Units of French Army

[asl3d]

40. M1 40L mm AA

This is the famous Bofors, which was the most widely used AA gun of the Second World War. In order to supply both the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy with much greater numbers of the guns, Chrysler built 60,000 of the guns and 120,000 barrels through the war, at half the original projected cost, and filling the Army's needs by 1943. 34,116 guns were built in the U.S. during WW2, and they served in all theaters in most of the same types of units as the M1A2. Bofors also developed a towable carriage which they displayed in April 1935 at a show in Belgium. This mount allowed the gun to be fired from the carriage with no setup required, although with limited accuracy. The gun fired a 900 g high explosive 40 × 311R (rimmed) shell at 900 m/s. The rate of fire was normally about 120 rounds per minute (2.0 rounds per second), which improved slightly when the barrels were closer to the horizon as gravity assisted the feeding from the top-mounted magazine. In practice firing rates were closer to 80–100 rpm (1.3–1.7 rounds per second), as the rounds were fed into the breech from four round clips which had to be replaced by hand. From mid 1943, as the newly forming Free French infantry divisions were being outfitted with U.S. equipment, each was authorized a battalion of (presumably 32) M1 Bofors guns. In all, 758 American AA guns were Lend-Leased to the Free French. Although originally intended as an Airborne weapon it was mainly used in the PTO—presumably by the 101st, 102nd, and 843rd AAA Automatic Weapons Battalions (Air-Transportable). Eighteen U.S. Bofors were field-mounted on M3 halftracks by the 209th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion (SP), and in 1945 were used by that unit in the ground support role on Luzon.

[asl3d]

41. French FT-17C Tu T37 Tt

The Renault FT-17, with its revolutionary combination of 360° traverse armament, rear-mounted engine and fully tracked chassis, was probably the first modern most successful tank in World War I. However by 1940 it was obsolete and no match for the German Panzers it faced. Designed and developed by Colonel Jean-Baptiste Estienne (the father of French anks) and the industrialist Louis Renault, and known officially as the Char Leger Renault FT mle 1917 ("FT" being the production code assigned by Renault). First to be built was the MG-armed FT-17 Mitrailleuse, followed by the FT-17 Canon with a 37mm gun derived from the infantry support weapon, and then the FT-17 75BS with a Blockhaus Schneider 75mm howitzer. The FT-17 had a crew of two; a driver in front and a commander/gunner in the turret. The turret had no hatch, instead it had a cupola, a mushroom shaped dome with with five observation slits. The FT-17 tanks were still used by France, Poland, Germany and Finland during the Second World War. When the Second World War started, the French Army was intended to have completely replaced the Renault FT-17 tanks with modern Renault R-35 or R-40 tanks. However almost 1,600 F-17s went to war in the same role as they had a generation earlier. A section theoretically comprised a mixture of five FT-17M and FT-17C plus one FT-17 75BS; independent sections, however, contained five FT-17M. The American army's first contact with an enemy tank in WW2 was with the FT-17. During the 1942 landings in North Africa the Vichy French forces advanced with seven FT-17s supported by infantry. Their final use in combat was in 1944 when the Germans used them in the street fighting in Paris.

[asl3d]

