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Char SOMUA S-35

FACT BOX:
Country: France
Crew: 3
Weight: 44200 lb
Class: Medium
Dimensions: width, 6'11" length, 17'11" height, 8'10"
Armament: 47mm main gun with one 7.5 mm machine gun
Armour: 56mm max
Engine: SOMUA 8 cylinder petrol engine developing 190 hp
Performance:
Top Speed: 23 mph
Range: 160 miles
Vert. Obstacle: 1'8"
Gradient: 65%

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	The Char SOMUA S-35?s life began when the French Cavalry asked for a tank to be designed for them. The French Cavalry accepted the tank under the designation, AMC SOMUA AC-3. It did so well in trials that the French Army adopted it as the standard medium tank. The name was changed to the Char SOMUA S-35 and began production in 1935. The S-35 carried a 47 mm main gun and a 7.5 mm machine gun in the turret. Its armour was up to 2.2 inches thick and relatively well sloped. All this added to its 23 mph top speed made it more than a match for the German tanks of the time. 500 had been made by the time the Germans invaded France in 1940. The S-35s did quite a bit of damage to the German Panzer divisions, but due to bad tactics by the French army, the S-35s did little towards stopping the German invasion. By the time the allies retook France in 1944, the French tanks that were left were long outdated.

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