THEENCYCLOPEDIA

OF

WEAPONSOF

WORLD WAR II

THEENCYCLOPEDIA

WEAPONSOF

WORLD WAR ITGeneral Editor

CHRIS BISHOP

BARNESJkNOBLEB O O K SN E W Y O R K

This edition published by Barnes & Noble, Inc.,by arrangement with Brown Packaging Books Ltd1998 Barnes Noble Books

M 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN: 0-7607-1022-8

Copyright 1998 Orbis Publishing LtdCopyright 1998 Aerospace Publishing

This material was previously published in 1984 as part of thereference set War Machine.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in anyform or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise, without the prior written permissionof the copyright holder.

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ContentsIntroductionAxis TanksBritish and French TanksSoviet and American TanksTank DestroyersSpecial Purpose TanksAmphibious VehiclesAllied and Axis Halftracks

7 Armoured Cars9 Allied and Axis Trucks

20 Light Vehicles31 Self-Propelled Guns42 Heavy Artillery52 Field Artillery63 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Guns73 Light Anti-Aircraft Guns

War RocketsAnti-Tank GunsInfantry Support WeaponsInfantry Anti-Tank WeaponsAllied and Axis RiflesAllied and Axis PistolsAllied and Axis Machine-GunsAllied and Axis Sub-Machine GunsAllied and Axis FlamethrowersAllied FightersAxis FightersHeavy Bombers

8393

101111123136148159169179191203215225236249264275283293

ContentsLight and Medium BombersJet AircraftAxis Ground Attack AircraftAllied Ground Attack AircraftNight-FightersAllied and Axis Flying-BoatsAllied and Axis SeaplanesAnti-Shipping AircraftCarrier AircraftTransport and Assault AircraftAir-to-Ground WeaponsLight AircraftAxis SubmarinesAllied SubmarinesBritish Aircraft CarriersJapanese Aircraft Carriers

305318330340350361372383393404414424434443452462

American Aircraft CarriersAllied and Axis BattleshipsAllied and Axis CruisersAxis DestroyersEscort VesselsCoastal CraftAssault ShipsGlossary of Weapons

470478487497509519529540

Introduction

-w^TT^TTorld War II affected virtually every cornerjL I of the globe. In the six years between 1939

Y Y and 1945, some 50 million people lost theirlives, and very few who survived were not affected.It was the costliest and most widespread conflict theworld has ever seen.

World War II was fought on land, sea and in theair with weapons which had first been used in theGreat War of 1914-18. Ironically, an even greaterconflict was to emerge from the burning embers ofthat "war to end all wars", and with it huge advancesin weapons technology. The countries involved inWorld War II now had the means and the capabilityto fight each other in a more efficient - and moredeadly - manner.

Yet only Great Britain, her Empire allies andGermany were involved during the whole period.For other nations the conflict was of a shorter dura-tion. The USA and Japan, for example, were at warfrom December 1941 to August 1945 (and the USAwas simultaneously at war with Germany, untilHitler's defeat in May 1945).

The situation was so complicated, the skeins ofalliance and enmity so intertwined that it would takea very large chart indeed to describe them. Only onefactor was more straightforward and common to allthe countries involved: the nature of the weaponsthat the men (and sometimes women) used to fighttheir way to victory - or defeat.

There were differences in detail, of course: theGerman Panzerkampfwagen V 'Panther' tank was avery different vehicle from the American M4Sherman, the Russian T-34, or the British Cromwell.

But essentially they were all much the same -armoured vehicles mounting powerful guns runningon tracks.The small arms with which the variouscombatant nations equipped their armies were verydifferent in detail too, but essentially they were alldevices for launching projectiles at high speed.

In short, many would simply say that guns are guns,bombs are bombs, aircraft are aircraft, and so on. Butthere is certainly more to it than that, for the capacityto win or lose a war actually rested on these weapons'qualities, just as much as it did on the fighting skills ofthose who employed them and on the strategic senseof those who directed them in their use.

We cannot simply bundle these weapons together -not if we really want to understand why and how20th century history unfolded the way it did.

The Complete Encyclopedia of Weapons of WorldWar II makes a very important contribution to thesubject - perhaps even a vital one - for it describesevery major weapon and vehicle employed duringthe full period of the conflict, on land, sea and in theair, in enormous detail, both in textual and in graphicform. It also provides detailed specifications aboutthe 'core' weapon or system and all its major variants.Thus it allows straightforward comparisons to bemade accurately and effectively.

Its sheer comprehensiveness makes The CompleteEncyclopedia of Weapons of World War II com-pelling reading. Clearly it will have considerableappeal to all manner of students of the period as thefirst - and probably the definitive - source of clear,concise information on the nature and history of dif-ferent weapons, including specifications, capabilities

7

Introductionand capacities, varying forms, the colour schemes inwhich they appeared and the manner in which theywere employed.

The text and tables have been prepared by someof the foremost experts in the field, and this sameteam provided and approved specifications, plansand drawings and photographic reference material toassist the best graphic artists available to produceillustrations, the like of which, in terms of quality,precision and accuracy, are seldom seen outside offi-cal circles.

The Complete Encyclopedia of Weapons of WorldWar II covers the terrestrial equipment of all arms ofservice, from the infantryman's handgun, rifles andmachine-guns, to the support weapons he used totake on tanks and subdue fortified defensive posi-tions; from light armoured cars used for reconnais-sance to heavy assault tanks and special-purposearmoured vehicles; from towed anti-tank guns to tankdestroyers and from lightweight field artillery piecesto self-propelled guns and howitzers, not forgettingwheeled and tracked utility vehicles.

The war was also conducted at sea, and World WarII saw warships of every calibre employed all overthe globe, from the 70,000-tonne monster battleshipsto the diminutive motor gun-boats and motor torpe-do-boats, and the best of these are described indetail. Pride of place, however, goes to the new breedof capital ships - the aircraft carriers, which wereborn in the inter-war period and which achievedmaturity just as hostilities broke out. Alongside themspace is also given to another new naval weapon: thesubmarine.

Here, too, are described the last of the old genera-tion of capital ships - for which World War II was tobe their swansong.The battleships of both sides wereto become household names all over the worldbetween 1939 and 1945, and here they are describedand illustrated in full colour and in tremendousdetail. Cruisers, destroyers and escorts, coastal craft

and assault ships also played vitally important parts,and they, too, are described, illustrated and docu-mented here.

New weapons appeared throughout the war, but itwas in the air that the real changes were rung. Untilquite late in the 1930s, the world's air forces wereequipped with biplanes with relatively low-poweredengines, thus limiting their performance, enduranceand load-carrying capacity. Germany, risen from theashes of defeat in 1918 and plagued throughout thenext decade by internal strife and near-revolution,was the first to recognize the potential for a new gen-eration of all-metal aircraft, and soon produced suchmasterpieces as the Bf 109 interceptor/fighter, andthe Dornier, Heinkel and Junkers medium bombers.

Britain followed suit, and began turning out long-range heavy bomber aircraft, such as the Lancaster,widely held to be the best of its type, while the USA- slow to get going initially - built up an aircraftindustry second to none, which came to dominatethe field by the end of the war, producing magnifi-cent aircraft, such as the Mustangs and Thunderbolts,which doubled as both fighters and ground attackaircraft, and the redoubtable B-7 and B-29 Fortresses.The former USSR's powerful aviation industry alsohad its roots in World War II, and its products, as wellas those of Japan, are also covered in great detail.

In all, The Complete Encyclopedia ofWeapons ofWorld War II is a unique and essential document, cov-ering the equipment and weapons systems, whichthemselves dictated the nature of the most wide-spread, most expensive and most destructive conflictthe world has ever seen. World War II quite literallyaltered the face of the planet and the nature of its peo-ples' lives, and its reverberations are still to be felt halfa century later. Here, at least and at last, we have themeans to understand how technological advances andfantastic leaps of imagination of this vitally importantperiod manifested themselves in the tools with whichthe war was won - and lost.

8

AxisTanks

By the end of World War I the tank was a familiar sight on the battlefield;it took the power of the German Blitzkrieg to convince conventional militarystrategists that the tank, and more importantly its method of use, can have a

profound effect upon the outcome of a battle.

Although Italy and Japan pro-duced significant numbers oftanks before and during World WarII, it is the German tanks whichare best known. At the outbreakof the war the Panzerkampfwagen(PzKpfw) I and PzKpfw II werethe most common models, butwithin a few years these had beenphased out of service andreplaced by the PzKpfw III andPzKpfw IV. The latter had the dis-tinction of remaining in produc-tion throughout the war. It was anexcellent design that proved to becapable of being upgunned andup-armoured to meet the chang-ing battlefield threat. The Pantherand Tiger arrived on the scenetowards the end of the war, butthese could not be produced inanything like the required num-bers as a result of shortages inmaterials and manpower and ofthe effectiveness of Allied bomb-ing on German plants, eventhough many of these had beendispersed early in the war. ThePanther and Tiger were rushedinto production without propertrials, however, and many werelost during their initial deploy-ments as a result of mechanicalbreakdown rather than directenemy action. The Tiger was, inparticular, a very heavy tank andlacked mobility on the battlefield.Its armour protection and guns

A German PzKpfw IV tank being held in reserve in anticipation of a call to action following theAllied landings at Normandy in June 1944. Note the side skirt.

were first class, and this tankproved a difficult one to destroyon both the Eastern and WesternFronts. Often four Shermanswould be required to neutralizejust one Tiger: two would try todraw its fire, often being knockedout in the process, while the oth-ers worked round its flanks andattacked it from its more vulnera-ble sides. To wards the end ofWorld War II Germany turned itsattention to producing more andmore tank destroyers as by thattime the German army was on the

defensive, and these vehicles werequicker, easier and cheaper toproduce than tanks, such as thePanther and Tiger.

While some of the Italian tankswere fairly modern in 1939, bythe early part of Italy's war theyhad become completely obsolete.The better armed and armouredP 40 heavy tank never enteredservice with the Italian army,although a few were taken overby the Germans.

Japan used tanks during theinvasion of China before World

War II as well as during the FarEastern campaigns from 1941.As few Allied AFVs were availableat that time the Japanese vehicleswere quite adequate, the more soas their primary role was infantryfire support rather than tank-against-tank operations.

Czech tanks are included, asmany were subsequently takenover by the Germans during theinvasion of France in 1940 andremained in production inCzechoslovakia after thatcountry's occupation.

9

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

LT vz 35 light tankIn October 1934 the Czech armyplaced an order for two prototypes of amedium tank called the S-ll-a (or I'-ll) which were completed in the fol-lowing year, Army trials with thesevehicles started in June 1935 and soonuncovered many faults as a result of thetank's rushed development. Withoutwaiting for these faults to be correctedan order was placed for a first batch of160 vehicles in October 1935, and thefirst five of these were delivered in thefollowing year. So many faults werefound with these vehicles that thesewere returned to Skoda for modifica-tions. A further batch of 138 wasordered for the Czech army, whichcalled it the LT vz 35, while Romaniaordered 126 under the designation R-2. Gradually most of the faults wereovercome and the vehicle gained agood reputation. The Germans tookover the remaining vehicles under thedesignation Panzerkampfwagen 35(t),and a further 219 were built specifical-ly for the German army in the Skodaworks. Such was the shortage of tanksin the German army at that time that the6th Panzer Division was equipped withthe PzKpfw 35(t) in time to take part inthe invasion of France in 1940. Thesecontinued in service until 1942 whenmost of these were converted intoother roles such as mortar tractors(German designation Mrserzugmit-tel), artillery tractors (German de-signation Zugkraftwagen) or mainte-nance vehicles with tank battalions. Itis often not realized that Czechoslova-kia was a leading exporter ofarmoured vehicles and artillery primemovers before World War II, withsales made to Austria, Bulgaria, Hun-gary, Latvia, Peru, Romania, Sweden,Switzerland and Turkey.

The hull of the LT vz 35 was of riv-eted construction that varied in thick-ness from 12mm (0.47 in) to a max-imum of 35mm (1.38m). The bowmachine-gunner was seated at thefront of the vehicle on the left and oper-ated the 7.92-mm (0.31-in) ZB vz 35 or37 machine-gun, with the driver to hisright. The commander/gunner andloader/radio operator were seated inthe two-man turret in the centre of thehull. Mam armament consisted of a37.2-mm Skoda vz 34 gun with a 7.92-mm (0.31-in) ZB 35 or 37 machine-gunmounted co-axially to the right. Totalsof 72 rounds of 37 mm and 1,800 roundsof machine-gun ammunition were car-ried. The engine and transmissionwere at the rear of the hull, the trans-mission having one reverse and six for-ward gears. The suspension on each

side consisted of eight small roadwheels (two per bogie), with the drivesprocket at the rear, and idler at thefront; there were four track-return rol-lers,

An unusual feature of the tank wasthat the transmission and steeringwere assisted by compressed air toreduce driver fatigue, so enabling thetank to travel long distances at highspeed, Problems were encounteredwith these systems when the tankswere operated by the Germans on theEastern Front because of the very lowtemperatures encountered.

SpecificationLTvz35Crew: 4Weight: 10500 kg (23,148 lb)Dimensions: length 4.9 m ( 16 ft 1 in);

Czechoslovakia provided many ofthe tanks used by the Wehrmacht inthe battle for France. ThePz35(t)equipped the 6th Panzer Division inthat campaign, and some tankscontinued in service until 1942.

width 2.159 m (7 ft 1 in); height 2.209 m(7 ft 3 in)Powerplant: one Skoda six-cylinderwater-cooled petrol enginedeveloping 120 hp (89 kW)Performance: maximum road speed40 km/h (25 mph); maximum range193 km ( 120 miles); fording 0.8 m (3 ft4 in); gradient 60 per cent; verticalobstacle 0.787 m (2 ft 7 in); trench1,981 m (6 ft 6 in)

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

TNH P-S light tankIn 1937 the international situation wasrapidly deteriorating, so the Czecharmy issued a requirement for a newlight tank. This time the army was de-termined that the troubles encoun-tered with the LT vz 35 light tank whenit entered service, resulting from alack of testing, would not be repeated.Skoda entered its S-ll-a and S-ll-b,while CKD entered an LT vz 35 withthe engine and transmission of theTNH tank, the LTL, the TNH P-S(already produced for export) as wellas a new medium tank called the V-8-H. During the extensive trials the TNHP-S was found to be the best designand on 1 July 1938 was adopted as thestandard light tank of the Czech armyunder the designation LT vz 38, butnone had entered service at the time ofthe German occupation in 1939. Thevehicle remained in production for theGerman army between 1939 and 1942,more than 1,400 being built under thedesignation Panzerkampfwagen 38(t)Ausf S to PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf G. (Aus-fhrung is the German word for modelor mark.) The Germans also exported69 vehicles to Slovakia, 102 to Hungary,50 to Romania and 10 to Bulgaria. Dur-ing the invasion of France the tank wasused by the 7th and 8th Panzer Divi-sions, and continued in service as alight tank until 1941-2.

Used by two Panzer Divisions in 1940,the PzKpfw 38(t) was in productionfor the German army until 1942. Thebasic chassis was la ter used for anumber ofSP artillery conversions.

The hull and turret of the vehiclewere of riveted construction, the top ofthe superstructure being bolted intoposition, Minimum armour thicknesswas 10mm (0.4 in) and maximumthickness 25 mm ( 1 in), although fromthe Ausf E this was increased to 50 mm(1.96 in). The driver was seated at thefront of the tank on the right, with the

bow machine-gunner to his left andoperating the 7.92-mm (0,31-in) MG37(t) machine-gun. The two-man turretwas in the centre of the hull and armedwith a 37.2-mm Skoda A7 gun, whichcould fire both armour-piercing andHE rounds with an elevation of +12and a depression of -6. Mounted co-axial with and to the right of the main

armament was another 7.92-mm (0,31-in) machine-gun. Totals of 90 rounds of37-mm and 2,550-rounds of machine-gun ammunition were carried. The en-gine was at the rear of the hull andcoupled to a transmission with one re-verse and five forward gears. Suspen-sion on each side consisted of fourlarge rubber-tyred road wheels sus-

10

pended in pairs on leaf springs, withthe drive sprocket at the front and idlerat the rear, and with two track-returnrollers.

When outclassed as a tank thePzKpfw 38(t) was widely used as a re-connaissance vehicle, and the Ger-mans even fitted some chassis with theturret of the SdKfz 222 light armouredcar complete with its 20-mm cannon.

The chassis of the light tank was alsoused as the basis for a large number ofvehicles including the Marder tankdestroyer, which was fitted with a newsuperstructure armed with 75-mm(2.95-in) anti-tank gun, various self-propelled 15-cm (5.9-in) guns, a 20-mmself-propelled anti-aircraft gun, sever-al types of weapons carriers and theHetzer tank destroyer, to name just afew. The last was armed with a 75-mm(2.95-in) gun in a fully enclosed fightingcompartment with limited traverse,and was considered by many to be oneof the best vehicles of its type duringWorld War II. A total of 2,584 was builtbetween 1944 and 1945, and produc-tion continued after the war for theCzech army, a further 158 being sold to

Switzerland in 1946-7 under the de-signation G-13. These were finallywithdrawn from service in the late1960s.SpecificationTNHP-SCrew: 4Weight: 9700 kg (21,385 lb)Dimensions: length 4.546 m ( 14 ft11 in); width 2.133 m (7 ft 0 in); height2,311m (7 ft 7 in)Powerplant: one Praga EPA six-cylinder water-cooled inline petrolengine developing 150 hp (112 kW)Performance: maximum road speed42 km/h (26 mph); maximum range200 km (125 miles); fording 0.9 m (3 ft);gradient 60 per cent; vertical obstacle0.787 m (2 ft 7 in); trench 1.879 m (6 ft2 in)

A PzKpfw 38(t) during the invasion ofFrance; the 7th and 8th PanzerDivisions used the tank. Thecommander of the 7th Divisionbecame well known later in the war-hisname was Rommel.

GERMANY

Panzerkampfwagen I light tankIn 1933 the German Army WeaponsDepartment issued a requirement for alight armoured vehicle weighing ab-out 5000kg (11,025 lb) that could beused for training purposes, and fivecompanies subsequentlay built pro-totype vehicles. After trials the ArmyWeapons Department accepted theKrupp design for further development,the design company being responsi-ble for the chassis and Daimler-Benzfor the superstructure. To conceal thereal use of the vehicle the ArmyWeapons Department called the vehi-cle the Landwirtschaftlicher Schlep-per (industrial tractor). The first batchof 150 vehicles was ordered fromHenschel, and production com-menced in July 1934 under the de-signation PzKpfw I(MG) (SdKfz 101)Ausf A and powered by a Krupp M 305petrol engine developing only 57 hp(42 kW). There were problems withthe engine, however, and the next-batch Ausf B had a more powerful en-gine which meant that the hull had tobe longer and an additional roadwheeladded on each side. This model was alittle heavier, but its more powerful en-gine gave it a maximum road speed of40 km/h (25 mph). This entered ser-vice in 1935 under the designation ofthe PzKpfw 1(MG) (SdKfz 101) Ausf B.Most of the vehicles were built byHenschel but Wegmann also becameinvolved in the programme, peak pro-duction being achieved in 1935 whenover 800 vehicles were completed.

The Panzerkampfwagen l was firstused operationally in the Spanish CivilWar, and at the start of the invasion ofPoland in 1939 no less than 1,445 suchvehicles were on strength. It hadalready been realized, however, thatthe vehicle was ill-suited for front-lineuse because of its lack of firepowerand armour protection (7-13mm/0.28-0.51 in), and in the invasion of France in1940 only 523 were used, althoughmany more were still in Germany andPoland. By the end of 1941 the PzKpfw Ihad been phased out of front-line ser-vice, although the kleiner Panzer-befehlwagen I (SdKfz 265) command

model remained in service longer.Once the light tank was obsolete its

chassis underwent conversion to otherroles, and one of the first of these wasthe Munitions-Schlepper used to carryammunition and other valuable car-goes. For the anti-tank role the chassiswas fitted with captured Czech 47-mmanti-tank guns on top of the superstruc-ture with limited traverse, These wereused on both the Eastern and NorthAfrican fronts, but soon became obso-lete with the arrival of the more heavilyarmoured tanks on the battlefield. Thelargest conversion entailed the in-stallation of a 15-cm (5.9-in) infantrygun in a new superstructure, but thisreally overloaded the chassis and lessthan 40 such conversions were made.

The turret was in the centre of thevehicle, offset to the right and armedwith twin 7,92-mm (0.31-in) machine-guns, for which a total of 1,525 rounds ofammunition were carried. The driverwas seated to the left of the turret.