42. AMR-33 Tu CMG Tt

In 1932 a requirement for the Automitrailleuse de Reconnaissance (AMR) class of cavalry AFV was issued. The AMR was to be fully tracked, fast and lightly armed, with local reconnaissance as its designated role. The first vehicle of this type to be accepted was the AMR 33, of which 120 were built, all by Renault. The AMR 33 was a very small vehicle, 3.5 m long, 1.64 m wide and 1.73 m tall. It weighed only 5.5 metric tonnes; the unloaded weight of the hull 4.5 tonnes. The eight-cylinder 84 hp 4241 cc Renault Nervasport 24 CV engine allowed for an official maximum speed of 54 km/h and an off-road speed of 45 km/h. A fuel tank of 128 L allowed for a range of 200 km. The tracks were 22 centimetres wide. It had a wading capacity of sixty centimetres; could cross a trench 1.4 m wide, or climb a 45 cm vertical obstacle or a 50% slope. The (riveted) armour of all vertical plates was 13 mm, of all inclined plates 9 mm, of the top 6 mm and of the bottom 5 mm. There was a crew of two: the driver to the left next to the engine and the tank commander/gunner behind him in the turret which was armed with a 7.5 mm Reibel machine gun. A number of significant modifications to the AMR 33 led to the AMR 35 which, thanks to its bigger engine and improved suspension, was faster and more maneuverable than its predecessor despite being slightly larger and heavier. 167 MG-armed AMR 35 were built, all by Renault; approximately half carried the more potent 13.2mm MG. When the Germans invaded, AMR 33 were being used in the 5th, 3rd, 14th and 15th Régiment de Dragons Portés of the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Division Légère de Cavalerie respectively, with a half-squadron of eleven (two five-vehicle platoons) in each of the division's two battalions. In June 1940, the 4th Régiment de Dragons Portés of the newly forming 7th Division Légère de Cavalerie received fifteen AMR 33.

[asl3d]

43. R35 Tu T37 LT

The Char Leger mle 1935 Renault was the light tank design chosen to replace the FT-17 in the infantry-support role. The R35 was the most common tank in French (and Vichy) service in 1940-42. Its Main Armament was the same as that of the FT-17C, and its suspension was based on that of the AMR 35. Production versions of the tank were given 40mm armour, in response to the German introduction of a 37mm anti tank gun. The relatively poor anti-tank performance of the 37mm mle 1916 infantry gun during the Spanish Civil War led the French to redesign the SA 18 version used in their light tanks. This resulted in the more powerful SA 38, of which a few were installed in R35 in 1940 just prior to the German invasion. Several hundred more SA 38 were manufactured in May-June of that year. The R35 was powered by an 82hp Renault engine. It used Cletrac geared differential and brakes. Like the FT it only carried a crew of two, with the driver in the hull and the commander-gunner-loader in the turret. The cast APX-R turret had hand traverse gear only. Vision was provided by one visor and three periscopic binoculars in the turret walls. The R 35 had five road wheels on each side. In 1939 the Moulineaux arsenal (AMX) developed a new type of track and suspension (derived in part from the Char B tank) for the R35. The resulting variant, designated the R40 (a.k.a. the R35 AMX or AMX 40), went into production in March 1940. In May 1940 about 900 were on active service in France. 1,464 had been built by May 1940, plus another 146 prior to the French surrender. Of those produced, 190 were exported: 50 each to Poland, Yugoslavia and Turkey, and 40 to Romania. Captured R35 were used by the Germans primarily in France and the Balkans.

[asl3d]

44. Hotchkiss H35 Tu T37 LT

Despite having been designed from 1933 as a rather slow but well-armoured light infantry support tank, the type was initially rejected by the French Infantry because it proved difficult to steer while driving cross-country. Know as the Char Leger tide 1935 Hotchkiss, was designed to compete with the R35 for the infantry-tank production contract. It was adopted by the cavalry to complement the S35 in the Division Légère Mécanique. The R35 and H35 were very similar in construction and appearance, both being largely of cast construction and using the same turret. The H39 was an improved version of the H35, featuring a modified suspension and more powerful engine. Some sources refer to it as the H38, but this was not a French designation. 400 H35 were built and some 600 H39 were built prior to May 1940, plus about another 100 by late June of that year. The H39(L) was the H39 tank with the infantry gun SA 38, and a few were installed in 1940 just prior to the German invasion. The Hotchkiss H35 was 4.22 m long, 1.95 m wide and 2.13 m tall and weighing 11 tons. The hull consisted of six cast armour sections, bolted together: the engine deck, the fighting compartment, the front of the hull, the back of the hull and two longitudinal sections left and right forming the bottom. The hull was made water-tight by cementing these sections together with Aslic, a product based on tar mixed with lime. There was a crew of two. The driver sat at the right front, behind a large cast double hatch and next to the combined gearbox and steering unit. Theoretical top speed of 28 km/h was rarely reached. For the remainder of the war Germany and its allies used captured Hotchkiss tanks in several modifications. A small number of recaptured and H39(L) were used by the Free French in 1944.

[asl3d]

45. Char de Bataille D1 Tu 47* MT

In 1932, the Char de Bataille D1 was the most modern tank matériel available to the French Army. Therefore, it was out of the question to delegate this type to the role of mere infantry support. It now should function as the Char de Bataille, with the main task of fighting enemy armour, as was shown by the choice for a 47 mm gun and the presence of radio sets. The Char Moyen D1 was a Renault light-tank design derived (via the NC tank of the 1920s) from the FT-17. It entered series production in 1932; by 1935 when its manufacture ended, some 160 had been built and it had been reclassified as a medium (moyen) tank. Until 1936 the vehicles were fitted with Renault FT turrets because the intended cast ST2 turrets were not yet ready. The ST2 turret was armed with a short 47mm SA34 tank gun with a coaxial 7.5mm machine gun. The hull carried a 7.5mm MG in the bow. It was quickly phased out in 1937 because of its mechanical unreliability and relegated to colonial units in North Africa. The Char Moyen D2, derived essentially from the D1 and intended as its successor in the infantry-support role, was faster, larger and more heavily armored than its predecessor. An order for fifty was placed with Renault in January 1934, but was not completed until 1938 due to a diversion of funds to the development of the Char B. A contract for another fifty was awarded in June 1938; these were not built until early 1940, and differed from the first batch by having the same turret and 47mm gun as the S35 and Char B1-bis. As the threat of war steadily increased, first through Soviet military build-up and then because of Germany's rearmament, the modern equipment was supposed to show to foreign powers that France was still a force to be reckoned with. For the regiments receiving the new tank, it was a grave disappointment however.

[asl3d]

46. Char de Cavalerie SOMUA S35 Tu 47 MT:

The SOMUA S35 was a French cavalry tank of the Second World War. Designed by the Societe d'Outillage Mecanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie the S35 was based loosely on the Char D2. Built from 1936 until 1940 to equip the armoured divisions of the Cavalry, it was for its time a relatively agile medium-weight tank, superior in armour and armament to its French and foreign competitors. Due to its good gun, armor and speed, it was considered by many to be the best tank of its day; unfortunately, combat showed these factors to be largely offset by the limitations of its one-man turret and poor radio equipment. Officially called the Char de Cavalerie mle 1935 SOMUA, the S35 represented a notable advance in AFV design, for it was the first production tank of entirely cast construction: the hull was a single bathtub-shaped casting, while the superstructure consisted of one casting to cover the engine compartment and another over the rest of the hull; the APX-4 turret was a single cast piece also that, however, made it expensive to produce and time-consuming to maintain. It performed so well that the cavalry decided to use it as the standard medium tank in the new DLM. (The infantry arm refused to adopt it.) 430 (some say 450) S35 were built. During the German invasion of May 1940, the SOMUA S35 proved itself to be a tactically effective type, but this was negated by the French command's strategic mistakes in deploying their Cavalry armoured divisions. After the defeat of France in June 1940, limiting production to a total of about 440, captured SOMUA S35s were used by the Axis powers.

[asl3d]

47. Char B1-bis Tu 47 HT:

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 equipping the armoured divisions of the Infantry Arm. The Char B1 bis was an upgraded variant with thicker armour at 60 mm maximum (55 mm at the sides) and an APX4 turret with a longer-barrelled (L/32) 47 mm SA 35 gun, to give the tank a real anti-tank capacity. It was the main production type: from 8 April 1937 until June 1940, 369 units were delivered out of a total order for 1,144. The Char B1 bis had a top speed of 25 km/h provided by a 307 bhp petrol engine. Its weight was about 31.5 tonnes. The operational range was about 180 km which was similar to other tanks of the period. At 20 km/h the three fuel tanks (total capacity of 400 L) would be exhausted in six hours. To improve matters, at first, trailers with an 800-litre auxiliary fuel tank were towed but this practice was soon abandoned. The B1-bis was a sophisticated and powerful weapon for its time, but suffered from a number of drawbacks, among which were its one-man turret, poor communications equipment, relatively slow speed and short radius of action, and a complexity that hampered mass production. Of the 161 B1-bis captured by the Wehrmacht, 60 were converted to flamethrower tanks in 1941-42 by substituting a flame gun for the 75mm and adding an armored fuel container at the rear of the vehicle; these saw action in France, Holland (some being used against British paratroopers around Arnhem), the Balkans and the Crimea. 16 more were converted to SP 105mm howitzers.

[asl3d]

48. Valentine V(b):

The Infantry Tank (“I”) Mk III, a private venture by Vickers-Armstrong Ltd., was loosely based on the A10 chassis and derived its name from being submitted to the War Office just before Valentine's Day, 1938. In mid-1939 with the war imminent it was ordered into production "straight off the drawing board" and proved to be one of the most reliable British tanks of the war. Though designed as an "I" tank it was often used as a Cruiser, in which role it was handicapped by its low speed and poor turret layout. 675 Valentine II were built, plus an undetermined number of Valentine IV. The difference between the three models lay solely in the type of engine used. Valentine II and IV made their greatest contribution to the Allied cause with 8th Army in North Africa, where they were used by the 1st and 32nd Army Tank Brigades and the 23rd Armoured Brigade. To overcome the deficiencies of the Valentine's two-man turret, a three-man version entered production around the end of 1941. Those with the new turret were designated Mk III or V depending on the type of engine installed. Their main combat use was in Tunisia with the 6th Armoured Division, which used mixed squadrons of Valentine III, Valentine V and Crusader III until re-equipped with Sherman III in March 1943. In March 1943, 62 Valentine III/V tanks were transferred from the 6th Armoured Division to the French army in Tunisia. They were used to outfit three squadrons of the 5th Régiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique which, in conjunction with a squadron of S35 and miscellaneous support units, formed the Groupement blindé Français. As part of the French XIX Corps, the Groupement blindé Français subsequently saw action around Pont-du-Fahs.

[asl3d]

49. Tanaké AM Dodge(a):

In World War I, the Russian or Spanish civil wars, improvized armoured cars became an important part of what the troops mustered in order to prevail, fault or more valuable tanks. It was often a question or limited resources and particular location. There was no shortage of these also in WW2, taking truck chassis as a base, as they were sturdier to support the load or armoured plates. And so was the case of France in the late 1930s. Of all these, only one armored version existed in WW2, the French Tanaké (an Arab term for an all-purpose steel vessel), of which one survived in Syria and a dozen photos, which somewhat precise the count of vehicles converting. Indeed, most sources links the Dodge Tanaké and the Vichy French Army in Syria, that fought the allies during their attack on Syria (called the Syria–Lebanon campaign), Operation Exporter. The Tanaké AM Dodge was originally a 1940 Dodge 4x2 truck purchased in Egypt by the French. Captain Bitche managed to seize ten Dodge trucks of British Canadian Lend-Lease, and design an armored casemate to be welded and built on the chassis. About thirty were modified by the Vichy army in Syria in 1940-41 by adding 12mm armor plates around the flatbed, an armored visor for the windshield, and a pedestal-mounted 37mm mle 16 TR gun with coaxial LMG. They were issued to the 6th to Régiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique and used in five-vehicle platoons. Those captured by the Free French were later employed as reconnaissance vehicles in North Africa by the 1st Batailion d'Infanterie de Marine of the 1st Brigade Française Libre. Many were captured by the Wehrmacht after the French surrendered, mostly send to the eastern front. However the French also sent some in their North African Colonies, ad likely also in the Levant.

