The series of tanks known as the Char B had a definite look of the 'Great War' era about them, and this is not surprising for their development can be traced back as far as 1921 and the aftermath of World War I, What was demanded at that time was a tank with a 75-mm (2,95-in) gun set in a hull- mounted embrasure, but it was not until about 1930 that the result of this re- quest was finally built, This was the Char B heavy tank with a weight of about 25 tonnes, and prolonged development led in 1935 to the full production version, the Char B1.
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| The 400 orso Char BI s possessed by the French army in 1940 were potentially a devastating striking force. |
The Char B1 was a powerful tank for the period as it had a turret-mounted 47-mm (1.85-in) gun and a 75-mm (2.95- in) gun set in the lower hull front. The limited traverse of this latter gun was partially offset by a complex steering system that allowed the vehicle to be rapidly pointed towards the correct target sector, Although its archaic appearance belied the fact, the Char B was full of very advanced design features that ranged from self-sealing fuel tanks to grouped lubrication for the many bearings; an electric starter was also provided and attention was given to internal fire protection. However, the crew of four men was scattered about the interior in a way that made internal communication difficult, and this led to many operational problems. The crew of the Char B1 had to be a highly trained group of specialists to make the best of the vehicle's potential fighting value, and in 1940 these teams were few and far between.
The final production model was the Char Bl-bis which had increased armour (maximum and minimum of 65 and 14 mm/2.56 and 0,55 in compared with the Char Bl's 40 and 14 mm/1.57 and 0.55 in), a revised turret design and a more powerful engine. Later production models had an even more powerful aircraft engine and extra fuel capacity. Production of the Char BI-bis started in 1937, and by 1940 there were about 400 Char Bs of all types in service. By then the Char BI and Char BI-bis were the most numerous and powerful of all the French heavy tanks, and the basic type was the main battle tank of the few French armoured formations.
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| The Char BI was easily able to deal with any German tank in existence, but abysmal handling rendered it largely ineffective. |
The Germans had a great respect for the Char B1, for the 75-mm (2.95-in) gun was quite capable of knocking out even their PzKpfw IV, but they were considerably assisted during the May 1940 fighting by several factors. One was that the Char Bis were complex beasts and required a great deal of careful maintenance: many simply broke down en route to battle and were left for the Germans to take over undamaged. The type's combat potential was somewhat lessened by the need for a well-trained crew and by the usual drawback in France design and usage of the commander having to serve the gun as well as command the tank and crew, The final drawback for the French was that, as was the case with other tank formations, the Char B1 units were frequently broken up into small local defence groups instead of being grouped to meet the German tank advances.
The Germans took over the Char Bl-bis as the PzKpfw Bl-bis 740(f) and used it for a variety of purposes. Some were passed intact to occupation units such as those in the Channel Islands, while others were converted for driver training or were altered to become self-propelled artillery carriages.
Some were fitted with flamethrowers as the PzKpfw Flamm(f). In 1944 a few were still around to pass once more into French army use but by 1945 only a handful was left.
Specification Char B1-bis
Crew: 4
Weight: 31,5 tonnes
Powerplant: one Renault 6-cylinder petrol engine developing 307 hp (229 kW)
Dimensions: length 6.37 m (20 ft 10.8in);width2.50m(8ft2.4in);height 2.79 m (9 ft 1.8 in)
Performance: maximum road speed 28 km/h (17.4 mph); maximum road range 180 km(112miles); fording not known; gradient 50 per cent; vertical obstacle 0.93 m (3 ft 1 in); trench 2,74 m (9ft )