WWII Tech Pubs Briefing

Written by
Daren Beazley

Renault R35s of the 44éme B.C.C. counter attack German positions in the Abbeville area, May 29th 1940. Under the able command of Lieutenant René Bardel, the R35s enjoyed considerable, if short lived success in this attack, breaking through the German frontline and causing considerable material loss in the village of Villers-Mareuil before being forced to withdraw by superior forces.

[ Top of Page | Feedback ]

Overview

Following combined exercises in 1932 and 1933 the French infantry called for the design of what became known as the '6 ton tank' as a replacement for the light Renault FT tank. The vehicle was to have a crew of two and be armed with one or two 7.5mm machine-guns or a 37mm gun. It was to be armoured to 40mm and be capable of a top speed of between 15 to 20 km/h. Four manufactures took part in producing design studies to meet the specification. These were Renault, Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), Compagnie Général de Construction des Locomotives and Delaunay Belleville.

The first prototype was manufactured by Renault at the end of 1934 and was based upon the Auto-mitrailleuse de Reconnaissance 1935 Type ZT which had already been accepted into service. The vehicle was thus christened the Renault ZM. The tank was sent to the trials commission at Vincennes for extensive testing which started in January of 1935 and continued throughout the spring at both Vincennes and Mourmelon. Events in Germany then began to hasten the process of development and by April the Renault ZM was accepted into immediate production without waiting for the completion of the aforementioned trials. An initial order was confirmed in May 1935 for 300 examples under the name of char léger modéle 1935-R (R-35). The R-35 was to become the most numerous of French light infantry tanks in service in 1940. Over 1,600 examples were produced.

As with most French vehicles, R-35 tanks were taken over and used by the German Wehrmacht. Approximately 200 R-35’s were issued in 1941 to German units in preparation for operation ‘Barborossa’, primarily for reconnaissance duties. They were designated Panzerkampfwagen 35R. When the weather and ground conditions during the Russian winter deteriorated, large numbers were used as ammunition carrier or tractors to replace or support wheeled transport. Without turrets they were known as Traktor or Munitionpanzer 35R. Captured Hotchkiss H-35 and H-39’s were also pressed into service in this role.

Other conversions were made for the roles of self-propelled anti-tank gun or field howitzers. For example the Czechoslovakian manufactured 4.7cm PaK(t) L/43.4 anti-tank gun was mounted to the R-35 chassis and became known as the 4.7cm PaK(t) auf Panzerkampfwagen 35R(f) ohne Turm. 200 examples had been modified to this standard by the end of 1941.

The standard German issue 10.5cm field howitzer was also mounted on the R-35 chassis. Conversions were made to this standard in 1943/44 by the firm of Alfred Becker, Krefeld. They also made similar mountings for the H-39, FCM 36 and Char B1. In this conversion the R-35 was designated 10.5cm leFH16(SF) auf Geschützwagen 35R(f) and had a crew of 5.

Another version of the R-35 was developed by Atelier de Construction d’Issy-les-Moulineaux (AMX) which introduced a new suspension that gave slightly more ground clearance and a better cross-country performance and consisted of 12 small road-wheels each side mounted in pairs with vertical coil springs protected by skirting plates. The tracks were redesigned and were similar to that of the Char B1. This vehicle was essentially the same as the R-35 although some examples mounted the longer barreled 3.7cm SA 38 L/33 cannon. It was officially referred to as the AMX 40, but generally became known as the R-40. Two battalions were equipped with this tank in May 1940.

[ Top of Page | Feedback ]

Variants

[ Top of Page | Feedback ]

Specifications

[ Top of Page | Feedback ]