[asl3d]

50. Panhard AM TOE

Also known Panhard 165/175 TOE, was produced specifically for colonial use ("TOE" stands for Territoire d'Operations Exterieures). A total of thirty were built. One squadron was sent to the Levant where it was issued to the 6th Régiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique, while the remainder were shipped to French North Africa. An advanced feature of the vehicle for its time was the use of an additional, rear-facing, driver. The Panhard 178, nicknamed the "Pan-Pan", was the standard long-range reconnaissance vehicle of the French cavalry in Europe. Its combination of rear-mounted engine, four-wheel drive, front and rear drivers, and 25mm main armament made it one of the more advanced and powerful recon vehicles of the pre- and early-war period. On the downside, it lacked independent suspension, and only command versions were radio-equipped. On May 10th 1940 some 480 existed, of which about 360 had been issued to units in the field. Another 47 were built in May-June of that year. Propulsion was assured by a Panhard, 4-cylinder 86 hp gasoline engine, procuring a power to weight ratio of about 7.31 hp/t. It was coupled to a mechanical type gearbox, with propeller shaft, manual handling and reverse gear. The top speed was 75 km/h on road and 31 km/h off road. The maximum range was 600 km and 385 km respectively, thanks to a fuel capacity of 170 liters. The fuel tank was mounted close to the engine. Its main armament was the standard-issue Puteaux short barrel 37 mm (1.46 in) SA 18 L/21 gun meant to deal with fortified buildings at moderate range, or lightly armored vehicles at less than 200 m range. The Germans captured at least 190 AMD 35 and, after making certain modifications, issued them to several Wehrmacht and SS reconnaissance units for use in the invasion of the Soviet Union

[asl3d]

51. White-Laffly AMD

"AMD" stands for Automitrailleuse de Decouverte, which indicated an AFV used for long-range reconnaissance. The AMD 50 AM & AMD 80 AM were more modern versions of the WW1-era White armored car. 98 of the AMD 50 (a.k.a. the White-Laffly or Laffly 50 AM) were built in 1932-34, and most were used in French North Africa. 28 of the AMD 80 (a.k.a. the Laffly-Vincennes or Laffly 80 AM) were built in 1934-35 and sent to Tunisia where some later fought against Axis troops. Both designs had a second driver facing the rear of the vehicle. The White-Laffly AMD 50 upgrade saw the White chassis completely discarded, with armoured hull fitted to a Laffly chassis. The new chassis had a more powerful Laffly 4-cylinder engine delivering 37 kilowatts which gave an increased maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour and increased range of 300 km, the vehicle retained the original turret with the 37 mm main armament, whilst the machine gun was substituted for a 7.5 mm FM 24/29 still in the rear facing position. The Laffly-Vincennes AMD 80 was a further more comprehensive upgrade than the AMD 50. Again the original White chassis was replaced with a new Laffly LC2 chassis, this chassis featured a more powerful again Laffly 4-cylinder engine delivering 80 bhp which gave an further increased maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour and range of 400 km. The White-Laffly AMD 80 also had a new turret which mounted a 13.2 mm Hotchkiss M1929 heavy machine gun, a coaxial 7.5 mm FM 24/29 machine gun and a second FM 24/29 mounted at the rear of the turret. AMD in French North Africa were issued mostly to Régiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique.

[asl3d]

52. Laffly W15T R47L Chasseur de Chars

The idea of mounting the powerful 47mm anti-tank gun on a cross-country truck was first put forth in the fall of 1939. The following January a prototype was constructed, using the 6x6 chassis of a Laffly-Hotchkiss W15T with the gun welded onto the bed pointing to the rear. Trials proved successful, but production did not begin for several months. Finally, between the 24th of May and the 17th of June, seventy W15T CC were built. As the vehicles came off the assembly line they were assigned to newly forming independent anti-tank batteries which, after only a day or two of training, were rushed to the front. Derived from the W15T, the Laffly W15TCC (TCC meant "Tracteur Chasseur de Chars", tank hunter tractor) was characterized by the same general chassis 6x6 configuration, with a pair of rollers at the front and another in the middle, between the two axles. Both were not suspended and only there to provide additional ground pressure when crossing trenches or high obstacles. The original prototype was entirely armoured and was virtually identical to the serie vehicles except for that the cabin and the 47mm SA mle 1937 gun were fully enclosed in an armoured casemate. It was given a -13°/+13° elevation and 60° traverse to the rear. Production vehicles only retained the lower part of the armour and a new shield for the gun. After successful trials at Vincennes and in the camp of Mailly, the conversion was only approved on may, 17 and from the 24 may to the june 17, 62 TCCs were delivered on the 100 ordered. Each batterie ideally comprised five W15T CC, four towed or SP 25mm AA guns and miscellaneous support vehicles. They performed well in action (the 54th Batterie was credited with destroying 28 tanks and five armored cars in eight days), but suffered heavy losses in the process.

