Tank Somua S-35

The tank Somua S35 was a armored vehicle of the Second world war builds by Somua, regarded as best the Tank French in 1940. Produced with 430 specimens, it fast, correctly was armoured and armed with a gun of 47 Misters.

Equipped with a single-seat turret, the chief of tank acted as gunner, which prevented from fully benefitting from the principal armament.

History

Its name comes from the S ociété of O utillage M ecanic and of U sinage of has rtillery of Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis). It is in 1935 that this company produced the prototype with a very new concept named by the French Army : Armoured car of Combat (AMC) model 1935 Somua .

Of a design innovating for the time, Somua had a moulded hull, bolted, which made a modular tank of it. However, because of the mistakes of the time, only the tank of the chief of group was equipped with a radio (ER 29) and could correspond with its subordinates only using flags. A ER 28 was well being studied to equip the tanks subordinates but it could not enter in service before May 10th, 1940.

Its mass production was limited by the requests of the Staff (a hundred per annum) between 1938 and 1939 whereas production capacities of SOMUA were higher. Also, hardly more than 400 Somua were produced, all being engaged with the combat in May - June 1940 including those outgoing of factory and given to the hands of inexperienced crews as with the 4th DCR of the de Gaulle general.

S-35 were concentrated in Mechanical Light Divisions, as did it the Germans with their divisions of Panzer . Nevertheless they all were practically destroyed or scuttled and with the defeat of France, the Germans seized some more than they could (approximately 297) and thought of using them at the sides of Pz III too very few. However the single-seat turret of the S 35 was rejected and they reconverted them in the tank of drive or for the combat against the partisans under name Panzerkampfwagen 35 S 739 . Some were sent on the face of the East, others were yielded to the Italian Armée.

One of them, captured by the Yugoslav partisans , took again service in the allied camp.

The German army uses it on the French territory in June 1944 when it tries to push back the allied invasion. As the allies manage to capture them, they yield them to the free French Forces which turns over them against the Wehrmacht.

Identification

Superstructure higher than that of D2 with a longer gun and a larger cupola (APX1 EC).

Anecdote

on May 11th, 1940 takes place the first first great battle of tanks of the History to which tanks SOMUA will take a big part, in Belgium on the axis Maastricht-Tongres.

See too

External bonds

Birth of the S 35, on the site of the 3 {{E}} DLM
Somua S 35 1937

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