Above: TwoPzKpfwIs anda heavierPzKpfw III in France in 1940.523 ofthe little ligh t tanks were used in thecampaign, in spite of theirunsuitability for combat.Right: The PzKpfw I was heavilyinvolved in the Polish campaign afterits operational debut in theSpanishCivil War.SpecificationPzKpfw I Ausf BCrew: 2Weight: 6000 kg (13,230 lb)Dimensions: length 4.42 m (14 ft 6 in);width 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in); height 1.72 m(5 ft 8 in)Powerplant: one Maybach NL 38 TRsix-cylinder petrol engine developing100 hp (75 kW)Performance: maximum road speed40 km/h (25 mph); maximum roadrange 140 km (87 miles); fording 0.58 m(1 ft 11 in); gradient 60 per cent;vertical obstacle 0.36 m (1 ft 2 in);trench 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in)

11

GERMANY

Panzerkampfwagen II light tankTo bridge the gap until the arrival ofthe PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV tanks, adecision was made in 1934 to order aninterim model which became knownas the P a n z e r k a m p f w a g e n II .Development contracts were awardedto Henschel, Krupp and MAN underthe designation Industrial Tractor 100(LaS 100) to conceal its true role. Afterevaluation of these prototypes theMAN model was selected for furtherdevelopment, MAN being responsiblefor the chassis and Daimler-Benz forthe superstructure. Production waseventually undertaken also by Famo,MIAO and Wegmann, and the tankformed the backbone of the Germanarmoured divisions during the invasionof France, about 1,000 being in frontline service. The tank was also used inthe invasion of the USSR in thefollowing year although by that time itwas obsolete, had inadequate armourprotection and lacked firepower. Itwas in fact intended primarily as atraining machine rather than for actualcombat.

The first production PzKpfw II AusfA vehicles were delivered in 1935, andwere armed with a 20-mm cannon and7.92-mm (0.31-in) co-axial machine-gun. There was a three-man crew, andcombat weight was 7,2 tonnes. Testswith the early production modelsshowed that the vehicle was under-powered with its 130-hp (97-kW) en-gine, so the PzKpfw II Ausf B was intro-duced with a 140-hp (104-kW) engineand other improvements (notablythicker frontal armour) which pushedup its weight to just under 8 tonnes, ThePzKpfw II Ausf C was introduced in1937, and had better armour protec-tion. Additionally, the small bogiewheels were replaced by five inde-pendently-sprung bogies with leafsprings on each side, and this was toremain the basic suspension for all re-maining production vehicles. In 1938the PzKpfw II Ausf D and PzKpfw IIAusf E were introduced, with new tor-sion-bar suspensison which gave thema much increased road speed of55 km/h (34 mph), although cross-country speed was slower than that ofthe earlier models. The final produc-tion model of the series was the

Despite being intended as a trainingmachine, the PzKpfw II provided themajority of German Panzer strengthduring the invasions of Poland andFrance.

PzKpfw II Ausf F, which appeared in1940-1 and which was uparmoured to35 mm (1.38 in) on the front and 20 mm(0.79 in) on the sides, this pushing upthe total weight to just under 10 tonnesand consequently reducing the speedof the vehicle, which was felt to beacceptable because of the greaterprotection provided.

The hull and turret of the PzKpfw IIwas of welded steel construction, withthe driver at the front, two-man turretin the centre offset to the left, and theengine at the rear. Armament con-sisted of a 20-mm cannon (for which180 rounds were provided) on the leftside of the turret, and a 7.92-mm (0.31-m) machine-gun (for which 1,425rounds were carried) on the right ofthe turret.

The PzKpfw II was also used as thebasis for a number of fast reconnais-sance tanks called the Luchs (thisname was subsequently adopted bythe new West German Army in the1970s for its 8x8 reconnaissance vehi-cle) but these and similar vehicleswere not built in large numbers.

One of the more interesting vehicleswas the special amphibious model de-veloped for the invasion of England in1940. This model was propelled in thewater at a speed of 10 km/h (6 mph) bya propeller run off the main engine. Amodel with two flamethrowers wasalso produced as the Flammpanzer II;100 of these were in service by 1942.

When the basic tank was obsolete

the chassis was quickly adopted formany other roles, One of the first ofthese was a self-propelled anti-tankgun using captured Soviet 76.2-mm (3-in) guns and called the Marder I. Thiswas followed by a model called theMarder II with a 7.5-cm (2,95-m) Ger-man anti-tank gun, and some 1,200 ofthese were converted or built, TheWespe was a self-propelled gun fittedwith a 10.5-cm howitzer and was pro-duced in Poland until 1944.

Armed with a 20-mm cannon, some1000 PzKpfw IIs were used duringthe Polish campaign.

SpecificationPzKpfw II Ausf FCrew: 3Weight: 10000 kg (22,046 lb)Dimensions: length 4.64 m (15 ft 3 in);width2.30 m (7 ft 6.5 in); height 2.02 m(6 ft 7.5 in)Powerplant: one Maybach six-cylinder petrol engine developing140hp(104kW)Performance: maximum road speed55 km/h (34 mph); maximum roadrange 200 km (125 miles); fording0.85 m (2 ft 10 in); gradient 50 per cent;vertical obstacle 0.42 m ( 1 ft 5 in);trf-nrh 1 V R m r R ftQ ini

GERMANY

Panzerkampfwagen III mediumtank

It was envisaged in the mid-1930s thateach German tank battalion wouldhave three companies of relativelylight medium tanks and one companyof better armed and armouredmedium tanks. The former eventuallybecame the Panzerkampfwagen III(PzkPfw III) or SdKfz 141, while thelatter became the PanzerkampfwagenIV (PzKpfw IV) which was to remain inproduction throughout World War II.In 1935 the Weapons Departmentissued contracts for the construction ofprototype vehicles against the lighterconcept to Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MANand Rheinmetall-Borsig. At an earlystage it was decided to arm the tankwith a 37-mm gun which would fire thesame ammunition as that used by theinfantry anti-tank gun, but provisionwas made that the turret ring diameter

be large enough to permit the upgun-ning of the vehicle to 50 mm if thisshould be required. Following trialswith the prototype vehicles the Daim-ler-Benz model was selected, althoughthe first three production models, thePzKpfw III Ausf A, PzKpfw III Ausf Band PzKpfw III Ausf C were built onlyin small numbers, differing from eachother mainly in suspension details, InSeptember 1939 the vehicle was for-mally adopted for service, and massproduction was soon under way, The

Continued on page 508A Panzer III with accompanyinginfantry during 1942. By this time theGerman tanks had come up againstthe excellent Soviet T-34, and armourand armament were beingincreased.

12

PzKpfw III was first used in combatduring the invasion of Poland, The nextproduction models were the PzKpfwIII Ausf D and PzKpfw III Ausf F, theformer with thicker armour and a re-vised cupola, and the latter with anuprated engine and only six roadwheels. In 1939 it was decided to pushahead with the 50-mm model and thisentered production in 1940 under thedesignation PzKpfw III Ausf F. Thiswas followed by the PzKpfw III Ausf Gversion with similar armament butmore powerful engine. For operationsin North Africa the vehicles were fittedwith a tropical kit, while for the pro-posed invasion of England a specialversion for deep wading was de-veloped. The latter were never usedfor their intended role but some weresuccessfully used during the invasionof the USSR in 1941. The PzKpfw Aus Hintroduced wider tracks and a numberof important improvements,

The 50-mm L/42 gun was inadequateto cope with the Soviet T-34 tank, so thelonger-barrelled KwK 39 L/60 weaponwas installed. This had a higher muzzlevelocity, and vehicles fitted with theweapon were designated PzKpfw IIIAusf J. Many vehicles were retrofittedwith the 50-mm gun, and by early 1942the 37-mm version had almost dis-appeared from front-line service. Thenext model was the PzKpfw III Ausf L,which had greater armour protection,pushing its weight up to just over 22tonnes, almost 50 per cent more thanthe weight of the original prototype.The PzKpfw III Ausf M and PzKpfw IIIAusf N were fitted with the 75-mm L/24gun which had been installed in the

PzKpfw IV; a total of 64 rounds ofammunition were carried for this gun.Production of the PzKpfw III was finallycompleted in August 1943. The chassiswas also used as the basis for the 75-mm assault gun (Gepanzerte Selb-stahrlafette fr Sturmgeschtz 7.5 cmKanone or SdKfz 142), of which a fewwere used in the invasion of France in1941; production of improved SP gunson PzKpfw III chassis continued untilthe end of World War II. Other variantsincluded an armoured recovery vehi-cle, an armoured observation vehicle(Panzerbeobachtungswagen) and ac o m m a n d v e h i c l e (Panzer -befehlswagen III), A total of 15,000chassis was produced for both the tankand assault gun applications.

The layout of the PzKpfw III was

basically the same in all vehicles, withthe driver at the front of the hull on theleft and the machine-gunner/radiooperator to his right. The three-manturret was in the centre of the hull, thecommander having a cupola in thecentre of the roof at the rear. The en-gine was at the rear of the hull, and thesuspension, which was of the torsion-bar type from the PzKpfw III Ausf E,consisted on each side of six small roadwheels, with the drive sprocket at thefront and the idler at the rear; therewere three track-return rollers.

SpecificationPzKpfw III Ausf MCrew: 5Weight: 22300 kg (49,160 lb)

PzKpfw AusfG, as used by the AfrikaKorps. Tropicalized, and with a 50-mm gun, the German tank provedeffective against the lighter Britishtanks, and was much moremobilethan the heavy infantry tanks.Dimensions: length (includingarmament) 6.41 m (21 ft 0 in);length(hull) 5.52 m (18 ft 1.5 in); width2.95 m(9 ft 8 in); height 2.50 m (8 ft 2.5 in)Powerplant: one Maybach HL 120TRM 12-cylmder petrol enginedeveloping 300 hp (224 kW)Performance: maximum road speed40 km/h (25 mph); maximum roadrange 175 km (110 miles); fording 0.8 m(2 ft 8 in); gradient 60 per cent; verticalobstacle 0.6 m (2 f tO in); trench2.59 m(8 ft 6 in)

GERMANY

Panzerkampfwagen IV mediumtank

The Panzerkampfwagen IV had thedistinction of remaining in productionthroughout World War II, and formedthe b a c k b o n e of the Germanarmoured divisions. In 1934 the ArmyWeapons Department drew up arequirement for a vehicle under thecover name of the medium tractor(mitteren Traktor) which was to equipthe fourth tank company of eachGerman tank battalion. Rheinmetall-Borsig built the VK 2001(Rh) whileMAN proposed the VK 2002(MAN)and Krupp the VK 2001(K). In the theend K r u p p t o o k over t o t a lresponsibility for the vehicle, whichwas also known as the BataillonsFhrerwagen (battalion commander'svehicle). This entered production atthe Krupp-Grusonwerke plant atMagdeburg as the P z K p f w IV

more minor improvements. Through-out the PzKpfw IV's long productionlife the basic chassis remained un-changed, but as the threat by enemyanti-tank weapons increased so morearmour was added and new weaponswere installed. (Other chassis oftenhad to be phased out of production asthey were incapable of being up-graded to take into account changeson the battlefield.) The final productionmodel was the PzKpfw IV Ausf J, whichappeared in March 1944, Total pro-duction of the PzKpfw IV amounted toabout 9,000 vehicles.