[asl3d]

53. Autocanon de 75 mle SPAtr

French 75mm M1897 field gun revolutionized modern artillery. The French 75mm gun pioneered most of the innovations that would become typical of field artillery in the 20th century including a modern recoil system, fast-acting breech, smokeless powder, on-carriage sights, and single-piece ammunition. Following the 1940 armistice, Vichy France was permitted to maintain an army in the North African colonies. There was a clandestine effort starting in 1941 to improve the local arsenals. The 63e Régiment d’artillerie d’Afrique in Fez created a Groupe speciale d’artillerie consisting of 75mm guns on naval pedestal mounts and mounted on the rear beds of commercial trucks. About 30 mle 1897 field guns were mounted on trucks in such a way as to allow 360° traverse of the gun. Incorporated into several artillery regiments, they saw action in Tunisia. The most sophisticated of the Free French mobile 75mm guns was developed in May–August 1942 under the direction of Lieutenant Adrien Conus. This consisted of a 75mm gun on the rear of Canadian Ford CMP F30 trucks, using the turret races of knocked-out Italian M-13/40 tanks for traverse. These were fitted with armour plates by the Experimental Work Shop for the Middle East in Egypt. About 12 "Conus guns" were built, eventually forming the 3rd Squadron of the 1st Regiment de Marche de Spahis Marocains armored car unit which fought as part of the British 8th Army. Starting in late February 1943, they were deployed with the "Colonne Volante" in Tunisia, which served as flank security for the British 8th Army during the fighting along the Mareth line. They were involved in a violent series of duels with German tanks around Medenine on March 6, 1943, losing at least four of the auto-canons, but knocking out several German tanks.

[asl3d]

54. Camion de 20 mm Contre-Avions

In May 1940, the lack of AA guns and AA ammunition was really a strong drawback for the French army. Only about 270 'light' AA guns (13.2mm) and 1331 medium AA guns (20-40mm) had available in May 1940. Further deliveries led to about 1900 medium AA guns available. At various times and places before and during the war, French light AA weapons were mounted on trucks. A few vehicles were altered and that most were field rather than standardized modifications. The MG-armed versions were used mainly for convoy/column escort. Most of the light/medium AA guns (and of course the heavier guns) were mounted on trailers, they were not self-propelled vehicles. The number of real SPAA guns was very limited, especially concerning the 13.2 / 20 / 25mm guns and these guns were used in AA batteries on various points of the front and not for the immediate cover of the moving motorized columns. Most of the of AA protection for the French motorized columns relied on AAMGs (single and twin mountings) and often completely improvised mountings, including every kind of LMGs sometimes. The motorcycle reconnaissance section in the 5th, 17th and 16th Bataillon de Chasseurs Portés of (respectively) the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Division Cuirassée contained a few truck-mounted AAMG. Several W15T CC batteries employed Autocanons de 25 CA in lieu of towed 25mm AA guns. The Free French captured some 25mm AA guns in the Levant and mounted twelve of them on trucks; nicknamed "Dervishes", these later saw limited action in North Africa. Free French troops were equipped with several self-propelled 13.2 mm mountings during the battle of Bir Hakeim. The quad mounting below is served by sailors. It could have been recovered from a French ship held in Great Britain after July 1940.

