Allied Combat Tanks (World War 2 ...

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//-->WORLD WAR 2FACTFILESAlliedCombat TankPETER CHAMBERLAIN ANDJOHN MILSOMPublihed1978byArcoPubli rungCompany,Inc..219ParkAvenueSo uth.New York,N.Y .10003opyrighl©197!lby Peter ChamberlainandJohn MilsomAIIrightsre ·ervedPrintedinGreatBri tainLibrury of Congress CatalogingInPublication DataChumberlain.Peter.AlUed combat tanks.WorldWar 2fact files)I.Tanks (Military science)2. WorldWar.1939-1945--Tankwarfar.J.Milsom,John,jo intauthor.II.Title.UG446.5.C4358'1877-17948ISBN0-668-04373-3Arco Publishing Company, Inc.$4.95New YorkMETROPOLITAN LIBRARY SYSTEFRANCEIntroductionThe tanks employed by France during World War II were greatly influenced bythe rigid tactical doctrine that was biased towards infantrysupport.As the result,the vehicles developedandadopted weregenerallylow-speed and complete lyunsuited to fast mobile armoured operations. Furthermore, the crews wergenerally toosmallin number-thereby requiring of the commanders too manyfunctions under combat situations. Despi te these operational misconceptions,theactual engineering and technological design of French tanks was, in general,excellentandrepresented theveryforemost in contemporary researchanddevelopment. The French armoured forcesatthe beginning of the war were madeup of 2,285 tanks (excluding obsoletemodels andthosedeployedin the colonies),comprising 6 basic models: RenaultR-35, HotchkissH-35,andFCM-36 lighttanks (and their derivatives), theCharD,SOMUA35,and the Char B.Therewerealsoa large number ofso-calledAMRsand AMes. which wereineffecttracked armoured cars, The dis tribution ofth-esetanks throughout theFrenchArmyinJune1940was as follows: 3armoureddiisiom,totalling 468 tanks(CharsBI.BIbis.andH-39);3 light mechanised divisions totalling 582 tank(C hars S­35,S-40.H-35,andH-39/40);5lightcavalrydiviionst(ailing110 tanks(CharsH-35 andH-39/40);and25separatenon-divi sionaltank battalions totalling1, 125tanks(Ch.1r'R-35,H-35,FCM-36,andD2,),LIGHTTANKSJ)ATACharLegerRenaultFT(LightTankRenault FT)Thislight tank. which was famou, for its exploil during World WarJ,stillremainedinservicewith Frencharmoured units when World War II broke out.Ital'oformedamajor part of thelankstrengths ofseveralothernations who hadadoptedit during theearly1930s,The Renault FT light tank was conceived byGene ral Estienne as a light infantry-accompanying tank,andwas designed byRenault et Serre in 1916, 3.177 vehicles llf thistype had been produced by the tillleof the Armistice in 1918. Between the wars the tank was extensively modified, andduring 1931 existing vehicles were re-armed with the 7,5-mm Chatelleraultmachine-gunin place of the original 8-mm Hotchkiss type. Several variatillrlsutilising Kegresse rubber tracksanddifferent forms of armament were developed.500 Renault FTs wereemployedduring the initial stagesofWorld Warnby theFrench,andthen later by the Germans. One of the most prominent of themodifications was theCharRenault BS, mountinga75-mm gun, a few of whichwereencounteredbythe Allies during the invasion of France in June 1944.CREW2WEIGHT6,700kg6.6to"'sHEIGHT2.14m7f.LENGTH4.IOm IH.51inWIDTH 1.74m5ftS 1inENG1NERenault4-cyl.water-cooledpdroldeveloping35hpSPEEDRoad IOkmh6.2mphross-country7kmh 4.4 mphROAD RADIUS 60 km}7milesARMAMENTEither