| SOMUA S-35 |
| SOMUA S-35 Medium Tank Crew: 3 Armament: one 47mm gun, 1 7.5mm mg Armor: 56mm maximum Weight: 20,000 kg Performance: 23mph road speed, 160 miles range History: In service with French army 1936-1940. Served also with Germany and Italy. The SOMUA S-35 was originally built following the requirements of the Cavalry. However soon after the tank was introduced it was decided on to fulfill the role of the main medium tank in the French army. About 500 S-35�s had been built by 1940, and these were superior in armor and firepower to most anything the Germans fielded at the time. The S-35 was well protected by its armor, and its 47mm gun was able to out shoot the 37mm on most German medium tanks. Unfortunately the manner in which the S-35�s were deployed prevented them from fully engaging German armored units. In a few isolated cases of tank combat, the S-35�s usually came out on top. When France fell, many S-35�s were taken into use by German and Italian forces. The S-35 was a advanced medium tank for its time, but even it had the dreadful 1 man turret, and S-35�s alone could not stop the German invasion. |
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