwaffe . When it transpired the attack was really a feint and the forces in the north were in danger of being cut off by the German advance south of Namur, the 1st DLM that had very quickly moved 200 kilometres to the north to help the Dutch, was hurriedly rushed south again. The resulting disorder and breakdown of most of its S 35s rendered this unit,

17655-407: The general matériel reserve, 49 in factory stocks and 26 were being processed for acceptance. These vehicles were later issued to several ad hoc units, such as the 4th DCR (commanded by Charles de Gaulle ) which received 39, part of 3e Cuirassiers , the 4th DLM (10), and some Corps-francs Motorisés (about 25). Also the destroyed 1st, 2nd and 3rd DLM were reconstituted with a small number of tanks,

17820-414: The hold of the Vichy regime in that region. They were issued to the 12e régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique that, after French West Africa had sided with the Allies, operated them against German and Italian forces during the Tunisia Campaign . After the liberation of France in 1944 an armoured unit was raised, the 13e Régiment de Dragons , using French matériel, among which were seventeen S 35s. After

17985-444: The idea of creating an armoured force based on these vehicles; strong Army support for tanks would be a constant during the decades to come. Already in January and February 1916 quite substantial orders were made, at that moment with a total number of 800 much larger than the British ones. Army enthusiasm and haste would have its immediate drawbacks, however. As a result of the involvement of inexperienced army officers ordered to devise

18150-481: The idea that the large amount of armour required to protect against modern anti-tank threats would significantly affect maneuverability, and that a higher speed and more compact vehicle dimensions would be more effective in protecting the tank from potential threats. A rift formed between France and West Germany following Charles de Gaulle 's decision that France would no longer participate in NATO , with West Germany opposing

18315-412: The lack of need to coordinate the actions of three men in a larger turret crew or the advantage of a quicker reaction because of a superior rotation speed. In combat, the tank commander threatened to be overwhelmed with duties, since in addition to his command functions within the tank he was also responsible for aiming and firing the 47mm turret gun and co-axial 7.5mm machine gun. At first, a two-man-turret

18480-505: The largest tank forces in the world along with the Soviet, British and German (about 3000, majority of which were light tanks) forces. The French had planned for a defensive war and built tanks accordingly; many of their tanks - even those called léger ( "light") were well armoured. Within France and its colonies, roughly 5,800 tanks were available during the time of the German offensive, and some when they came into contact were effective against

18645-591: The lead in January 1915 and tried to build a first armoured vehicle based on the Baby Holt tractor but initially the development process was slow until in July they received political, even presidential, support by combining their project with that of a mechanical wire cutter devised by engineer and politician Jean-Louis Bréton. In December 1915, the influential Colonel Estienne made the Supreme Command very enthusiastic about

18810-478: The limited existing production facilities. To introduce a Christie suspension — the obvious solution — demanded a thorough industrial modernisation and the raising of quality standards. It was not envisaged until September 1938, when cooperation started with the United Kingdom in order to adopt the cruiser tank suspension for French tank design, and then was limited to the development of a totally new cavalry tank,

18975-412: The main gun and to operate the turret machine gun. Some ammunition had to be removed to accommodate him. The 8.62-litre (526 cu in) Škoda T-11/0 four-cylinder, water-cooled engine produced 120 horsepower (89 kW) at 1,800 rpm. Two fuel tanks were fitted, the main tank with a capacity of 124 litres (27  imp gal ; 33  US gal ) was on the left side of the engine and

19140-411: The main production type, superseding the S 35 from the 451st vehicle with total orders having reached four hundred hulls, but none were completed at the time of the German invasion; the first vehicles were planned to be produced in July; hull sections had already been cast since November 1939. Of the first 160 vehicles, eighty had been planned to be made of an intermediate type, with the old turret. After

19305-460: The most powerful of all Allied divisions, impotent; it was defeated by the German 5th Panzerdivision on 17 May. The other DLMs fought a delaying battle, participated in the Battle of Arras and then disintegrated. Committing its only strategically mobile armour reserve early in the battle had made the French Army fatally vulnerable to a German strategic surprise. After the June 1940 armistice , S 35s were allowed to be sent to West Africa to bolster

19470-440: The most serious potential customer to have considered the design being Spain . In 1990 it was no longer offered for export. (Only tanks that were built in significant numbers are listed.) Caiti, Pierangelo (1978). Modern Armour — The world's battle tanks today . London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN   0-85368-412-X Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in World War I Background: History of

