Which French tank is the best? Models overview

Tank construction in our time is one of the leading directions in military affairs. The development of armored vehicles has always been famous for many European powers, including France. It is this country that is considered one of those states that can be safely attributed to the ancestors of the armored forces. Therefore, in this article, a detailed review of French tanks, an analysis of models and a history of their development will be performed.

Prehistory

Everyone knows that the construction of tanks as such began during the First World War. France was the second country to start using tanks on the battlefields.

The very first French tank was completely ready in September 1916. Its creator was J. Etienne, who, in fact, is considered the founding father of the French tank building. This officer was the chief of staff of the artillery regiment. He understood perfectly how to change the situation at the front, and therefore thought through the breakthrough of the first line of enemy defense precisely with the help of caterpillar technology. After that, in the occupied territory, he planned to install artillery and suppress enemy resistance from this position. Here it is necessary to make an important remark: armored vehicles, which we call tanks, from the French in those days were called "assault artillery tractors."

Production start

The top command of France, like most military leaders of other countries of the time, was extremely wary and skeptical about the idea of building a tank. However, Etienne was persistent and had the support of General Joffe, thanks to which permission was obtained to build a prototype. In those years, the leader of mechanical engineering was the firm "Renault". It was her Etienne proposed to open a new era of armored vehicles. But the company's management was forced to refuse, citing the fact that they do not have experience with caterpillar vehicles.

In this regard, the French tank was entrusted to build the firm "Schneider", which was the largest manufacturer of various weapons and had experience in booking a tractor "Holt". As a result, at the beginning of 1916 the firm received an order for 400 tanks, which were later called SA1 (Schneider).

Features of the first armored car

Since any specific concept of the tank was not announced, in this regard, France received two different versions of the tanks, both of which were based on the model of a caterpillar tractor. In comparison with the British armored cars, the French tank did not have caterpillars, covering the whole body along the perimeter. They were located on the sides and directly under the frame. The undercarriage was sprung, which made it easy to operate the machine. In addition, this design provided comfort to the crew. However, the front part of the car hanged over the tracks, and therefore any vertical obstacle on the way became insurmountable.

Tank Louis Reno

After it became clear that the tank building is a promising direction, Etienne again turned to the firm "Renault". This time, the officer was already able to clearly formulate the task before the manufacturer - to create a light tank with a small silhouette and minimal vulnerability, the main function of which would be to accompany the infantry during the battle. As a result, French light tanks were created - Renault FT.

Technique of a new generation

The Renault FT-17 tank is considered to be the first model of the tank, which had a classic layout (the engine compartment was at the rear, the combat compartment in the center, and the control compartment in front), and there was a tower capable of rotating 360 degrees.

The crew of the car was two - a driver-mechanic and a commander, who was engaged in the maintenance of a machine gun or a cannon.

The weapon could have a cannon or a machine gun. The "cannon" version envisaged the installation of a semi-automatic cannon "Gochkiss SA18" with a diameter of 37 mm. Guidance of the gun was carried out with the help of a special shoulder stop, which allows vertical guidance in the range from -20 to +35 degrees.

The undercarriage of the tank was represented by supporting and supporting skating rinks, steering wheels, screw tensioning mechanism of caterpillars, which, in turn, were coarse-grained and had a forging engagement.

In the aft part of the tank there was a bracket, thanks to which the machine was able to dump trees with a diameter of 0.25 meters, to overcome trenches and ditches up to 1.8 meters in width and could withstand roll at an angle of up to 28 degrees. The minimum turning radius of the tank was 1.41 meters.

The End of the First World War

During this period, General Etienne attempted to create independent tank forces, which were to be divided into light, medium and heavy vehicles. However, the general corps had its own opinion, and, beginning in 1920, all tank divisions were subordinate to the infantry. In this regard, there was a division into cavalry and infantry tanks.

Still, Etienne's enthusiasm and activity were not in vain - until 1923 FCM company created ten multi-towed heavy tanks 2C. In turn, thanks to the firm "FAMN", a French branch of M. tanks appears. These models were interesting because they were used simultaneously for caterpillars and wheels. The type of engine could be changed depending on the surrounding circumstances.

Army motorization program

In 1931, France began to pay special attention to wheeled and reconnaissance vehicles. In this regard, the company "Renault" introduced the newest at that time light tank AMR. In this machine, the tower and the body were connected with each other by means of an angular frame and rivets. Armored sheets were installed at a rational angle of inclination. The tower was shifted to the side of the port side, and the engine to the right. The crew consisted of two people. The standard weapon was two machine guns - Reibel caliber of 7,5 mm and calico Hotchkiss (13,2 mm).

Unusual armored car

The maximum development of French tanks fell on the period 1936-1940. This was due to the growing military threat, which the French military was well aware of.

One of the tanks, which entered service in 1934, was B1. His exploitation showed that he had significant shortcomings: an inefficient deployment of weapons in the hull, a high degree of vulnerability of the chassis, an irrational distribution of functional duties among crew members. Practice has shown that, in reality, the driver had to give up the control of the machine and carry out the supply of ammunition. This led to the fact that eventually the tank became a stationary target.

In addition, the armor of the car caused special complaints. French heavy tanks, like their counterparts in other countries of the world, have special requirements for their defense. B1 did not match them.

And, finally, the most important thing - B1 was too expensive in construction, operation and maintenance. Of the positive qualities of the car is worth noting its high speed and good handling.

Improved model

Considering the French heavy tanks, it is necessary to pay attention to the car B-1 bis. The weight of this tank was 32 tons, and the size of the armored layer was 60 mm. This allowed the crew to feel themselves protected from German guns, with the exception of the Flak 36 anti-aircraft gun of 88 mm caliber. Also, the armament of the tank was strengthened.

By itself, the armored car was assembled from cast parts. The tower was also produced by casting, and the body was mounted from several armored sections, connected by bolts.

An exclusive novelty is quite possible to consider the presence of a power-assisted tank, which made it possible to control a multiton vehicle without any difficulties.

As the weapon used a SA-35 cannon caliber of 75 mm, which was located on the right hand of the driver. The angle of its elevation was 25 degrees, and the declination was 15. In the horizontal plane, the gun had a rigid fixation.

Also there was a machine gun "Châtellerault" with a caliber of 7,5 mm. It was fixed just below the gun. He could be fired from both a driver and a tank commander. At the same time, an electrospin was used.

You could enter the tank through the armored door on the right side, hatches located in the tower and above the driver's seat, and also through two emergency entrances - one was located in the bottom and the other on top of the engine compartment.

Also this French tank was equipped with self-sealing fuel tanks and a direction gyroscope. The crew was manned by four people. A distinctive feature of the machine can be considered the presence of a radio station in it, which at that time was a rarity.

The Second World War Period

The French tanks of the Second World War were represented by the following machines:

• Hotchkiss H35 - a machine developed by the company "Gochkiss." In its running gear used six support rollers on each side. Virtually all the details of the tank were cast. The armament was represented by a 37 mm cannon. Armor had a thickness of 34 mm to 45 mm, depending on the location of its location.
• Renault R35 - a tank with a classic layout. The whole machine had bolted and hairpin connections. The body was cast. The firepower was represented by a cannon and a machine gun. Power plant - carburetor engine four-cylinder power of 83 horsepower. Unfortunately, the tank was slow. With his own weight of 10 tons, he could only develop a speed of 19 km / h, which was extremely small to support infantry units.
• The medium infantry tank Renault D-2 is a machine with a decent armor thickness and low speed of movement. The cannon of the tank had a diameter of 47 mm, a machine gun - 7.5 mm. The turret and gun were rotated by a manual drive. 14 support rollers were used on each side.
• The Somua S35 is a tank with a rear propulsion system. Engine - carburetor, eight-cylinder with liquid cooling. The chassis was equipped with a mechanical transmission. To control the machine, a double differential was used. The suspension of the track rollers was mixed. The special feature of the hull was the presence of six armored parts bolted together. The hexagonal tower was solid. It installed a gun and a machine gun. The thickness of the frontal armor was 36 mm, the side armor - 41 mm, the front armor of the tower - 56 mm. The shortcomings can only be attributed to the low speed of the tank, especially over rough terrain.

Postwar days

Adopted in 1946, the tank building program led to the fact that the best French tanks were launched.

In 1951 a light tank AMX-13 came off the assembly line. Its distinctive feature was the swaying tower.

The AMX-30 fighting tank was launched in the 1980s. Its layout has a classic outline. The driver is located on the left side. The gunner and the tank commander are located in the combat compartment on the right side of the gun, the charging fighter sits on the right. The volume of fuel tanks is 960 liters. The ammunition totals 47 shots.

The tank AMX-32 has a mass of 40 tons. The weapon is a cannon 120 mm, a gun M693 20 mm and a machine gun 7.62 mm. Ammunition pack - 38 shots. On the highway the tank is able to reach a speed of 65 km / h. The system of stabilization of weapons is absent. There is a digital ballistic computer, a laser range finder. To work at night, the camera "Thomson-S5R" paired with the gun is used. A circular view can be performed using eight periscopes. The tank is also equipped with a fire-fighting and air-conditioning system, an installation for creating smoke screens.

Export option

If the above models of French tanks were in service with France, the AMX-40 tank was produced exclusively for export abroad. The guidance and fire control systems give a 90% chance of hitting the target, which can be at a distance of 2000 meters. At the same time from the moment of detection to the destruction of the target is only 8 seconds. The engine of the car is diesel, 12-cylinder, turbocharged. It is connected to an automatic transmission 7P, which allows you to develop a capacity of 1300 liters. With., But a little later the German transmission was replaced by a French analog. On the highway the tank develops a speed of 70 km / h.

The Age of Modernity

To date, the newest French tank - AMX-56 Leclerc. Its serial production was started in 1991.

The tank is characterized by a high degree of saturation of electronics, the total cost of which equals half the price of the entire machine. The layout of the tank is classical. The main armament is located in the tower.

Armor machines - multi-layered and equipped with gaskets made of ceramic materials. The front of the case has a modular design that allows you to easily change damaged parts.

The tank is also equipped with a system that protects the crew from weapons of mass destruction and a system of signaling about laser irradiation.

In the fighting and motor departments there are fast-acting fire extinguishing systems. Without any problems, a smoke screen can be installed at a distance of up to 55 meters.

The main gun of the tank is a cannon SM-120-26 120 mm. In addition, there are two machine guns of different caliber. Combat weight of the machine is 54.5 tons.