Below:From 1943 the PzKpfw IVbegan to appear with the long-barrelled 7.5-cm KWK40/L48cannon, which made the tank able togive a good account of itself againstalmost any armoured opposition.

Above: Panzergrenadiers advancethrough cornfields in the 1942German drive to the Caucasus,covered by a PzKpfw IV.

Ausf A, or SdKfz 161, as by this time allcover names had been dropped. Thismodel was armed with a short-barrelled 75-mm (2.95-in) gun, co-axial7.92-mm (0.31-in) machine-gun and asimilar weapon in the bow. Turrettraverse was powered and 122 roundsof 75-mm (2.95-in) and 3,000 rounds ofmachine-gun ammunit ion werecarried. Maximum armour thicknesswas 20 mm (0.79 in) on the turret and14.5 mm (0.57 in) on the hull, Only a fewof these were built in 1936-7. The nextmodel was the PzKpfw IV Ausf B,w h i c h had inc reased a r m o u rprotection, more powerful engine andother

13

The chassis of the PzKpfw IV wasalso used for other, more specializedvehicles including the Jagdpanzer IVtank destroyer, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun systems of various types(including one with four 20-mm cannonand another with one 37-mm cannon),self-propelled guns, armoured recov-ery vehicles and bridgelayers to namebut a few,'' A typical PzKpfw IV was the PzKpfwIV Ausf F2, which had a hull and turretof all-welded steel armour construc-tion, the former having a maximumthickness of 60mm (2.36 in) and thelatter of 50 mm (1.47 in), The driverwas seated at the front of the hull on theleft, with the bow machine-gunner/radio operator to his right. The com-mander, gunner and loader were sea-ted in the turret in the centre of the hull,with an entrance hatch on each side ofthe turret and a cupola for the tankcommander. The engine was at therear of the hull and coupled to a manualtransmission with six forward and onereverse gears. Main armament com-prised a long barrelled 75-mm (2,95-in) KwK gun fitted with a muzzle brakeand which could fire a variety ofammunition including HEAT, smoke,APCR, APCBC and high explosive, thelast being used in the infantry supportrole. A 7.92-mm (0.31-in) MG34machine-gun was mounted co-axialwith and to the right of the main arma-ment, while a similar weapon wasmounted in the bow. Totals of 87rounds of 75-mm (2,95-in) and 3,192

rounds of 7.92-mm (0,31-in) machine-gun ammunition were carried. Turrettraverse was powered through 360,though manual controls were providedfor emergency use.

The additional armour and heavierarmament pushed up the weight untilin the final production version itreached 25 tonnes, but the PzKpfw IVstill had a respectable power-to-weight ratio and therefore good mobil-ity characteristics.

SpecificationPzKpfw IV Ausf HCrew: 5Weight: 25000 kg (55,115 lb)Dimensions: length (includingarmament) 7,02 m (23 ft 0 in); length(hull) 5.89 m (19 ft 4 in); width 3.29 m(10 ft 9.5 in); height 2.68 m (8 ft 9.5 in)Powerplant: one Maybach HL 120TRM 12-cylinder petrol enginedeveloping 300 hp (224 kW)Performance: maximum road speed38 km/h (24 mph); maximum roadrange 200 km (125 miles); fording 1.0m(3 ft 3 in); gradient 60 per cent; verticalobstacle 0.6 m (2 ft 0 in); trench 2,20 m(7 ft 3 in)

A PzKpfwIVis serviced in the field inthe USSR. Visible is the short-barrelled 75-mm gun; this was soonfound to be inadequate againstSoviet tanks, and had to be replacedby a longer, higher-velocity gun.

GERMANY

Panzerkampfwagen V Panther heavy tankIn 1941 the most powerful tank mservice with the German army was the

PzKpfw IV, infrequently a match for thenew Soviet T-34 tank, which appearedin small numbers on the Eastern Frontin that year. Work on a successor to thePzKpfw IV had started as far back as1937, but progress had been slow be-cause of changing requirements. In1941 Henschel and Porsche had eachcompleted prototypes of new tanks inthe 30/35-tonne class designated theVK 3001(H) and VK 3001(P) respec-tively. These were not placed in pro-duction, and further development re-sulted in the Tiger (VK 4501), Late in1941 a requirement was issued for anew tank with a long barrelled 75-mm(2.95-in) gun, well-sloped armour formaximum protection within the weightlimit of the vehicle, and larger wheelsfor improved mobility. To meet this re-quirement Daimler-Benz submittedthe VK 3002(DB) while MAN submittedthe VK 3002(MAN). The former designwas a virtual copy of the T-34 but theMAN design was accepted. The firstprototypes of the new tank, called thePanzerkampfwagen V Panther (SdKfz171) were completed in September1942, with the first production modelscoming from the MAN factory just twomonths later. At the same time Daim-ler-Benz started tooling up for produc-tion of the Panther, and in 1943 Hens-chel and Niedersachen were alsobrought into the programme togetherwith hundreds of sub-contractors. It

Above; PzKpfw VPan ther in its la te-war form. Skirts have been added tooffer some protection to the wheels,and spare track has been used asauxiliary armour. The tank iscovered in special anti-magneticpaste as a protection againstmagnetic mines.

Right:Probably the finest Germantank of the war, the Pan ther washampered by its complexity. Some4,800 were built, as compared to11,000-plus T-34/85s built by theSoviets in 1944 alone!

14

was planned to produce 600 Panthersper month, but Allied bombing meanttha t maximum production everachieved was about 330 vehicles permonth. By early 1945 just over 4,800Panthers had been built.

The Panther was rushed into pro-duction without proper trials, andnumerous faults soon became appa-rent: indeed, in the type's early daysmore Panthers were lost to mechanicalfailure than to enemy action, and con-sequently the crew's confidence in thevehicle rapidly dwindled. The vehiclefirst saw action on the Eastern Frontduring July 1943 during the Kursk bat-tles, and from then on it was used on allfronts. Once the mechanical problemshad been overcome confidence in thetank soon built up again, and manyconsider the Panther to be the best allround German tank of World War II. Inthe immediate post-war period theFrench army used a number of Panth-er tanks until more modern tanks wereavailable.

First production models were of thePzKpfw V Ausf A type, and were reallypre-prodution vehicles; the PzKpfw VAusf B and PzKpfw Ausf C were neverplaced in production. Later modelswere the PzKpfw V Ausf D followed forsome reason by another PzKpfw VAusf A, which was widely used in Nor-mandy, and finally by the PzKpfw VAusf G. Variants of the Panther in-cluded an observation post vehicle(Beobachtungspanzer Panther), ARV,Jagdpanther tank destroyer, and com-mand vehicle (Befehlspanzer Panth-er), while some were disguised to re-semble MIO tank detroyers during theBattle of the Bulge.

Main armament of the Panther was along barrelled 75-mm (2.95-in) gun forwhich 79 rounds of ammunition werecarried. Mounted co-axial with themain armament was a 7,92-mm (0.31-in) MG34 machine-gun, while a similarweapon was mounted in the hull frontand another on the turret roof for anti-aircraft defence.

SpecificationPzKpfw V Panther Ausf ACrew: 4Weight: 45500 kg (100,310 lb)Dimensions: length (includingarmament) 8.86 m (29 ft 0,75 in); length(hull) 6.88 m (22 ft 7 in); width3.43 m(11 ft 3 in); height 3.10 m (10 ft 2 in)Powerplant: one Maybach HL 230 P 3012-cylinder diesel engine developing700 hp (522 kW)Performance: maximum road speed

German armour, committedpiecemeal, could not stop the Alliedinvasion of Europe. Here a Pantherburns after being hit by British an ti-tan k weapons.

46 km/h (29 mph); maximum roadrange 177 km (110 miles); fording1.70 m (5 ft 7 in); gradient 60 per cent;vertical obstacle 0.91 m (3 ft 0 in);trench 1.91m (6 ft 3 in)

GERMANY

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger heavytank

As far back as 1938 it has been realizedthat the PzKpfw IV tank would have tobe replaced by a more modern designsome time in the future. Various pro-totypes were built by a number of Ger-man companies, but none was placedin production, In 1941 an order wasplaced with Henschel for a 36-ton tankcalled the VK 3601 which was requiredto have a maximum speed of 40 km/h(25 mph), good armour protection anda powerful gun. A prototype of this tankwas built but further work was stoppedas an order was placed in May 1941 fora 45-ton tank called the VK 4501, Thiswas to be armed with a tank version ofthe dreaded 88-mm (3.46-in) AA/anti-tank gun, which had then become thescourge of European armies. It was re-quired that the prototype be ready fortesting on Hitler's next birthday, 20April 1942. As time was short Henschelincorporated ideas from the VK 3601and another tank called the VK3001(H). The end product was the VK4501(H), the letter suffix standing forHenschel. Porsche also went aheadwith its own design and built the VK4501(Porsche) to meet the same re-quirement. Both prototypes were com-pleted in time to be demonstrated onHitler's birthday, and the Henschel de-sign was selected for production in Au-gust 1942 under the designationPzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf E (SdKfz 181).

The Tiger was in production fromAugust 1942 to August 1944, a total of1,350 vehicles being built. It was thensucceeded in production by the TigerII or King Tiger for which there is aseparate entry. In case trials provedthe VK 4501(H) a failure, a batch of 90VK 4501(P) tanks was ordered, andthese were subsequently completedas 88-mm (3.46-in) tank destroyersunder the designation Panzerjger Ti-ger (P) Ferdinand (SdKfz 184). Thevehicle was named after its designer,Dr Ferdinand Porsche.

There were three variants of the Ti-

With its thick armour andaversion of the dreaded 88-mmAAi'anti-tankgun, the PzKpfw VITiger was an outstandinglypowerful design. It was not aparticularly agile machine, butcould command the battlefield.

gei, these being the Tiger commandtank (Befehlspanzer Tiger) which wasthe basic gun tank with its main arma-ment removed, but fitted with a winchbut no crane, and the Sturmtiger whichhad a new superstructure fitted with a38-cm (14.96-in) Type 61 rocket-launcher with limited traverse; only 10of the last were built.

For its time the Tiger was an out-standing design with a powerful gunand good armour, but it was also toocomplicated and therefore difficult toproduce. One of its major drawbackswas its overlapping wheel suspensionwhich became clogged with mud andstones. On the Eastern Front this couldbe disastrous as during winter nightsthe mud froze and by the morning thetank had been immobilized, often atthe exact time the Soviets wouldattack, When the vehicle travelled onroads a 51.5-cm (20.3-in) wide trackwas fitted, while a 71,5-cm (28,1-in)wide track was used for travel acrosscountry or in combat as this gave alower ground pressure and so im-proved traction.

Main armament comprised an 88-mm (3.46-in) KwK 36 gun, with a 7.92-mm (0.31-in) MG 34 machine-gun co-axial with the main armament and asimilar weapon ball-mounted in thehull front on the right, Totals of 84

rounds of 88-mm (3.46-in) and 5,850rounds of machine-gun ammunitionwere carried.

The Tiger was first encountered inTunisia by the British army and fromthen on appeared on all of the Germanfronts.

SpecificationPzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf ECrew: 5Weight: 55000 kg (121,250 lb)Dimensions: length (includingarmament) 8,24 m (27 ft 0 in); length(hull) 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in); width 3.73 m(12 ft 3 in); height 2.86 m (9 ft 3.25 in)

SS Tigers bivouac on the BrennerPass, guarding the Italian borderwith Austria. By this time the Allieshad landed in Italy and Mussolinihad been overthrown.

Powerplant: one Maybach HL 230 P 4512-cylinder petrol engine developing700hp(522kW)Performance: maximum road speed38 km/h (24 mph); maximum rangeroad 100 km (62 miles); fording 1.2m(3 ft 11 in); gradient 60 per cent;vertical obstacle 0.79 m (2 ft 7 in);trench 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)

15

GERMANY

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II heavy tankNo sooner was the Tiger in productionthan the decision was taken to developan even better armed and armouredversion, especially to counter anyvehicle that the Soviets could intro-duce in the future, Once again Hens-chel and Porsche were asked to pre-pare designs. Porsche first designed atank based on the earlier VK 4501 de-sign and armed with a 15-cm (5.9-in)gun, This was rejected in favour of anew design with a turret-mounted 88-mm (3.46-in) gun, which was soon can-celled as its electric transmission usedtoo much copper, which at that timewas in short supply, By this time theturrets were already in production andthese were subsequently fitted to ear-

ly-production Henschel tanks. The VK4503(H) Henschel design was com-pleted in October 1943, somewhat la-ter than anticipated as a decision wastaken to incorporate components ofthe projected Panther II tank.

Production of the Tiger II, or Panzer-kampfwagen VI Tiger II Ausf B (SdKfz182) to give its correct designation, gotunder way at Kassel in December 1943alongside the Tiger, the first 50 pro-duction vehicles being completedwith the Porsche turret. All subsequenttanks had the Henschel turret, and atotal of 485 vehicles was built.

The Tiger II first saw action on theEastern Front in May 1944 and on theWestern Front in Normandy in August

of the same year, the Western Alliescalling it the Royal Tiger or King Tigerwhile the Germans called it theKnigstiger (King Tiger).

In many respects the Tiger II wassimilar in layout to the Panther tank,and was powered by the same engineas later production Panthers, resultingin a much lower power-to-weight ratio,and the tank was therefore much slow-er and less mobile than the Panther.While its armour gave almost com-plete protection against all of the gunsfitted to Allied tanks, the Tiger II wasunreliable and its bulk made it difficultto move about the battlefield and toconceal. Many were abandoned ordestroyed by their crews when theyran out of fuel and no additional sup-plies were to hand.

The hull of the Tiger II was of all-welded construction with a maximumthickness of 150 mm (5,9 in) in the frontof the hull, The driver was seated at thefront on the left, with the bow machine-gunner/radio operator to his right. Theturret was of welded construction witha maximum thickness of 100mm(3,9 in) at the front, and accommodatedthe commander and gunner on the leftwith the loader on the right. The en-gine was at the hull rear. Main arma-ment comprised a long-barrelled 88-mm (3.46-in) KwK 43 gun that could firearmour-piercing and HE ammunition,

the former having a much higher muz-zle velocity than the equivalent roundfired by the Tiger. A 7.92-mm (0.31-in)MG 34 was mounted co-axial with themain armament, and another weaponwas mounted in the hull front. Totals of84 rounds of 88-mm (3.46-in) and 5,850rounds of 7.92-mm (0.31-in) machine-gun ammunition were carried.

The Tiger II chassis was also used asthe basis for the Jagdtiger B, which wasarmed with a 128-mm (5.04-in) gun in anew superstructure with limitedtraverse; only 48 of these powerful tankdestroyers had been built by the endof the war.

SpecificationPzKpfw VI Tiger II Ausf BCrew: 5Weight: 69700 kg (153,660 lb)Dimensions: length (includingarmament) 10.26 m (33 ft 8 in); length(hull) 7,26 m (23 ft 9.75 in); width 3,75 m(12 ft 3.5 in); height 3.09 m(10 ft 1.5 in)Powerplant: one Maybach HL 230 P 3012-cylinder petrol engine developing700 hp (522 kW)Performance: maximum road speed38 km/h (24 mph); maximum roadrange 110 km (68 miles); fording 1.6m(5 ft 3 in); gradient 60 per cent; verticalobstacle 0.85 m (2 ft 10 in); trench2.50 m (8 ft 2 in)

Above/A Tiger II with Henschelturret passes American prisonerstaken during the Ardennes offensive.Many of the tanks were abandonedas the attack failed for lack of petrol.

Righ t: A Knigstiger with Porscheturret. Utilizing the latest in slopedarmour and carrying a long-barrelled 88-mm high-velocity gun,the TigerII was safe from almost anyAllied tank at almost any r ange.

ITALY

Fiat L 6/40 light tankIn the 1930s Fiat Ansaldo built an ex-port tank based on the chassis of the L3tankette, itself a development of theBritish Garden Lloyd Mark VI tankette.The first prototype was armed withtwin machine-guns in the turret and a37 mm gun in a sponson. This was fol-lowed by models with a turret-mounted 37-mm gun and a co-axialmachine-gun, and another with twinturret-mounted 8-mm (0.315-in)machine-guns, The production ver-sion, designated Carro Armato L 6/40,was built from 1939 and armed with aBreda Model 35 20-mm cannon with aco-axial Breda Model 38 8-mm (0.315-in) machine gun. Totals of 296 rounds of20-mm and 1,560 rounds of 8-mm (0.35-in) ammunition were carried. At thetime of its introduction the L 6/40 wasroughly equivalent to the GermanPzKpfw II, and was used by recon-naissance units and cavalry divisions.A total of 283 vehicles was built, and inaddition to being used in Italy itself the

16

type was also used in North Africa andon the Russian front. The L 6/40 con-tinued in service with the militia inpost-war Italy, finally being phased outof service in the early 1950s.

The hull of the L 6/40 was of all-riveted construction varying in thick-ness from 6mm (0,24m) to 30mm(1.26 in), The driver was seated at thefront right, the turret was in the centre,and the engine at the rear. The turretwas manually operated and could betraversed through 360; its weaponscould be elevated from -12 to +20.The commander also acted as gunnerand loader, and could enter the vehi-cle via the hatch in the turret roof or viaa door in the right side of the hull.Suspension on each side consisted oftwo bogies each with two road wheels,with the drive sprocket at the front andidler at the rear; there were threetrack-return rollers,

There was also a flamethrower ver-sion of the L 6/40 in which the 20-mm

cannon was replaced by a flamethrow-er for which 200 litres (44 Imp gal) offlame liquid were earned. The com-mand model had additional com-munications equipment and an open-topped turret. Some of the L 6/40s werecompleted as Semovente L40 47/32self-propelled anti-tank guns, whichwere essentially L 6/40 with the turretremoved and a 47-mm anti-tank gunmounted in the hull front to the left ofthe driver. This had an elevation from

-12 to +20, with a total traverse of27; 70 rounds of ammunition were car-ried. In addition to conversions from

Continued on page 518

A knocked-outL 6/40 light tank isinspected by Australians in thedesert. In spite of being unsuitablefor front-line service, the L 6/40 sawaction in North Africa and the USSRas well as in Italy.

the L 6/40 tank about 300 vehicles werebuilt from scratch and these saw ser-vice in Italy, North Africa and the USSRfrom 1941, A command version wasalso built on the same chassis and thishad its armament replaced by an 8-mm (0.315-in) Breda machine-gun,which was made to look like the largercalibre gun to make detection of thevehicle more difficult,

SpecificationCarro Armato L 6/40Crew: 2Weight: 6800 kg (l4,991 lb)Dimensions: length 3,78 m ( 12 ft 5 in);width 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in); height 2.03 m(6 ft 8 in)Powerplant: one SPA 18D four-cylinder petrol engine developing70hp(52kW)Performance: maximum road speed42 km/h (26 mph); maximum range200 km (124 miles); fording0,8 m (2 ft8 in); gradient 60 per cent; verticalobstacle 0.7 m (2 ft 4 in) ; trench 1,7m(5 ft 7 in)

Based on the British Garden-Lloydtankette, the L 6/40 was armed with a20-mm cannon together with a co-axial 8-mm (0.315-in) machine-gun.

Fiat M 11/39 and M 13/40 medium tanksIn 1937 the prototype of the CarroArmato M 11/39 tank was built, with thesuspension system of the L3 tankettebut with six road wheels on each side.In layout this was similar to the Amer-ican M3 Lee tank, but with a 37-mm(rather than 75-mm/2.95-in) gun in theright sponson, driver on the left, and inthe centre of the hull a one-man turretarmed with twin 8-mm (0.315-in)machine-guns. Further developmentresulted in a model with eight roadwheels and this basic chassis was usedfor all subsequent Italian mediumtanks. Only 100 M l l/39s were built asit was considered that the design wasalready obsolete, and in 1940 70 ofthese were sent to North Africa wheremany were captured or destroyedduring the first battles with the Britisharmy.