19635-575: The name AC3 , was ready on 14 April 1935. It was tested from 4 July until 2 August 1935. Then a pre-series of four was produced of an improved type, the AC4 , to be tested until 27 January 1938. These first vehicles had the standard APX1 turret, fitted with the short 47 mm SA 34 gun. On 25 March 1936, the AC4 design was accepted as the standard medium tank of the French Cavalry with the official name Automitrailleuse de Combat modèle 1935 S (AMC 1935 S), when

19800-575: The necessity of waging offensive warfare; during the Second World War for 1941 large offensives against Germany were planned, based on an expected French and British material superiority. Each of the two phases of an offensive – the breakthrough by the Infantry and the exploitation of it by the Cavalry ;– called for its own specialised vehicle, with the AMC designed to fight enemy armour. The SOMUA S35

19965-413: The new engine was not yet available in the summer of 1940. The armament and general nominal armour base would remain the same, but first steps to improve these, which might have naturally have evolved into a "S 41", had already been taken in the spring of 1940, when plans were made for a 60 mm welded ARL turret. A first order was on 21 September 1939 made for fifty vehicles, and it was intended to become

20130-835: The only major German unit with S 35s that would fight on the Eastern Front; some were deployed by 22. Panzerdivision near Sevastopol in 1942. The 21st and 25. Panzerdivision in 1943 used some S 35s when reforming after having been largely destroyed. Some vehicles had their superstructure removed and were used for driver-training, while others were used for security duties. Some of these units fought in Normandy in 1944, such as 100. Panzer Ersatz und Ausbildungs-Abteilung and 206. Panzer-Abteilung , while others were used in Yugoslavia for anti-partisan duties ( 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen" , 12. Panzer-Kompanie z.b.V. and I./Panzer-Regiment 202 ). There were still twelve S 35s listed as in German service on 30 December 1944. Some of

20295-508: The order had been increased to 900, divided between eight batches, including all variants based on the chassis. Beginning in 1966, ten AMX-30s were assembled per month, and the first five were issued in August 1966 to the 501st Régiment de Chars de Combat . Monthly production grew to 15–20 tanks as new factories began to manufacture components of the vehicle and existing factories increased their production potential. However, in April 1969, production

20460-457: The platoon meant that the other four tanks of the platoon were never fitted with any form of radio, although in some units all tanks had antennas: the programme to fit the sets themselves was postponed until the summer of 1940 and thus overtaken by events. The suspension was designed by Eugène Brillié , the same man who had developed the first French tank, the Schneider CA1 . He had worked with

20625-508: The prominent "clothesline" radio antenna mounted on the rear deck. The gun mantlet was 25 mm (0.98 in) thick. The rest of the armour was as follows: The Czechoslovak Army formulated a requirement in the II-a category of light cavalry tanks by the end of 1934. Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk proposed an improved version of its P-II light tank already in service as the LT vz. 34 , but Škoda offered

20790-453: The quick capture of important industrial areas, stall any attack until the French Army was fully mobilised, and allow the French to fight a "long war" which would wear down and defeat Germany whose capability to fight a protracted war was limited. If Germany went to the north of the line, it would be met by the French Army, assisted by Britain, in Belgium. At the start of the war, France had one of

20955-515: The rest "38Hs" . On 10 February 1941, 202. Panzerregiment was established; both regiments were united into Panzerbrigade 100 . On 27 January the independent 301. Panzerabteilung was formed with French vehicles; total S 35 organic strength in the Wehrmacht was thus ninety. On 22 March this independent battalion replaced the Second Battalion of 201. Panzerregiment , which battalion was renamed Panzer-Abteilung 211 and sent to Finland in June,

21120-524: The same time when the Pacific campaign was still underway by spring or summer of 1945, which marked a new era of french tanks in post-war era when French tanks needed to be modernized. Various tank designs were built by France after World War II. Tank models such as the AMX-13 and AMX-30 were also exported to various other nations. Newer French tank designs sacrificed armour protection for increased mobility, due to

21285-524: The situation there was very different. In Britain a single committee had coordinated design, while the major industries remained passive. Almost all production effort was thus concentrated into the Mark I and its direct successors, all very similar in shape. In France, on the other hand, there were multiple and conflicting lines of development which were badly integrated, resulting in three major and quite disparate production types. A major arms producer, Schneider, took

21450-419: The spring of 1939, the number of operational tanks had increased to 192, the two armoured division of the Cavalry having attained their nominal strength. On 1 September 1939, the start of the war, 270 had been produced and 246 delivered. On this date 191 served with the troops, 51 were in depot and four had been sent back to the factory for overhaul. After the outbreak of war, on 21 September a sixth order of fifty

