| Char B1 |
| Char B1 Heavy Tank Crew: 4 Armament: one 75mm gun, one 45mm gun, 2 7.5mm mgs Armor: 60mm maximum Weight: 32,000 kg Performance: 17mph road speed, 93miles range History: In service with French Army 1936-1940 The idea of a heavy assault tank was an antiquated one, borrowed from the left over tactics of WWI. However, the French persisted in designing a heavy tank in a manner not dissimilar to the tanks of WWI. The Char B1 incorporated many advanced features, but the design as a whole was flawed. Firstly, the Char B1, like most French tanks, was well armored, and when German tanks came to face the Char B1, they found their guns wholly inadequate. The Char B1 was also well armed, having a 75mm gun in the front of the hull, and a 47mm gun in a revolving turret. Strangely enough, the 75mm gun could only be elevated or depressed, and had no horizontal movement. An advanced steering system was used by the driver to aim the gun. And as well as the system worked, it proved very awkward in combat. In the turret the lone commander was charged with loading and firing the 47mm gun. He had also to command the tank. In the end the Char B1 could do little to stem the tide of attacking German Panzers. Its components were brilliantly designed, but the over all idea behind the Char B1 was unsound and outdated. |
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