Further development resulted in theM 13/40 which had a similar chassis buta redesigned hull of riveted construc-tion varying in thickness from 6 mm(0.24 in) to 42 mm (1.65 in). The driverwas seated at the front of the hull on theleft with the machine-gunner to hisright; the latter operated the twin Mod-ello 38 8-mm (0.315-in) machine-gunsas well as the radios. The two-man tur-ret was in the centre of the hull, withthe commander/gunner on the rightand the loader on the left, and with atwo-piece hatch cover in the turretroof. Main armament comprised a 47-mm 32-calibre gun with an elevation of+ 20 and a depression of -10; turrettraverse was 360. A Modello 38 8-mm(0.315-in) machine-gun was mountedco-axial with the main armament and asimilar weapon was mounted on theturret roof for anti-aircraft defence,Totals of 104 rounds of 47-mm and 3,048rounds of 8-mm (0.315-in) ammunitionwere carried, The engine was at therear of the hull, its power being trans-mitted to the gearbox at the front of thehull via a propeller shaft. Suspensionon each side consisted of four double-wheel articulated bogies mounted ontwo assemblies each carried on semi-elliptic leaf springs, with the idler atthe rear; there were three track-returnrollers.

The M 13/40 was built by Ansaldo-Fossati at the rate of about 60 to 70

vehicles per month, a total of 779 beingproduced. The tank was widely usedin North Africa by the Italian army butwas cramped, proved to be very unre-liable in service and was prone tocatching fire when hit by anti-tank pro-jectiles.

Many vehicles were captured bythe British army after being aban-doned by their crews and subsequent-ly issued to the British 6th Royal TnkRegiment (RTR) and the Australian 6thCavalry Regiment early in 1941 whentanks were in a very short supply onthe Allied side, The Australian regim-ent had three squadrons of capturedvehicles which they called Dingo,Rabbit, and Wombat. So that they werenot engaged by Allied units, whitekangaroos were painted on the sides,glacis and turret rear.

The Semovente Comando M 40command vehicle was basically the M13/40 tank with its turret removed andfitted with additional communicationsequipment for use in the commandrole. Further development of the M13/40 resulted in the M 14/41 and M15/42, for which there is a separateentry.

Below: With a 47-mm sponson-mountedmain gun and twin 8-mm(0.315-in) machine-guns in the two-man turret, the M11/39 was soonoutclassed with the introduction ofimproved Allied tanks.

SpecificationCarro Armato M 13/40Crew: 4Weight: 14000 kg (30,865 lb)Dimensions: length 4.92 m ( 16 ft 2 in);width 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in); height 2.38 m (7 ft10 in)Performance: one SPA TM40 eight-

cylinder diesel engine developing125hp(93kW)Performance: maximum road speed32 km/h (20 mph); maximum range200 km (125 miles); fording 1.0 m (3 ft3 in); gradient 70 per cent; verticalobstacle 0.8 m (2 ft 8 in); trench 2. l m(6 ft 11 in)

Above;Ml3/40sin the desert, 1941.These are the Semovente Comandeversion, without turrets and withadditional radio gear. Many wereabandoned by theltalians and takenover by the British.

17

ITALY

Fiat M 15/42 medium tankThe Carro Armato M 14/41 wasessentially the M 13/40 fitted with amore powerful diesel engine whichwas equipped with air filters designedto cope with the harsh conditions of thedesert. Production amounted to justover 1,100 of these vehicles, which hada similar specification to the M 13/40except for an increase in speed to33 km/h (20 mph) and in weight to 14.5tonnes. Further development resultedin the Carro Armato M 15/42, whichentered service in early 1943. A total of82 of these was built, most being issuedto the Ariete Division which took partin the Italian attempt to deny Rome tothe Germans in September 1943. Someof these vehicles were captured by theGermans and then used against theAllies.

The M 15/42 was slightly longer thanthe M 14/41 and distinguishable from itby the lack of a crew access door in theleft side of the hull. It was driven by amore powerful engine which made itslightly faster, and had improvedarmour protection and other moreminor modifications as a result of oper-ator comments.

The hull of the M 15/42 was of all-riveted construction which varied inthickness from 42mm (1.65 in) to14mm (0,55 in), with a maximum of45 mm (1.77 in) on the turret front. Thedriver was seated at the front of the hullon the left, with the bow machine-gunner to his right, the latter operatingthe twin Breda Modello 38 8-mm(0.315-in) machine-guns as well as theradios, The turret was in the centre ofthe hull and armed with a 47-mm 40-calibre gun with an elevation of +20and a depression of -10; turrettraverse, which was electric, was 360.A Modello 38 8-mm (0.315-in)machine-gun was mounted co-axialwith the main armament, and a similarweapon was mounted on the turret rooffor anti-aircraft defence. Totals of 111rounds of 47-mm and 2,640 rounds of

8-mm (0.315-in) ammunition were car-ried. Suspension on each side con-sisted of four double-wheel articulatedbogies mounted in two assemblieseach carried on semi-ellipticalsprings, with the drive sprocket at thefront and the idler at the rear; therewere three track-return rollers, Theengine was at the rear of the hull andcoupled to a manual gearbox witheight forward and two reverse gears.

By the time the M 15/42 had beenintroduced into service it was alreadyobsolete, and design of another tankhad been under way for several years.In 1942 the first prototypes of the CarroArmato P 40 heavy tank were built.This was a major advance on the ear-lier Italian tanks and used a similartype of suspension to the M 15/42. Thelayout was also similar with the driverat the front, turret in the centre andengine at the rear. Armour protectionwas much improved and the hull andturret sides sloped to give maximumpossible protection within the weightlimit of 26 tonnes. The P 40 was pow-ered by a V-12 petrol engine that de-veloped 420 hp (313kW) to give it amaximum road speed of 40 km/h(25 mph), Main armament comprised a75-mm (2,95-in) 34-calibre gun with aco-axial Modello 38 8-mm (0.315-in)machine-gun. Totals of 75 rounds of75-mm (2.95-in) and 600 rounds ofmachine-gun ammunition were car-ried, The P 40 was produced by Fiat innorthern Italy, but none of these en-tered service with the Italian army andmost were subsequently taken over bythe German army, which ensured con-tinued production for itself, some re-ports stating that over 50 vehicles werebuilt for German use.

SpecificationCarro Armato M 15/42Crew: 4Weight: 15500 kg (34,800 lb)Dimensions: length 5.04 m (16 ft 7 in);

width 2.23 m (7 ft 4 in); height 2.39 m(7 ft 11 in)Powerplant: one SPA 15 TB M42 eight-cylinder petrol engine developing192hp(143kW)Performance: maximum road speed40 km/h (25 mph); maximum range220 km ( 136 miles); fording 1,0 m (3 ft3 in); gradient 60 per cent; verticalobstacle 0.8 m (2 ft 8 in); trench 2.10 m(6 ft 11 in)

A squadron of M14/41 tanks inCyrenaica in 1942. More than 1100 ofthese tanks, in effect tropicalizedM13140s, were produced.

Another M14/41, abandoned afterthe first battle ofAlamein. The M15142 looked similar but had no sidehatch. Only 82 were built.

JAPAN

Type 95 light tankThe Type 95 light tank was developedto meet the requirements of theJapanese army in the early 1930s, thefirst two prototypes being completedin 1934 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.These were tested in China and Japanand the type was then standardized asthe Type 95 light tank, the companycalling the vehicle the HA-GO whilethe army called the vehicle the KE-GO.Over 1,100 Type 95s were built beforeproduction was completed in 1943,although some sources have statedthat production continued until 1945.

The hull and turret of the Type 95were of riveted construction andvaried in thickness from 0.25 in (6 mm)to a maximum of 0.55 in (14 mm). Thedriver was seated at the front on theright with the bow machine-gunner tohis left. The latter operated the Type91 6.5-mm (0.255-in) weapon (with atraverse of 35 left and right), whichwas later replaced by the Type 97 7.7-mm (0.303-in) machine-gun. The turretwas in the centre of the hull, offsetslightly to the left and fitted with a Type94 37-mm tank gun firing armour-piercing and HE ammunition. This gunwas later replaced by the Type 98 gunof a similar calibre but with a highermuzzle velocity. There was no co-axialmachine-gun, but another machine-

gun was mounted in the turret rear onthe right side, Totals of 2,970 rounds ofammunition were carried for the twomachine-guns and of 119 rounds for themain armament. A major drawback ofthis tank, like many French tanks of the

period, was the fact that the tank com-mander also had to aim, load and firethe main armament in addition to car-rying out his primary role of comman-ding the tank.

The Mitsubishi six-cylinder air-

cooled diesel was mounted in the hullrear and coupled to a manual transmis-sion with one reverse and four forwardgears. Steering was of the clutch andbrake type, and suspension of the bellcrank type consisting of each side of

The Type 95 light tank had a 37-mmmain gun and a hull-mounted 7.7-mm (0.303-in) machine-gun togetherwith another 7.7-mm gun at the rearof the turret.

18

ITALY

Type 95 tanlcs cross paddy fieldswhile on exercise. The Type 95sufficed in its anti-infantry role, as theJapanese army did not come upagainst any armour of consequenceuntil meeting the Marines in 1943.

four rubber-tyred road wheels, withthe drive sprocket at the front and idlerat the rear; there were two track-return rollers.

In those days no air-conditioningsystems were available to keep theinterior of the tank cooled so the wallsof the crew compartment were linedwith asbestos padding which in addi-tion gave some protection to the crewfrom injury when travelling across

country.In 1943 a few Type 95 light tanks

were modified to carry the 57-mm gunas fitted to the Type 97 medium tankunder the name KE-RI, but the variantwas not very successful as the turretwas too cramped. The KE-NU was theType 95 with the complete turret of theType 97 CHI-HA medium tank. TheType 95 was succeeded in productionby the Type 98 KE-NI light tank, butonly about 100 of these were built be-fore production was completed in 1943as the type was not considered a verysatisfactory design. The Type 2 KA-MIamphibious tank used automotivecomponents of the Type 95 light tank,and this was widely used in the early

Pacific campaigns of World War II.Japan also used tankettes on a largescale including the Types 92, 94 and97, the last being the most common.

When used in China and during theearly World War II campaigns againstthe Americans, the Type 95 proved auseful vehicle, but once confronted byAmerican tanks and anti-tank guns itwas outclassed.

SpecificationType 95Crew: 4Weight: 7400 kg (16,314 lb)Dimensions: length 4.38 m (14 ft 4 in);width 2.057 m (6 ft 9 in); height 2.184 m(7 ft 2 in)

A Type 95 at speed, probably inManchuria. Japan's conquests wereaided considerably by the fact thatnone other opponen ts possessedany significant amount of armour,nor any an ti-tank capability.