21615-504: The stalemate of trench warfare , and largely at the initiative of the manufacturers. The Schneider CA1 was the first tank produced by France, and 400 units were built. The French also experimented with various tank designs, such as the Frot-Laffly landship , Boirault machine and Souain experiment . Another 400 Saint-Chamond tanks were manufactured from April 1917 to July 1918 but they were underpowered and were of limited utility because

21780-408: The suspension and engine. Repairing broken tracks in the field was well-nigh impossible. This had been caused by the fact that there was no central institution regulating French tank development. The Army branches issued very vague specifications, leaving it to private enterprise to come up with precise proposals. The French machine tool national stock was relatively outdated and tank designs reflected

21945-567: The tank , Tank classification , interwar period Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in the Cold War PzKpfw 35(t) A total of 434 were built; of these, the Germans seized 244 when they occupied Bohemia-Moravia in March 1939 and the Slovaks acquired 52 when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia at the same time. Others were exported to Bulgaria and Romania . In German service, it saw combat during

22110-463: The tank was nearly invulnerable to most tanks and towed antitank guns. They equipped the armoured divisions of the Infantry, which were specialised breakthrough units. The French plan of 1926, calling for the creation of a Light Infantry Support Tank, led to the development of the existing Renault NC1 prototype into the Char D1. On 23 December 1930 a first order of 70 main production series of Char D1 tanks

22275-586: The trial tank were completed, the Romanian commission approved the design on 23 August. In the meantime, the initial batch was returned to Skoda to be upgraded to current standards on 28 July. Shipments to Romania began on 1 September with 27 shipped before the Munich Crisis forced the Czechs to hold all remaining tanks in case they were needed. 5 finished tanks and six almost-finished tanks were appropriated and shipped to Slovakia although they were quickly returned after

22440-509: The vaunted Char B1 had a commander who was tasked with commanding the vehicle, aiming the main gun, and loading the main gun. If he were a platoon leader or company commander, he had the additional tasks of controlling his other units. Such a heavy set of tasks was overwhelming, and greatly reduced the effectiveness of the tanks. The lack of radios with the light tanks was not seen as a major drawback, since French doctrine called for slow-paced, deliberate manoeuvers in close conformance to plans:

22605-435: The vehicle's unsuitability for cold weather operations and general unreliability. This weakness, in addition to their thin armour and inadequate firepower, resulted in the 6th Panzer Division being reequipped with German tanks on its withdrawal from Russia in April 1942. All 26 remaining Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) s still in working condition in 1942 were sold to Romania. Some vehicles had their turrets and hull machine guns removed so that

22770-463: The very small number of just ten, but it would be the first tank with a three-man turret; the heaviest to enter service until late in World War II and still the largest ever operational. French production at first lagged behind the British. After August 1916 however, British tank manufacture was temporarily halted to wait for better designs, allowing the French to overtake their allies in numbers. When

22935-539: The views of Estienne and later Charles de Gaulle , the French general staff failed in defining an effective military doctrine regarding their use, due to the division of labour between infantry and cavalry tanks. The French strategy was informed by its experience of the First World War. The long French border with Germany was protected by the Maginot Line , a series of supporting defensive measures, which would prevent

23100-468: The war with over 3,700 built, more numerous than all British tanks combined. That this would happen was at first far from certain; some in the French army lobbied for the alternative mass production of super-heavy tanks. Much design effort was put in this line of development resulting in the gigantic Char 2C , the most complex and technologically advanced tank of its day. Its very complexity ensured it being produced too late to participate in World War I and in

23265-456: The west coast of France in April 1945. After the fall of France a number of S 35s (297 were captured according to some sources) were taken into service with the Wehrmacht as the Panzerkampfwagen 35-S 739(f) . The Germans modified the cupola by cutting its top off and installing a simple hatch. On 10 December 1940 the first German tank unit equipped with French Beutepanzer was formed: 201. Panzerregiment with 118 tanks; 36 of these were S 35s,

23430-462: Was 434, including 298 for the Czechoslovak Army, 126 for Romania (under the designation Škoda R-2) and ten for Bulgaria . The Wehrmacht used 218 vehicles captured from the Czechoslovak Army in March 1939. Britain's Alvis-Straussler negotiated for a production license from September 1938 until March 1939 when the Nazi occupation made an agreement impossible. The Soviets were also interested so Škoda shipped