one 37-mmSagunorone7.5-mmChatdleraultMGROUNDS CARRIED240x37 mm4,800x7.5mmMax 22 mmMin6mm0.87 in0.24inARMOURTHICKNESSClllIr Leger RenaultFT,armed with a37-1/1/11,agllll;crewmemherisusingaFlIsilMilruilleurMle1974/1911sallanti-aircraft1I'l'/JPOIiCharLeger RenaultFT.armedwith a7.5-mmmachine-g/IIIbeingcoveredwith acamouflage !letting011a lighttallktrallsporterAMR Renault Modele1933VM(Armoured ReconnaissanceVehicle Renault Model1933VM)DATACREW21.73 m5.500kg5.4ton'5ft81inLENGTH3.5mIIft 5l inWlorn 1.64m-'f!4~inENGINE Rcnaull8-cyl.water-Ct)(lled perrotdevelopi ngH4hpSPEED ROod 54 kmh33.6mphCross-country 30kmh18.6mphROADRADIUS 10Clkm124.3milesWEIGHTHEIGHTARMAMENTOne7.5-mmmachine-gunAspartofthe 1931 re-equipment programme.thespecificationsforalightarmoured reconnai sance vehicle (AMR) werelaid downon16 January 1932.Renault produceda vehicleto thisspecification and aftertes ts with5 prototypes,over the period 1932 to 1933, theFrench Armyadopted thevehicle astheAMRRenault Modele 1933 VM. The vehicle wasaccepted officially on 6June1933.Atotalof123werebuilt.ROUNDSCARRIEDARMOURTHICKNESS2.250Max13mmMin.51in.20in.smmAMRRel/lIlllt Modele 1933VMAMR Renault Modele1935ZT(Armoured ReconnaissanceVehicle Renault Model1935ZT)DATACREW2h,50C1kg6.4tonsWEIGHTHEIGHTLENGTHWIDTH1.88In3.S4m1.76m6ft2!inl2ft7in5ft91inENGlNESPEllDRenaull4-cyl.wa(er-cooled petroldeveloping82hpRoad hlJ kmh37mph18.6mph124.3milesCross-country 30 kmhROAD RADIUSARMAMENT20C1kmVari" l" (seetext)2.250(7..I-mmmg version);ROUNDSCARRIEDThe AMR 1933VMvehicledid not quitecomeup to requirements,and in 1934Renault developed anewversion. Themost fundamentalalteration wasto locatethe engine atthe rear(the AMR1933 VM had been front-engined)toprovidebette rvisionfor the driver.Therunninggear was alsolengthened toallowasmootherrideacross country_Due to the internationalsituation100ofthesevehicleswereordered,andtherewere 4 versions adoptedwhichdifferedin theirarmament. Thefirst hadaturretsimilarto thatoftheAMR1933 VMarmed with a7.5-mmmachine-gun.Thesecondversionhada13.2-mmHotchkissmachine-guninalarger turret.Thethird version had thickerarmour and a 25-mm gun and a 7.5­mm machine-guninthe turret.Thefourthversionhadafixedsuperstructurewiththesame armamentasthe third version.Altogether 200AMR1935swereproduced in threeseparate batches ofIno,30 and 70respecti vely.1.220(1J.2-mmversion);I,(XX)(25-mmversion)ARMOURll-IICKNESSMaxl3mmMin5mOl.51in.20inAMR35.armed with 25-mm glll/AMRRenault Modele1935ZT.2nd version.armedwith 1J.2-mmHotchkissmachine-gunFUllrthversionofthe AMR35with fixedsuperstructureand armed with a25-mmgUllAMCRenaultlUodele1934YR(ArmouredCombat VehicleRenauJtModel1934YR)DATCREW3WEIGHT 9,7ookg9.55tonsHEIGHT2. IOm 6ft IIinLENGTH 3.9RmIHtWlDTH2.(JIm6ft9\in•ENGINERenaultR-cyl.\v~lt(~r-<..'ooJed:>elroldeveloping120 hpSPEEDRoad 40 kmh2-<mphCross-wuntry30kmh1~.6mphROAD RADIUSlookm124.3milesARMAMENTOne47-mm Sa34!,'lIfianuon.7..<-mmITIgAsaresultof the 19'<1vehicle forusebythe1933.andthevehidewere produced uuetllprof.'Tammc.Re naultdeveloped alightarmoured combatm.:haniseu cavalry. The prototype appearedinOctobera..officially adoptedin 1934_Only12ofthesevehiclesth decision toadopt the AMC1935 instead_ROUNDCRRIFD01avail"bleARMOURTHICK'SMlIxl0mmMin5mm.79io.20inANteRenGuill'.1odi:le1934l'R [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]