10.5cm leFH 18/3 auf Geschutzwagen B2

Geschutzwagen B2 Historical 10.5cm leFH 18/3

With the fall of France in May-June 1940, thousands of French military vehicles were captured. The Germans continued to claim these still-useful stocks and reintroduce them into their ranks. While some vehicles were allowed to retain their original combat roles, others were modified to meet the growing demands of the German army, as evidenced by the Renault Char B heavy tank, which entered pre-war service with the French army in 1936.

Equipped with a 75mm howitzer in the turret and a 47mm gun in the hull, these steely beasts were well-armored fighting machines that were of great importance to the Germans who invaded in 1940. Under the new ownership, the tanks were converted to self-propelled howitzers (SPH) as "10.5 cm leFH 18/3 (Sf) on Geschutzwagen B2".

Early on, the Germans converted French tanks into flamethrowers, named "Flammwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen B-2(f)", and completed 60 to this standard. However, their limited presence on the Eastern Front helped develop the Char B stock into a dedicated self-propelled artillery system.

The Char B2 was thus converted into a howitzer launch vehicle by mounting the 10.5 cm (105 mm) leFH 18/3 series field howitzer in a fixed, open-topped plate-side superstructure. The artillery, mounting hardware and recoil system are all intact, partially protruding from the panels of the superstructure. The original running gear - including the liquid-cooled Renault 307 6-cylinder 300 hp engine - was also retained, although the hull-mounted 47mm gun was removed. The quintet and Fu. There are 5 radios on board.

Secondary armament is a 7.92mm MG34 machine gun.

The first 10 tanks were commissioned from January to February 1942, and another 6 tanks were commissioned in March of that year, bringing the total to 16, all modified by Rheinmetall-Borsig during 1942. It had a short service life (as part of the Bundeswehr artillery regiment), which lasted until mid-1943 - by which time it was replaced by the newer SdKfz 124 "Wespe" SPH vehicle (described in detail elsewhere on this site).

When completed, the Geschutzwagen B2 tank achieved a road speed of 15.5 mph and a range of 87 miles. Off-road range is limited to 62 miles. The weight is 32.5 tons, and the dimensions include 7.62 meters long, 2.4 meters wide and 3 meters high.

10. 5cm leFH 18/3 Geschutzwagen B2 size

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Not available.

Changes