23595-451: Was adopted by the Germans as the MG 37(t) . In German use, 72 rounds of 37 mm ammunition were carried. These were stored in 6-round boxes: three on the hull side wall, eight in the turret overhang and one ready box above the gun on the turret roof. For the machine gun, 1,800 rounds of belted 7.92 mm ammunition were carried. The machine gun ammunition was in 100 round belts, stored three to

23760-498: Was again reduced to ten per month. By 1971 about 180 vehicles were in service; in 1975 delivery began of the last 143 units of the final eighth batch of the original order. In 1985 the number of AMX-30s had risen to 1173. By the end of production, France had accepted 1,355 AMX-30s into service, including 166 brand-new AMX-30B2s. Another 493 tanks were refitted and modernized to AMX-30B2 standards; originally 271 new and 820 refitted vehicles had been planned. The French Army also accepted

23925-495: Was assigned to XXXXI Corps (mot.) for Panzergruppe von Kleist ' s attack through the Ardennes . 44 of these had been lost by the end of May. 35 replacements were issued on 3 June in preparation for Fall Rot , the attack on the remnants of the French Army that began the following day. A total of 62 Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) s were either total write-offs or were damaged beyond the ability of the field maintenance workshops to repair during

24090-535: Was at the limit of its development while the S-II-a could be improved as needed. The first production order for 160 LT vz. 35 s, as the S-II-a was designated in Army service, was placed on 30 October 1935 and deliveries began in December 1936. An additional order for 35 was made on 12 May 1936 and a follow-on order placed for 103 more a month later. The total order for 298 tanks was split equally by Škoda Works and ČKD according to their cartel agreement. Development

24255-433: Was between the driver and radio operator in a ball mount capable of 30° of traverse, 25° of elevation and depressing up to 10°. Most of the machine gun's barrel protruded from the mount and was protected by an armoured trough. The mount had a spotting telescope, but open sights could be used if the plug at the top of the ball mount was removed. If necessary, the driver could lock the mount into position and fire it himself using

24420-519: Was decided that from the 451st vehicle onward the tanks would be of the improved S 40 type. Production in fact totalled 430 by June 1940, including the prototype and the preseries. Of these about 288 were in front-line service at the beginning of the Battle of France , with the three armoured divisions of the Cavalry, the Divisions Légères Mécaniques or Mechanised Light Divisions ("light" here meaning "mobile"). Each of these had an organic strength of eight squadrons with ten S35s; each squadron however had

24585-496: Was divided in a front and back section. The turret was a variant of the APX 1 as used on the Char B1 : the APX 1 CE ( chemin élargi ) with a larger 1,130 mm (44 in) as against 1,022 mm (40.2 in)) turret ring, allowing the radio operator to assist the commander in loading the gun from an ammunition stock of 118 shells (90 AP, 28 HE) and 2,250 machine gun rounds. As with the B1,

24750-554: Was due to a conspiracy among the Slovak tankers that the tanks would be needed to overthrow the regime at some point and could not be wasted in combat against the Soviets. This caused a high incidence of crew sabotage to which the officers and maintainers turned a blind eye, which caused the tanks to be withdrawn to Slovakia at the beginning of August 1941. On 1 January 1942, the Slovaks had 49 LT vz. 35 on hand because three had been destroyed in

24915-496: Was exported to Poland and Romania. The cavalry had the similar Hotchkiss H 35 , armed with the same 37 mm, as well as light recon tanks such as the AMR 35 . France also produced what may have been the best tank of the 1930s, the SOMUA S35 . This tank equipped the armoured divisions of the Cavalry which had to execute the exploitation phase of a battle and was probably the best combination of armour, firepower and mobility prior to

25080-401: Was later greatly used for propaganda purposes by all involved parties. Tobruk was taken 10 days later by Rommel's troops. Rommel continued to advance against delaying actions by the British until halted at First Battle of El Alamein in July. Général Bernard Saint-Hillier said in an October 1991 interview: "A grain of sand had curbed the Axis advance, which reached Al-Alamein only after

25245-405: Was made, followed by a final order of 324 bringing the ordered total to 824. Later it was decided that from the 451st vehicle onwards the tanks would be of the improved S 40 type. Production in fact totalled around 440 by June 1940, including the prototype and the preseries. Of these about 288 were in front-line service at the beginning of the Battle of France , with the three armoured divisions of

25410-432: Was made, followed on 12 July 1932 by a second order of 30; the last order on 16 October 1933 was of 50 vehicles, for a total of 150, delivered between January 1932 and early 1935. In general, French tanks of the 1930s were well-armoured, innovative vehicles that owed little to foreign designs. However, the light tanks lacked firepower, tended to be slow, and almost all French tanks were weakened by their one-man turrets. Even