[asl3d]

55. Autocanon GMC 353 Bofors 40 mm Contre-Avions

The "GMC Bofors" was a CCKW-353-120 6x6 GMC truck modified to carry a Bofors AA gun. Nicknamed the "Deuce-and-a-half" by the U.S. Army, the American 2.5-ton triple-axle 6x6 made by GMC is a true army workhorse. GMC trucks were vital to supplying and equipping allies after land operations began in Europe, and more than 560 thousand of these trucks were produced during World War II. They proved invaluable to supply lines and the battlefield. The GMC CCKW 353 was a combat model of the famous truck equipped with a 40mm anti-aircraft gun and used by the French in WWII. France adopted a variant of the 1941 model with a simplified cabin design and longer chassis—the military all-wheel-drive (6x6) GMC CCKW 353. Equipped with a 40mm Bofors cannon (very familiar to War Thunder naval warfare testers), the GMC vehicle was transformed into a mobile anti-air defense platform that could also be used against ground targets, such as enemy infantry, lightly-armoured vehicles, and fortifications. A total of 32 of these Anti-Aircraft trucks were produced in 1943 by the workshops of the Free French 2nd Armoured Division. They were manned by the 22nd Anti-Aircraft Colonial Group of the Free French 2nd Armoured Division commanded by General Leclerc. Each batterie contained eight such autocanons. They fought in the Normandy Campaign after landing on July 31st, first seeing action at Alencon. Participating in the liberation of Paris, they later fought in the Strasbourg area continuing in service until the end of the war and being credited with downing 17 German aircraft and damaging 6 others. Later they went to Indochina in March 1946 were they were used in the ground support role.

[asl3d]

56. Autocanon M1913 de 75 mle 13/34

The Autocanon de 75mm predated even the First World War, designed in 1913. It consisted of a 75mm mle 1913/34 gun mounted on the chassis of a De Dion Bouton Mle1913 four-wheeled truck. The fire control system on the 75mm mle 1913 gun was updated in 1934 and they had been well maintained in the army depots during the interwar years. The chassis of the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun is driven by a V8 gasoline engine and the output is 35 horsepower. It can allow the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun to reach a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. It comprised a turntable-mounted mle 1897 field piece on the automobile chassis. The gun uses a 75 mm caliber and is the first gun to successfully use a flexible gun mount. It has a fast rate of fire close to 30 rounds per minute, and its trajectory is straight. The designer dismantled the artillery mount, and reinstalled the manual pitch and horizontal adjustment gun mount on the car platform. The maximum elevation angle of the artillery was increased to 70°, and it could be rotated 360° horizontally, and the maximum effective range was about 6 kilometers in air combat. In the 1930s a modernization program was carried out. A second vehicle of the same type, carrying an ammo caisson in place of the gun, accompanied it in action. On May 10th 1940, 236 Autocanons de 75 mle 13/34 were available in France, employed in four-gun batteries, with between one and four groupes (of three batteries apiece) attached to each field army. Eight such groupes participated in the defense of Dunkirk. Other batteries/groupes were used in several of France's overseas possessions. The Germans still had 45 captured Autocanons de 75 mle 13/34 in their inventory at the start of June 1944; some of these were seized intact by the Free French, who used them as SP artillery pieces.

[asl3d]

57. Citroen-Kégresse P17 ht

The very first halftracks, designed by Adolphe Kégresse for the Tsar of Russia, were built in 1910-1911. After WW1 Kégresse returned to France where he collaborated with Citroen to produce a whole series of halftracks for the French Army in the '20s and early '30s. The most numerous of these was the small Citroen- Kégresse P17, first ordered in 1929 and built mainly for towing the motorized version of the mle 1897 75mm field gun. By 1940 most had been replaced by the Unic P107, but some were being issued as prime movers for the 25mm AA gun, and for the 47mm anti-tank gun in the motorized Batterie Divisionnaire Antichar of the Division Légère Mécanique, Division Légère de Cavalerie, Division Cuirassée and Division d'Infanterie Motorisée. Overseas, P17 also remained in use as 75mm artillery tractors. 1,442 P17 tracteurs d'artillerie legere were in French service in September 1939. One source of dissatisfaction with the P17 was its inability to transport a gun, its crew and ammunition all in one vehicle. A batch of Citroen Kégresse halftracks (including a P17) purchased by the U.S. Army in the early 1930s was the direct inspiration for the family of American halftracks used in WW2. The P19 first appeared in 1930, and was produced in two main types: the VLTT P19B, a cross-country liaison vehicle of which about 600 were built (in 1940 each infantry regiment was authorized six, with others assigned to various motorized, mechanized and armored units); and the VDP P19, designed to transport the fusiliers purses, machine guns and mortars in the Régiment de Dragons Portés of the cavalry divisions. 547 VDP P19 were in service in September 1939, but by May 1940 were apparently used in only one battalion (each) of the 5th and 2nd Régiment de Dragons Portés in the 1st and 3rd Division Légère de Cavalerie respectively.