Powerplant: one Mitsubishi NVD 6120six-cylinder air-cooled diesel enginedeveloping 120 hp (89 kW)Performance: maximum road speed45 km/h (28 mph); maximum range250 km (156 miles); fording 1.0 m (3 ft3 in); gradient 60 per cent; verticalobstacle 0.812 m (2 ft 8 in); trench 2.0 m(6 ft 7 in)

JAPAN

Type 97 medium tankIn the mid-1930s a requirement wasissued for a new medium tank to re-place the Type 89B medium tankwhich by then was rapidly becomingobsolete. As the Engineering Depart-ment and the General Staff could notagree on the better design, two pro-totypes were built. Mitsubishi built thedesign of the Engineering Departmentwhile Osaka Arsenal built the design ofthe General Staff. There was in factlittle to choose between the two de-signs, although the Mitsubishi tank washeavier and driven by a more power-ful engine. The Mitsubishi prototypewas standardized as the Type 97 CHI-HA medium tank and some 3,000 vehi-cles were built before production wasfinally completed in the middle ofWorld War II.

The hull and turret of the Type 97medium tank were of riveted construc-tion that varied in thickness from 8 mm(0,30 in) to 25 mm (0.98 mm). The driv-er was seated at the front of the hull onthe right, with the 7.7-mm (0.303-in)Type 97 machine-gunner to his left,The two-man turret was in the centre ofthe hull, offset to the right, and could betraversed manually through 360. Mainarmament consisted of a 57-mm Type97 gun with an elevation of +11 anddepression of - 9, and another 7.7-mm(0.303-in) machine-gun was located inthe turret rear, Totals of 120 rounds of57-mm (80 high explosive and 40 ofarmour-piercing) and 2,350 rounds of7.7-mm (0.303-in) ammunition werecarried.

The 12-cylinder air-cooled diesel

was mounted at the rear of the hull andtransmitted power via a propeller shaftto the gearbox in the nose of the tank;the gearbox had four forward and onereverse gears. Steering was of theclutch and brake type, and suspensionon each side consisted of six dual rub-ber-tyred road wheels, with the drivesprocket at the front and idler at therear; there were three track-returnrollers, The four central road wheelswere paired and mounted on bellcranks resisted by armoured com-pression springs, while each endbogie was independently bell crank-mounted to the hull in a similar manner.

When first introduced into servicethe Type 97 was quite an advanceddesign apart from its main armament,.which had a low muzzle velocity. Afeature of most Japanese tanks of thisperiod was that they were powered bydiesel rather than petrol engines,which gave them a much increasedoperational range as well as reducingthe ever-present risk of fire, the dreadof any tank crew.

In 1942 the Type 97 medium tank(special) was introduced: this had anew turret armed with a 47-mm Type97 gun that fired ammunition with ahigher muzzle velocity and thereforeimproved penetration characteristics.This weapon used the same ammuni-tion as Japanese anti-tank guns andtherefore helped ammunition com-monality in the front line.

The chassis of the Type 97 was alsoused as the basis for a number of othervehicles including a flail-equipped

mineclearmg tank, self-propelledguns (including the 150-mm/5.9-mType 38 HO-RO), self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (including 20-mm and 75-mm/2.95-in), an engineer tank, a re-covery vehicle and an armouredbridgelayer. Most of these were builtin such small numbers that they playedlittle part m actual operations. TheType 97 was replaced in productionby the Type 1 CHI-HE medium tank,followed by the Type 3 CHI-NU, ofwhich only 60 were built by the end ofthe war. The last Japanese mediumtanks were the Type 4 and Type 5, but'neither of these well-armed vehiclessaw combat.

SpecificationType 97Crew: 4

Probably the best Japanesearmoured vehicle to see any greatamount of service, the Type 97 was afairly advanced design that washandicapped by an inadequa te gun.

Weight: 15000 kg (33,069 lb)Dimensions: length 5.516 m (18 ft 1 in);width 2.33 m (7 ft 8 in); height 2.23 m(7 ft 4 in)Powerplant: one Mitsubishi 12-cylinder air-cooled diesel enginedeveloping 170 hp (127 kW)Performance: maximum road speed38 km/h (24 mph); maximum range210 km (130 miles); fording 1.0 m (3 ft3 in); gradient 57 per cent; verticalobstacle 0,812 m (2 ft 6 in); trench2.514 m (8 ft 3 in)

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British andFrench Tanks

Since the birth of the tank in 1916, the British have led the world in both thedesign and use of armoured forces, but by 1939 internal army politics and

mistaken tactical doctrine had robbed Britain of this important andhard-won advantage.

French mechanized units parading with their Hotchkiss H35 tanks. A small, lightly armed vehiclewith a crew of two, it saw service with the French in both cavalry and infantry-support roles.

The tanks discussed here areamong some of the leastsuccessful of the World War IIperiod. Some of them (such asthe British Valentine, Matilda andChurchill) were eventually turnedinto good fighting machines, but -working in a rush and without aproper development base fromwhich to work up their designs -

20

many British tank designersproduced tanks that were nomatch for their counterparts inthe German Panzer units. The rea-sons for this are described herein,but it is not all a sorry tale: despitetheir drawbacks, these tanks (bothInfantry and Cruiser types) wereat times all there was to hand andwith them their crews and com-

manders learned the importantlessons that were to produce theeventual Allied victory.

Some of the development anddesign results were remarkable.Working from a base where virtu-ally no heavy engineering facili-ties existed, Australia was able toproduce the Sentinel fromscratch, and it was no fault of the

designers that their progeny wasnever to see action. The samecan be said of the Canadians,who produced the Ram in aremarkably short time, again fromscratch and with no tank produc-tion experience whatsoever.These two projects must rateamong the more remarkableproduction feats of World War II,but today they are little knownoutside their home nations.

The tale of the Cruiser tanksproduced by the United Kingdomhas by now been often told but itstill bears re-examination, showingas it does, how a doctrine accept-ed without proper investigationcan affect the course of battles,even well past the point when thedoctrine has been found wanting.British and Allied tank crews hadto drive their charges into battleknowing that their main gunswere too weak, their armouredprotection too thin and theirmechanical reliability all too sus-pect at a critical moment. But theywent into battle all the same andoften managed to defeat a better-armed and prepared enemy.Thus, while reading of the tanksone must think of the men whomanned and fought them, fortanks are but lumps of metalconstructed in a certain fashion,and are nothing without men todrive and use them in combat.

FRANCE

Hotchkiss H-35 and H-39 light tanksDuring the early 1930s the Frencharmy, in common with many otherEuropean armies, decided to re-equipits ageing tank parks with modernequipment. At that time the French fol-lowed the current practice of dividingtank functions into cavalry and infantryusage and one of the new tanks in-tended for cavalry use was a designknown as the Char Lger HotchkissH-35. But although intended primarilyfor cavalry formation use, the H-35 waslater adopted for infantry support aswell, making it one of the more impor-tant of the French tanks of the day. TheH-35 was a small vehicle with a crew oftwo, and it was lightly armed with onlya 37-mm (1.46-in) short-barrelled g^inand a single 7.5-mm (0.295-in)machine-gun. Armour was also light,ranging in the thickness from 12 mm(0.47 in) to 34 mm (1.34 in). It was alsorather underpowered, and after about400 H-35s had been produced from1936 onwards the basic model wassupplemented by the Char LgerHotchkiss H-39, first produced during1939. The production totals for the H-39were much greater (eventually run-ning to over 1,000 units), but in generalFrench tank production was slow,being severely limited by a lack ofmass production facilities, and wasconstantly beset by labour troubles,even after 1939.

The H-39 differed from the H-35 inhaving a 120- rather than 75-hp (89.5-rather than 56-kW) engine, and couldbe recognized by the raised reardecking, which on the H-39 was almostflat compared with the pronouncedslope on the H-35. Also a new and lon-ger 37-mm gun was fitted, but this wasonly marginally more powerful thanthe earlier weapon and soon proved tobe virtually useless against most Ger-man tanks.

Both the H-35 and the H-39 wereused in action in France in May 1940,and both were able to give a goodaccount of themselves. However, theirpart in the fighting was more than dimi-nished by their dismal tactical use. In-stead of being used en masse (in theway that the Germans used their Pan-zer columns), the French tanks werescattered along the line in penny pack-ets, assigned to local infantry supportinstead of being used as an effectiveanti-armour force and were able tomake little impact. On occasion they

Fitted with the SA 38 37-mm L33, theH-39 had a respectable performanceby 1930s standards. Its only majordisadvantage was that thecommander had to work the gun.

were able to surprise the Germans,but only in purely local actions, somany were either destroyed or cap-tured by the advancing Germans, Al-ways short of matriel, the Germanstook many Hotchkiss tanks into theirown service as the PzKpfw 35-H 734(f)and PzKpfw 39-H 735(f), and thesewere used for some years by second-line and occupation units. Many of theH-35 and H-39 tanks later had theirturrets removed and replaced by Ger-man anti-tank guns for use as mobiletank destroyers,

Not all the French tanks fell into Ger-man hands. Many were located in theFrench Middle East possessions andsome were either taken over by theFree French or were used in action bythe Vichy French during the campaignin Syria in 1941. Perhaps the Hotchkisstanks with the most unusual travel taleswere those taken by the Germans tothe Soviet Union in 1941, when theywere so short of tanks that even thecaptured French vehicles were founduseful.

By 1945 there were few H-35s orH-39s left anywhere: the Middle Eastexamples survived in small numbers,and post-war some were used to formpart of the Israeli army tank arm, re-maining in service as late as 1956.SpecificationHotchkiss H-39Crew: 2

Weight: 12.1 tonnesPowerplant: one Hotchkiss 6-cylmderpetrol engine developing 120 hp(89.5kW)Dimensions: length 4.22 m (13 ft 10 in);width 1.95 m (6 ft 4.8 in); height 2,15 m(7 ft 0.6 in)Performance: maximum road speed36 km/h (22.3 mph); maximum roadrange 120 km (74,5 miles); fording0.85 m (2 ft 10 in); gradient 40; vertical

H-35s, seen here on parade,equipped many French mechanizedcavalry units. Although armed withthe ineffectual SA 18 37-mm 121, theycould still have performed effectivelyin the reconnaissance role butinstead were deployed piecemeal tobolster the infantry.obstacle 0.50 m (1 ft 8 in); trench 1,80 m(5 ft 11 in)

FRANCE

Renault R 35The Renault R 35 had its origins in adesign known originally as the RenaultZM, produced in late 1934 in answer toa French army request for a new infan-try support tank to supplement andeventually replace the ageing RenaultFT 17 which dated back to World WarI, Trials of the new tank started in early1935, and in that same year the designwas ordered into production withoutcompletion of the testing as Germanyappeared to be in a mood for conflict.Before production got under way itwas decided to increase the armourbasis from 30mm (1.18 in) to 40 mm(1.575 in).

