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Char B1
The Char B1 bis Rhône at the Musée des Blindés at Saumur
Type
Break-through tank, Heavy tank
Place of origin
France
Service history
In service
1936–1940 (France)
1944–1945 (Free French Forces)
Used by
France
Germany
Wars
World War II
Production history
Designed
1921–1934
Manufacturer
Renault and others
Produced
1935–1937 (Char B1)
1937–1940 (Char B1 bis)
No. built
405 (34 Char B1, 369 Char B1 bis and two Char B1 ter)
Specifications
Mass
28 tonnes
Length
6.37 m (20 ft 11 in)
Width
2.46 m (8 ft 1 in)
Height
2.79 m (9 ft 2 in)
Crew
4
Armour
40 mm (Char B1)
60 mm (Char B1 bis)
Main armament
75 mm ABS SA 35 howitzer
Secondary armament
47 mm SA 34 (Char B1)
47 mm SA 35 (Char B1 bis)
2× 7.5 mm Reibel machine guns
Engine
Renault inline 6 cylinder 16.5 litre petrol engine 272 hp
Power/weight
9.7 hp/tonne
Transmission
5 forward, 1 reverse gear
Suspension
bogies with a mixture of vertical coil and leaf springs
Fuel capacity
400 L
Operational range
200 km (120 mi)
Maximum speed
28 km/h (17 mph)
21 km/h (13 mph) off-road
Steering system
double differential
The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before World War II.
The Char B1 was a specialised break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled gun with a 75 mm howitzer in the hull; later a 47 mm gun in a turret was added, to allow it to function also as a Char de Bataille, a "battle tank" fighting enemy armour, equipping the armoured divisions of the Infantry Arm. Starting in the early twenties, its development and production were repeatedly delayed, resulting in a vehicle that was both technologically complex and expensive, and already obsolescent when real mass-production of a derived version, the Char B1 "bis", started in the late 1930s. A further up-armoured version, the Char B1 "ter", was only built in two prototypes.
Among the most powerfully armed and armoured tanks of its day, the type was very effective in direct confrontations with German armour in 1940 during the Battle of France, but low speed and high fuel consumption made it ill-adapted to the war of movement then being fought. After the defeat of France, captured Char B1 (bis) would be used by Germany, with some rebuilt as flamethrowers, Munitionspanzer, or mechanised artillery.
The CharB1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before World War II. The CharB1 was a specialised break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled...
expensive CharB1. With the latter type, in case of war, only a limited number of armoured divisions for the Infantry Arm could be raised; the Char D2 created...
Whereas a reasonably effective heavy breakthrough tank was available, the CharB1, and several light infantry support tanks were on the brink of being taken...
B-class submarine Brasilsat B1, a 1994 communication satellite CharB1, a French heavy tank B1 Centauro, an Italian wheeled tank destroyer Boom XB-1 Baby...
designers based themselves on types they already knew well, mainly the CharB1, the Char G1 and the FCM F1 — contrary to what some sources state the ARL 44...
(23 March 2015). World War II Album Volume 10: French Tanks CharB1 - Char D1 - Char D2 - Char 2c. Merriam Press. ISBN 978-1-329-01004-8. François, 2011...
up Char or char in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Char may refer to: Char Fontane, American actress Char Margolis, American spiritualist René Char (1907–1988)...
and a 47 mm gun in a turret. It would thus have resembled an oversized CharB1, of which tank several other development projects were ongoing. In 1937...
Medium Tanks (Chars de Bataille), these were in fact meant to be specialised breakthrough tanks (Char D1, Char D2, CharB1). Heavy Tanks (Chars Lourds); only...
Renault FTs. In 1926 it transpired that the Char de Bataille project, that later resulted in the CharB1, was evolving into a far heavier tank than at...
BCCs incorporated in the armoured divisions and equipped with the CharB1 or CharB1 bis had 27 TRC 37Ls: each of their three companies had six tractors...
of a flamethrower. The Char B1 numbers include 34 CharB1 proper, two CharB1 ter and 369 CharB1 bis. The Hotchkiss H35 numbers include the informally...
the 41st Tank Battalion, equipped with the CharB1 heavy tank. Then-Captain Billotte, commanding a CharB1 Bis tank nicknamed "Eure", was instrumental...
and back section. The turret was a variant of the APX 1 as used on the CharB1: the APX 1 CE (chemin élargi) with a larger 1,130 mm (44 in) as against...
shortened 11.08 litres V-4 180 hp version of the V-6 engine used in the CharB1. There were five road wheels. The suspension used horizontal rubber cylinders...
Soviet T-35, American Medium Tank M3 (hull mounted and turret gun), French CharB1 (hull mounted howitzer) or British Cruiser Mk I (two ancillary machine...
height of the tank. In 1943, Berge had read reports of the 1940 French CharB1 design. This featured a large (for the era) gun in the hull that was fixed...
were the only countries to have inventories of heavy tanks, such as the CharB1, T-35, and KV-1. The Matilda II was designed under the British infantry...
Medium Tanks (Chars de Bataille), these were in fact meant to be specialised breakthrough tanks (Char D1, Char D2, CharB1). Heavy Tanks (Chars Lourds); only...
turret held a machine gun. The use of two main guns was seen on the French CharB1 and the Mark I version of the British Churchill tank. In the French tank...
The Renault R35, an abbreviation of Char léger Modèle 1935 R or R 35, was a French light infantry tank of the Second World War. Designed from 1933 onwards...
suspension of the earlier Char D1 and Char D2 but was in fact inspired by the CharB1 suspension. It also used the same track as the CharB1, reducing the number...
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