25575-464: Was often restricted with tanks being assigned for infantry support. Unlike Germany, which had special Panzerwaffe divisions, France did not separate tanks from the Infantry arm, and were unable to respond quickly to the Blitzkrieg tactics employed by the Germans, which involved rapid movement, mission-type orders and combined-arms tactics. The S35 medium tank entered service in January 1936 with

25740-657: Was optimised to fulfil the latter rôle; it had good speed, an adequate range, a gun powerful enough to easily destroy its two probable opponents - the Soviet BT-7 and the German Panzer III - and armour thick enough to be practically immune to the fire of both at normal battle ranges; the armour of any German tank in May 1940 could be penetrated by the S35's 47 mm gun up to a range of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). So it could carry out deep strategic penetrations and destroy enemy armour reserves trying to prevent them, possessing

25905-562: Was organized under the US light armoured division organization. After landing in Normandy on 1 August 1944, his 2nd Armoured Division participated in the battle of the Falaise Pocket (12 to 21 August) where they all but destroyed the 9th Panzer Division and went on to liberate Paris . Allied troops were avoiding Paris, moving around it clockwise towards Germany. This was to minimize the danger of

26070-481: Was preferably left to the infantry. The resulting tank battle from 13 to 15 May, the Battle of Hannut , was with about 1700 AFVs participating the largest until that day and is still one of the largest of all time. The S 35s gave a good account of themselves, proving to be indeed superior to the German tanks in direct combat, but they were rather hesitantly deployed as the French High Command mistakenly supposed

26235-467: Was refitted by them with a British 6-pounder gun, and designated SO-57. In 1937, SOMUA developed the SAu 40 self-propelled 75 mm gun from the S35. Its suspension featured an extra wheel to improve off-road capabilities, and the hull was wider. Only one prototype was built in this configuration; it fought in June, fitted with its 75 mm. 72 units had been ordered on 1 May 1940. The new order requested that

26400-399: Was required, but when it transpired that this would reduce the armour protection, it was abandoned in favour of thicker steel casts. The CE turret variant mitigated the workload of the commander as it constituted a "one and a half man" turret. The Cavalry acknowledged three flaws at the tactical, the operational and the strategic levels. The main tactical flaw was the hatchless cupola, forcing

26565-424: Was rushed and there were many defects in the LT vz. 35 s. Many tanks had to be returned to the factories to be repaired. Most of these repairs involved the electrical system, not the complicated pneumatic system. In August 1936, Romania placed an order for 126; the bulk of these were delivered from the end of 1938 by Škoda. Afghanistan ordered ten in 1940; but, these were sold instead to Bulgaria. Total production

26730-644: Was sent to the front, but the Soviets confiscated most of them when it arrived. Both R-2 s were serviceable when the regiment entered Bratislava on 4 April 1945, but these were probably destroyed when the regiment was nearly surrounded in Austria on 10 April because they are no longer listed among the regiment's vehicles afterwards. Twenty-one tanks were rebuilt as TACAM R-2 tank destroyers with an ex-Soviet 76.2 mm gun in 1943–44. The Slovak Army seized 52 LT vz. 35 tanks when they declared their independence from Czechoslovakia in March 1939. They were organized into

26895-538: Was tasked with preventing the German units stationed around Ploiești from breaking out to the north and finding refuge in Hungary. They accomplished their task and the R-2 s were withdrawn from combat operations until the following year. Romania had concentrated all of its remaining tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in the 2nd Armoured Regiment in early 1945 as the unofficial Soviet arms embargo began to have effect. It had five R-2 s on hand in early February 1945 when it

27060-506: Was threatened by this position). The Afrika Korps had to take Bir Hakeim. So Rommel sent the Trieste division, the 90th Light Infantry Division, and 3 recon armored regiments from the Pavia division against Bir Hakeim. The German infantry launched a full attack, supported by the 15th Panzerdivision, with heavy barrages from the artillery. A breach was made and on 9 June, the evacuation order reached

27225-470: Was unreliable as well; a maximum of only about 130 of the 400 built were ever operational at the same time. Then industrial rivalry began to play a detrimental role: it created the heavy Char Saint-Chamond , a parallel development not ordered by the Army, but approved by government through industrial lobby, which mounted much more impressive weaponry — its 75 mm was the most powerful gun fielded by any operational tank up till 1941 — but also combined many of

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