The R 35 never entirely replacedthe FT 17 in service, but by ^ 940 over1,600 had been built and it was themost numerous French infantry tank inuse. Its overall appearance was notunlike that of the FT 17, for it was a

small tank with a crew of only two. Thedesign made much use of cast armourand the suspension followed the Re-nault practice of the day, being of the

Continued on page 1324

Two-man infantry support tanks inthe Great War tradition, the R 35swere built in the belief that tankwarfare had changed little since1918.

21

type used on the Renault cavalry tankdesigns. The driver's position was for-ward, while the commander had to actas his own loader and gunner firing a37-mm (1,456-in) short-barrelled gunand co-axial 7 .5-mm (0.295- in)machine-gun mounted in a small castturret. This turret was poorly equippedwith vision devices and was soarranged that the commander had tospend much of his time in action stand-ing on the hull floor. Out of action therear of the turret opened as a flap onwhich the commander could sit.

For its day the R 35 was a soundenough vehicle, and was typical ofcontemporary French design, In 1940a version with a revised suspensionand known as the AMX R 40 was intro-

duced, and a few were produced be-fore the Germans invaded in May 1940.The little R 35s soon proved to be nomatch for the German Panzers. For astart they were usually allocated insmall numbers in direct support of in-fantry formations, and could thus bepicked off piecemeal by the massedGerman tanks. Their gun proved vir-tually ineffective against even thelightest German tanks, though in returntheir 40-mm (1,575-m) armour wasfairly effective against most of the Ger-man anti-tank guns. Thus the R 35scould contribute but little to the courseof the campaign and many were eitherdestroyed or simply abandoned bytheir crews in the disasters that over-took the French army as the Germans

swept through France.Large numbers of R 35s fell into Ger-

man hands virtually intact. These wereduly put to use by various garrison un-its in France while many eventuallypassed to driver and other tank train-ing schools. With the invasion of theSoviet Union many R 35s were strippedof their turrets and used as artillerytractors or ammunition carriers. Later,many of the R 35s still in France hadtheir turrets removed so that their hullscould be converted as the basis ofseveral self-propelled artillery or anti-tank gun models, the turrets thenbeing emplaced in concrete along thecoastal defences of the Atlantic Wall.

Thus the R 35 passed into history,and despite its numbers its combat re-

cord was such that it proved to be ofmore use to the Germans than theFrench.

SpecificationRenault R 35Crew: 2Weight: 10000 kg (22,046 lb)Powerplant: one Renault 4-cylmderpetrol engine developing 61 kW(82 bhp)Dimensions: length 4.20 m (13 ft9.25 in); width 1.85 m (6 ft 0.75 in);height 2,37 m (7 ft 9.25 in)Performance: maximum speed 20km/h (12.4 mph); range 140 km (87miles); fording 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in); verticalobstacle 0.5 m ( 1 ft 7,7 in); trench 1.6m(5 ft 3 in)

FRANCE

SOMUA S-35 medium tankWhen the re-equipment of the Frenchcavalry arm with tanks started duringthe mid-1930s several concerns be-came involved, among them aSchneider subsidiary in St Ouen andknown as the Socit d'OutillageMcanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie,better known as SOMUA, In 1935 thisconcern displayed a tank prototypethat attracted immediate attention, andits very advanced design was quicklyrecognized by the award of a produc-

weapon in 1944. The secondary arma-ment was a single 7.5-mm (0,295-in)co-axial machine-gun.

The S-35 was ordered into produc-tion but, as in nearly all other sectors ofthe French defence industry before1939, this production was slow and be-set by labour and other troubles. Onlyabout 400 S-35s had been produced bythe time the Germans invaded in May1940, and of those only about 250 werein front-line service. But in action the

tion order. One of the best if not thebest AFV of its day, the type wasknown as the SOMUA S-35 to most ofEurope though to the French army itwas the Automitrailleuse de Combat(AMC) modele 1935 SOMUA

The S-35 had many features thatwere later to become commonplace.The hull and turret were both castcomponents at a time when most con-temporary vehicles used rivetedplates. The cast armour was not onlywell-shaped for extra protection but itwas also much thicker (minimum of20 mm/0,79 in and maximum of 55 mm/2,16 in) than the norm for the time. Forall that it still had a good reserve ofpower provided by a V-8 petrol en-gine for lively battlefield performance,and a good operational radius of actionwas ensured by large internal fueltanks. Radio was standard, at a timewhen hand signals between tankswere still common. To add to all theseadvantages the S-35 was armed with apowerful gun: the 47-mm (1.85-in) SA35 was one of the most powerfulweapons of the day and a gun thatcould still be regarded as a useful

22

ln 1940 manySOMUAs weredamaged and abandoned like theone seen here, but the vehicle wasgood enough for the Germans to useagainst the Allies four years later.Below:Despite the weaknessof having the commander operatethe main armamen t, the S-35 was afine tank.

S-35 gave a good account of itselfthough revealing a serious design de-fect when under fire: the upper andlower hull halves were joined by a ringof bolts along a horizontal join, and if ananti-tank projectile hit this join the twohalves split apart with obvious dire re-sults. But at the time this mattered lessthan the way in which the tanks had tobe handled: the S-35 had a crew ofthree (driver, radio operator and com-mander), and it was the commander inhis one-man turret who caused theproblems, for this unfortunate had notonly to keep an eye on the local tacticalscene, but also to assimilate ordersfrom the radio while loading and firingthe gun. The tasks were too much forone man, so the full potential of the S-35was rarely attained. As with otherFrench tanks of the day the S-35s weresplit into small groups scattered longthe French line and were calledtogether on only a few occasions forworthwhile counterstrokes against thePanzer columns.

After the occupation of France theGermans took over as many S-35s asthey could find for issue to occupationand training units under the designa-tion PzKpfw 35-S 739(f). Some werehanded over to the Italian army, butmany were still based in France whenthe Allies invaded in 1944 and S-35swere once more in action, this time inGerman hands. Any S-35s taken by theAllies were passed over to the FreeFrench, who in their turn used them inthe reduction of the beleaguered Ger-man garrisons locked up in their Atlan-tic sea-port strongholds.

Well protected and manoeuvrable,the SOMUA S-35 was undoubtedlythe best Allied tank in 1940. It had aradio and its 47-mm gun could fireboth armour-piercing shot and highexplosive, an obvious requirementwhich had escaped Britishdesigners.

SpecificationSOMUA S-35Crew: 3Weight: 19.5 tonnesPowerplant: one SOMUA V-8 petrolengine developing 190 hp (141.7 kW)Dimensions: length 5.38 m (17 ft 7,8 in);width 2.12 m (6 ft 11.5 in); height 2.62 m(8 ft 7 in)Performance: maximum road speed40 km/h (24.85 mph); maximum roadrange 230 km (143 miles); fording1.00 m (3 ft 3 in); gradient 40; verticalobstacle 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in); trench 2.13 m(7ft)

FRANCE

Char B l-bis heavy tankThe series of tanks known as the CharB had a definite look of the 'Great War'era about them, and this is not surpris-ing for their development can betraced back as far as 1921 and theaftermath of World War I, What wasdemanded at that time was a tank witha 75-mm (2,95-in) gun set in a hull-mounted embrasure, but it was not un-til about 1930 that the result of this re-quest was finally built, This was theChar B heavy tank with a weight ofabout 25 tonnes, and prolonged de-velopment led in 1935 to the full pro-duction version, the Char BI.

The Char BI was a powerful tank forthe period as it had a turret-mounted47-mm (1.85-in) gun and a 75-mm (2.95-in) gun set in the lower hull front. Thelimited traverse of this latter gun waspartially offset by a complex steeringsystem that allowed the vehicle to berapidly pointed towards the correcttarget sector, Although its archaicappearance belied the fact, the Char Bwas full of very advanced design fea-tures that ranged from self-sealing fueltanks to grouped lubrication for themany bearings; an electric starter wasalso provided and attention was givento internal fire protection. However,the crew of four men was scatteredabout the interior in a way that madeinternal communication difficult, andthis led to many operational problems.The crew of the Char BI had to be ahighly-trained group of specialists tomake the best of the vehicle's potentialfighting value, and in 1940 these teamswere few and far between.

The final production model was theChar Bl-bis which had increasedarmour (maximum and minimum of 65and 14 mm/2.56 and 0,55 in comparedwith the Char Bl's 40 and 14 mm/1.57and 0.55 in), a revised turret designand a more powerful engine. Laterproduction models had an even morepowerful aircraft engine and extra fuelcapacity. Production of the Char BI-bisstarted in 1937, and by 1940 there wereabout 400 Char Bs of all types in ser-vice. By then the Char BI and CharBI-bis were the most numerous andpowerful of all the French heavy tanks,and the basic type was the main battletank of the few French armoured

formations.The Germans had a great respect

for the Char BI, for the 75-mm (2.95-in)gun was quite capable of knocking outeven their PzKpfw IV, but they wereconsiderably assisted during the May1940 fighting by several factors. Onewas that the Char Bis were complexbeasts and required a great deal ofcareful maintenance: many simplybroke down en route to battle andwere left for the Germans to take overundamaged. The type's combat poten-tial was somewhat lessened by theneed for a well-trained crew and bythe usual drawback in French designand usage of the commander having toserve the gun as well as command thetank and crew, The final drawback forthe French was that, as was the casewith other tank formations, the Char BIunits were frequently broken up intosmall local-defence groups instead ofbeing grouped to meet the Germantank advances.

The Germans took over the CharBl-bis as the PzKpfw Bl-bis 740(f) andused it for a variety of purposes. Somewere passed intact to occupation unitssuch as those in the Channel Islands,while others were converted for drivertraining or were altered to becomeself-propelled artillery carriages.

The 400 orso Char BI s possessed bythe French army in 1940 werepotentially a devastating strikingforce.

The Char BI was easily able to dealwith any German tank in existence,but abysmal handling rendered itlargely ineffective.Some were fitted with flamethrowersas the PzKpfw Flamm(f). In 1944 a fewwere still around to pass once moreinto French army use but by 1945 onlya handful were left.

SpecificationChar Bl-bisCrew: 4Weight: 31,5 tonnesPowerplant: one Renault 6-cylinderpetrol engine developing 307 hp(229 kW)Dimensions: length 6.37 m (20 ft10.8 in); width 2.50 m (8 ft 2.4 in); height2.79 m (9 ft 1.8 in)Performance: maximum road