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Renault ACG-1 / AMC-35

1938 WORLD WAR 2

History of Renault ACG-1 / AMC-35

The AMC-35 (or "Automitrailleuse de Combat Renault modele 1935") was in service with the French and Belgian armies in the early days of World War II. It is classified as a medium cavalry tank and is designed to complement cavalry operations on the battlefield. While it had some good qualities, the tank ultimately suffered from mechanical problems, a lack of armor protection, a steady stream of well-trained and skilled tanker crews, and the French tank doctrine of the time.

The AMC-35 fought in the Belgian and French invasions, but was eventually decommissioned, abandoned by its crew, or captured for German service. Only less than 60 were produced.

By the early 1930s, the French authorities developed a modernization program aimed at "mechanizing" their cavalry units in response to the changing global situation across Europe. Therefore, it was required to manufacture the "Automitrailleuse de Combat" to meet the specific requirements of the French Army, able to cope with the changing European terrain, while maintaining strong firepower and good performance qualities.

At this point in the history of tank warfare, cavalry still makes up a large part of any land attack, while infantry forms its own distinct segment. As a result, the Army developed a cavalry- and infantry-based main battle tank system: "cavalry" tanks were designed to be fast, maneuverable systems with excellent off-road mobility, while "infantry" tanks were designed for heavier armor Protection and increased firepower just need to keep up with the slower infantry.

The main armament is centered on a 47mm main gun (French SA35 L/32 or Belgian FRC series, depending on production model) mounted in the center of a movable turret. To its left is a coaxial 7.5mm machine gun (Reibel or Hotchkiss brand) mounted on the main gun lift. The turret also features a roof-mounted access port and several viewing windows.

The driver received a rectangular viewing port with an armored flip visor. Machine guns protect the vehicle from enemy infantry grenades, which are often used against tanker crews.

The production period of the Renault/AMX AMC 35 spanned from November 1938 to January 1940, with an estimated total of 57 units produced. Only 10 to 12 AMC-35 tanks were completed in the first production, and these tanks were shipped to Belgium to cover the failed purchase order for the AMC-34 light tank (the order was cancelled due to poor performance of the evaluation vehicles received) Belgians pay for it). huge fines). It wasn't until after the events of 1939 that the German Army began producing AMC-35s during several brazen offensives - including the eventual invasion of Poland with the Red Army in October, an operation that proved to be the historic "official" second time The beginning of the world war.

The French had 47 prototype AMC-35s in their possession in the early 1940s, and Hitler and his seemingly unstoppable army turned their attention to Belgium and France in May of that year, and the invasion began on the 10th.

Belgian AMC-35 tanks were used against the Wehrmacht, at least 8 of them formed the Belgian Army Cavalry Squadron. On the first day of battle, half of them were lost due to skilled use of German 37mm anti-tank guns, while the other pair was lost due to mechanical failure and left by their crews.

The last two men who served managed to survive the battle until May 28, 1940 - Belgium's surrender, before being handed over to the German victors.

This alarmed French war planners, who had no expected defensive buffer zone to the north. The French authorities were also slow to respond to the rapidly evolving events and lacked even trained personnel to deploy their newly built AMC-35 cavalry tanks. Those numbers eventually rose to the total available, but the crews assigned to her didn't take her tanks seriouslythese systems still proved unreliable on the battlefield and were considered limited in terms of actual combat quality.

After the German advance by saloon, the AMC-35 was eventually sent to war, fighting under their national flag. This all proved too late, however, as the French capital, Paris, was occupied by the Germans on June 14the armistice was signed on June 22.

The real France has officially withdrawn from the war, its government has now been transferred, and the Germans have triumphed in a stunning victory over their neighbouring rivals who humiliated them in the last world war.

Despite the loss of France, the AMC-35 later played a limited role as the Germans needed security services to keep the peace in the newly conquered territories. Therefore, the existing AMC-35 was rebuilt by the German Army under the designation "PzKpfW AMC 738 (f)". To train his troops to deal with foreign machines, a separate designation - "PzKpfW AMC 738(b)" - was used to identify the training vehicle.

Furthermore, the legacy of the AMC-35 is a rather unremarkable and forgettable thing compared to history.

In some available texts - especially those of French origin - the AMC-35 may be referred to as the "Renault ACG-1". This is due to the development of a single "one-off" dedicated tank destroyer with 75mm weapons, known as the "Renault ACG-2". This design did not make it into mass production.