Sniper Renault?? Mystery tank?

[vulkansanex]

Lets see if I am capable of posting a picture here..



See if anyone knows anything about this? Called an ARL44.

Looks like a Renault D2 body um.. with a Patton turret...??

Post war French - U.S. lovechild??

Anybody know? Just have the image in a WWII book - but no description..

[Belisarius]

Ah, ARL-44. That's a Char B1 chassis (with plate skirts) and a Schneider turret w/ 90mm gun. It was an "undercover" project started by the French during the German occupation, and got started for real with the liberation. First one ready in 1946, I only think they were used once in a parade in the early 50's though. Not many built.

[Major Destruction]

The tank is modelled in the game. Here is a picture of that parade, perhaps......



for more information, go here http://www.chars-francais.net/archives/arl44.htm

[stevemk1a]

Is it in the French OOB's or some other?

[Maciste]

Yes, it was the first tank developed for the Post-WWII France, though the design was from the 1940, only about 50-55 tanks were ever built for it was cheaper to buy massproduced m47 Pattons to USA than to massproduce the ARL-44.

[Riun T]

The turret looks solid but what was the side body armor thickness?

[Belisarius]

Incredibly tough to find resources on, unless you happen to sit with a "French post WWII armor" encyclopedia...

The Char B1-bis had 60mm of side armor, and a WAG on my part would be that the ARL 44 in any case didn't have less...

[Voriax]

This page has some armour values..unfortunately it is in Czech..so perhaps one of our Czech members could translate or try to find a web translator.

http://www.mainbattletanks.czweb.org/Tanky/arl44.htm

Voriax

[Major Destruction]

Guessing only, because this is the only value with vertical armour and therefore represents the side armour,
the value of thickness is 45mm
- Boky typ/tlouš?ka (mm)/úhel (°) .......... ocel/45/0