[asl3d]

58. Renault Chenillette UE mle 1931 ht

This chenillette ("small tracked vehicle") was originally designed to carry a mortar, machine gun and/or ammunition across bullet-swept ground. By 1940, however, it was used primarily as a supply vehicle, and for towing the 25mm anti-tank guns in the Compagnie Divisionnaire Antichar of certain non-motorized infantry-type divisions and in the Compagnie Divisionnaire Antichar, Compagnie d'Accompagnement of the Division d'Infanterie Motorisée. Its official designation was Chenillette de Ravitaillenzent d'Infanterie UE mle 1931 Renault—sometimes abbreviated to CRI 31R. The improved mle 37R version, the UE 2, was introduced in the late '30s. One drawback to the design was its inability to transport a weapon plus its ammunition and crew—the latter having to either ride in another vehicle (in motorized units) or walk (in leg-infantry units). A very small number of UE were built with a partially raised superstructure to house a ball-mounted LMG. About 3,300 UE halftrack had been issued to units in France by May 10th 1940, with another 1,278 in various vehicle parks and depots. A total of some 5,150 of both models had been built by the end of that month. A leg-infantry regiment was normally authorized nine UE, used mainly for transporting supplies but also available for the emergency movement of heavy weapons. A motorized infantry regiment was authorized eighteen UE, twelve of which were prime movers for the regiment's twelve 25mm anti-tank guns. Thousands of UE were captured by the Germans, who used them not only as supply vehicles and light gun tractors, but also converted some to MG carriers (similar to the French BMG version) or to carry a 37mm anti-tank gun on the superstructure, or to mobile launchers for 280/320mm rockets.

[asl3d]

59. Lorraine VBCP 38L ht

The Lorraine 37L or Tracteur de ravitaillement pour chars 1937 L, ("tank supply tractor 1937 L") is a light tracked armoured vehicle developed by the Lorraine company during the interwar period, to an April 1936 French Army requirement for a fully armoured munition and fuel supply carrier to be used by tank units for front line resupply. Mainly equipping the larger mechanised units of the French Infantry arm, the type was extensively employed during the Battle of France in 1940. Derived from the Lorraine mle 37 tank supply chenillette, the Véhicule Blindé pour Chasseurs Portés 38 Lorraine was used by the mechanized infantry in the Bataillon de Chasseurs Portés. Four members of its passenger squad were carried in the vehicle while the remainder rode in a tracked armored trailer. Of the 240 ordered at the end of 1939, only about 150 had been delivered by the end of May 1940. After the defeat of France, clandestine manufacture was continued in Vichy France, culminating in a small AFV production after the liberation and bringing the total production to about 630 in 1945. The Lorraine factory at Bagnères de Bigorre undertook the construction of a smaller, unarmored version of the company's chenillette. Built ostensibly for the forest service, the vehicle was nevertheless designed so that armor plates produced secretly in conjunction with each vehicle could be quickly attached to turn the machine for use by the Resistance. A record was kept of each vehicle's whereabouts, and in the summer of 1944 they were recalled to the factory and their transformation into AFV begun. Designated the Tracteur Lorraine 37L 44, some 30-50 participated in the liberation of southwest France, with about 150 more being made available by the end of the war. In appearance they looked somewhat like the Universal Carriers used by the British.