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SOMUA S35

1936 WORLD WAR 2

SOMUA S35 History

In 1934, amid heightened unrest in the region, the French Army issued new requirements for cavalry tanks to modernize its stockpile. During this historical period, several armies, including the British and Soviet Union, allied with the doctrine of tank warfare, which called for "fast tanks" to exploit weaknesses in the defensive front and inflict total damage in the rear, coupled with slower movement and better protection A good "cavalry tank" can, together with infantry, directly crush enemy positions. The British called their fast tanks "cruiser tanks" and their cavalry tanks "infantry tanks".

Thus, the French requirements were in line with this principle, which led to the development of intermediate tanks compared to contemporary tanks. A prototype developed by the French company SOMUA (a Schneider subsidiary of St. Ouen, also known as Societe d'Outillage Mecanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie - "SOMUA") was selected for acquisition in 1935 with an initial order of approximately 50 piece unit. Production began shortly thereafter, with orders rising to 600 before dropping to a manageable 250 due to financial constraints.

While in service with the French Army, the vehicle was designated "Automitrailleuse de Combat (AMC) Modele 1935S", but was simply known as "S35". The first production version was delivered in January 1936.

The design of the tank is built around the prospect of defensive warfare, where the main enemy will be from Germany or the USSR, and these armies will deploy Panzer III medium tanks and BT fast tanks respectively. Therefore, in a truly modern structure, priority is given to capable weapons and armor. This French tank is armed with a 47mm SA 35 series main gun, one of the most powerful guns of the decade.

Its 1 x SOMUA V8 gasoline-powered liquid-cooled powerplant delivers 190 hp, has a top speed of 25 mph, and has a range of up to 143 miles. Both are excellent quality and serve the S35 chassis well, as the engine is usually mounted in the rear compartment. Suspension is achieved by a leaf spring bogie with nine small wheels on one side of the track.

The drive sprocket is mounted to the rear of the track system, while the track idler is mounted to the front of the hull. As such, the S35 is equipped with a powerful engine with good reserves and plenty of internal fuel storage. The fuel supply is self-sealing to improve crew survivability.

The 47mm main gun is complemented by an optional 7.5mm Mitrailleuse mle 1931 anti-infantry machine gun, mounted on a coaxial mount in the turret. The single-person turret of the APX-1 series itself is inherited from the Char B1 heavy tank. The hull and turret were cast, and the hull was divided into two main parts, connected by bolts along a line. The use of cast iron is remarkable at a time when many countries continue to support weaker riveted armour.

Casting can also create a ballistic-resistant shape, which improves protection of crew members and systems, among other things. While each S35 system will be equipped with ER28 radios, these radios are not available in the required quantities and are therefore only awarded to dedicated platoon-level command tanks (five S35 systems per platoon). The S35 was flown by a crew of three, including the commander, driver and radio operator - the turret commander and the driver in the left front hull, and the radio operator on the right.

All in all, the car weighs just over 19 tons. Armor protection is excellent, 47mm above the hull, 40mm above the turret, with a minimum of 20mm on some fairings. The armor is sloped or curved in different areas.

The main gun is armed with a 118x47mm projectile, carrying 1,250 rounds of 7.5mm machine gun ammunition.

The SOMUA S35 was designed to be a fast and powerful tank for its time - considered by many to be the best medium tank of the 1930s and the best main battle tank of the 1940s. It was undoubtedly the best tank in the French army during the war.

By the time Germany invaded France in May 1940, 418 S35 tanks had been produced, but only about 250 were actually available for frontline troops to contain the German onslaught. In this game, the S35 performed admirably against a staunch opponent.

Production continued until the fall of France in June 1940.

The SOMUA S35 proved to be an acceptable type, even for the conquering Germans, who developed the habit of recycling captured enemy stocks for local defense, security, and training. The S35 played this role, as the 297s were reused by the German Army under the designation PzKpfW 35-S 739(f), with the "f" indicating their French origin. The Germans also saw fit to add a much-needed cupola to the S35 turret to benefit the commander.

Of these tanks, the Germans handed over 32 prototypes to the Italian Army to strengthen Italian armored divisions, which in 1941 relied mainly on outdated light tanks. Likewise, Bulgaria adopted six copies in 1943. Hungary adopted two units early in 1942.

Although the S35 has a solid design, there are numerous creases that limit its range on the battlefield. A major limitation is the use of a one-man turret. This forces the commander residing in the turret to perform command duties of loading and firing the main battery and machine guns while receiving and responding to information from the radio operator, while keeping an eye on the changing tactical situation around the vehicle and throughout his turn. Therefore, in the heat of battle, the full efficiency of the S35 unit is rarely achieved.

The S35's profile is also quite large, making it a very tempting target for anti-tank personnel or enemy tank gunners. While the use of castings in the hull structure was an innovation, it was decided to manufacture the castings as two main parts connected by a ring of bolts to ensure that the hull would not split at the seam after a specially placed direct impact. The lack of radio equipment limited the tactical range of the S35 platoon and the time the French tank doctrine concentrated tank forces in small reactionary groups on the scattered front lines, leading to unfavorable results for the French army in the French campaign. The S35 is also a complex and expensive beast to manufacture, which means it can't be produced at any given time. To make matters worse, domestic strike action ended up limiting S35 production in the short term.

The complexity of the suspension system proved unreliable in the long run and required an unacceptably high level of maintenance for combat machines. Combined with the general inexperience of French tanker crews and captains, people began to understand the inherent limitations of French defense.

In practice, the S35 surpassed the German Panzer III in armor, firepower and mobility. The German design was superior to the S35 in terms of tactics and general powertrain reliability, which proved to be superior to the quality of the French system. Nonetheless, the S35 posed a very real threat to German expansion into French territory, and fought the right battle with coordinated tank drive and direct bombardment where possible. Internal problems and the emergence of German blitzkrieg tactics ultimately limited the production and supply of front-line troops, limiting the legacy of the very good tanks of the 1930s. In total only 430 examples of this type were produced.

Later attempts were made to fit the 220 hp engine into the S35 series, and various aspects of the design were improved, as in the "SOMUA S40", although this did not yield suitable production figures. Another move produced the 75mm S35 SPG (as SAu 40) in prototype form, which was useful in defending France, but the German invasion put an end to these promising developments and any anticipated follow-on production.

72 SAu 40 SPGs are planned to be produced. A 1945 program to retrofit the excellent British 17-pdr (76.2mm) anti-tank gun to the S35 failed.

When the Allies invaded France in 1944, the undamaged S35 tanks were delivered to the waiting Free French Army, who continued to deploy against German resistance. The S35, while still a relatively effective fighting machine to a certain extent, was eventually surpassed by the more well-armed, more armored, and more numerous main battle tanks. The American M4 Sherman greatly increased the Allied stockpile, and many powerful variants emerged to counter German attacks. The S35's 47mm main gun was eventually limited by the 1944 standard, but could still be used against weakly armored or burrowed enemies. Even the German Army listed a dozen S35 tanks in December 1944.

By 1942, the Japanese were showing some interest in the captured S35 line. However, no production prototypes were delivered to Imperial Japan for use in the Pacific Theater.