ARL 44
| ARL 44 | |
|---|---|
Front view of an ARL 44 in Mourmelon-le-Grand |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 5 (commander, driver, radio operator, gunner, loader) |
| length | 10.52 m (length with gun in 12 o'clock position) |
| width | 3.40 m |
| height | 3.20 m (tower top) |
| Dimensions | 50 t (combat weight) |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | maximum 120 mm |
| Main armament | 1 × 90mm DCA45 cannon |
| Secondary armament | 2 × 7.5mm Mod 31 machine guns |
| agility | |
| drive | 12-cylinder Maybach HL 230 ; Displacement: 23.5 l 441 kW (600 PS) |
| suspension | Coil spring |
| Top speed | 37 km / h (road) |
| Power / weight | 8.5 kW / t (11.5 PS / t) |
| Range | 350 km |
The ARL 44 was a French heavy tank that was used in the French army in the aftermath of World War II .
history
The tank was designed by the Atelier de Construction de Rueil design office . Even under the German occupation during the Second World War , secret development work was carried out in France for its own new tank. The tank was mainly based on the chassis of the pre-war Char B1 model . The Maybach HL-230 engine was used as the drive , which had already been used in German tank models such as the Panther , the Tiger I and II and the Jagdtiger .
After the landing in Normandy and the liberation of important industrial plants, production began immediately, in which mainly the companies FAMH (40 pieces) and Renault (20 pieces) were involved. The first vehicle was completed in 1944. A total of only 60 pieces were produced. The ARL 44 was used in the 503 e régiment de chars de combat , which is stationed in Mourmelon-le-Grand . This type replaced 17 Panther tanks of German production used by France , which were used in this regiment.
Web links
- Description of the carapace (Engl.) ( Memento of 3 October 2013 Web archive archive.today )
- Technical data (French) ( Memento from February 21, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )