Somua S-35

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Somua S-35
Somua S-35 in the United States Army Ordnance Museum (2007)

Somua S-35 in the United States Army Ordnance Museum (2007)
General properties
crew 3
length 5.30 m
width 2.21 m
height 2.62 m
Dimensions 19.5 t
Armor and armament
Armor 20-55 mm
Main armament 1 × 47mm L / 32 cannon
Secondary armament 1 × 7.5 mm Reibel machine gun
agility
drive V8 petrol engine SOMUA
190 PS (140 kW)
suspension Leaf spring
Top speed 37 km / h (road), 32.2 km / h (off-road)
Power / weight 9.7 hp / ton
Range 260 km (road), 128 km (terrain)

The SOMUA S-35 was a French medium battle tank of World War II .

development

The S-35 was in the course of the conversion of the French cavalry units from 1934 at the request of the troops for a movable medium battle tank ( Automitrailleuse de Combat ) by the SOMUA (Societé d'Outillage Mécanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie), a subsidiary of the well-known Armaments company Schneider , developed.

Series production of the initially AC-3 and later the S-35 tank began as early as 1936. A total of about 430 units were produced. SOMUA could have produced higher numbers in 1938 and 1939; However, France only bought 100 S-35s a year. The S-35 was mainly used in the "Light Mechanized Divisions" ( Divisions Légères Mécaniques ). A replica was considered in the USA , but could not be realized because of the French defeat in June 1940.

The vehicle was a classic turret armor with a 7.5 mm machine gun aligned coaxially with the 47 mm cannon . The S-35 was superior to the German Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. E in terms of armament and armor. His 47 mm chariot gun L / 34 was above the standard of the time and achieved a high penetration power. The V8 petrol engine with a large internal fuel tank enabled a large operating range. The S-35 had many features that only later became standard. The tower and the hull were made of cast steel, which was considerably stronger (up to 56 mm) and more resistant than the riveted armor at the time, but not than the welded armor.

The seams between the top and bottom of the tub were only screwed, however. If an anti- tank missile hit these weak points, the two parts would break apart, with disastrous consequences. A major disadvantage of the S-35, like the other French tanks, was the one-man turret: in addition to his tactical command, the commander had to operate the machine gun and cannon as a gunner and loader. The third member of the crew, the radio operator, sat next to the driver and operated the radio, which, however, was only built into the platoon leaders' tanks.

Technical specifications

In the western campaign in 1940, Somua captured S-35 (left and right behind the gun)
Use of an S-35 in the Russian campaign , September 1941
Somua S-35 taken over by the Wehrmacht
Somua S-35
0 General characteristics
crew three soldiers
Combat weight 20 t
Ground pressure 0.85 kg / cm 2
length 5.30 m
width 2.21 m
height 2.62 m
Ground clearance 42 cm
Chain width 36 cm
0 armament
Main armament 47mm L / 32 cannon
Secondary armament 1 × MG
Combat load HW 118 floors
Combat load MG 1250 rounds
0 mileage
engine Somua eight-cylinder gasoline engine
cooling water
Displacement 12.7 l
Bore / stroke 120/140 mm
maximum speed 2000 rpm
Power (KW / PS) 140/190
Motor effectiveness 15 hp / l
Power to weight ratio 9.5 hp / t
transmission Five forward gears, one reverse gear
Speed ​​limit road 37 km / h
Fuel supply 410 l
Range road 260 km
Range terrain 128 km
steering Double differential
Rollers 12
suspension Leaf springs
Wading ability 100 cm
0 armor
Tub bow 35 mm
Tub side 40 mm
Tub rear 35 mm
Tub roof 20 mm
Tub bottom 20 mm
Tower front 55 mm
Tower side 45 mm
Turret stern 45 mm
Tower roof 28 mm

commitment

The S-35 was rarely used in a concentrated manner. On May 12, 1940, however, attacked parts of the 3rd division légère mécanique under General de Lafont German units of the 3rd Panzer Division , which had previously crossed the Gette brook near the Belgian village of Orb-le-Grand on a pioneer bridge. The German tank regiments 5 and 6 were partially involved in hand-to-hand combat by more than 100 French H-35 and S-35 tanks of the 5e brigade légère mécanique , which dragged on over the whole day, so that both sides suffered heavy losses if the fighting was broken off had suffered. The S-35s proved themselves against the German tanks, but their losses as a result of the short combat distances were also high. The 5th brigade légère mécanique was honored as part of the 3e division légère mécanique for its high level of operational readiness shown in the battles between May 10 and 13, 1940, which was also reflected in the heavy losses .

Whereabouts

The 297 SOMUA S-35 captured vehicles that were abandoned during the French campaign in 1940 were sold under the designation Pz.Kpfw. 35 S 739 (f) used in the German Wehrmacht . In 1941 the Wehrmacht returned 23 vehicles to the Vichy regime , which were intended for the establishment of the 12 e groupe autonome de chasseurs d'Afrique (12eGACA) in Algeria.

The Pz.Kpfw. 35 S 739 (f) received new radio equipment and a modernized turret with the commander's cupola of Panzer II (version F) . Captured Somua S-35s were used in Finland in 1941 and Normandy in 1944 . The captured tank was also used in the Balkans and on the Eastern Front. Some vehicles were also given to Italy .

On August 16, 1944, the French 13th e régiment de dragons was re-established in Orléans and equipped with Somua S-35 and Char B1 that had been captured by the Wehrmacht .

Task forces

The S-35 was used on the following campaigns and front lines during World War II :

France, 1940

Morocco 1941

Finland 1941

  • Panzer division 211 (Wehrmacht)

Tunisia 1943

Balkans 1944

  • Panzer Department 202 (Wehrmacht)

France 1944

See also

Web links

Commons : Somua S-35  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
  • Notice du S 35 , website of the French Ministry of Defense with some data and scanned documents for the S-35, French.
  • SOMUA S-35. In: panzer-archiv.de. Retrieved February 22, 2017 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Philip Trewhitt: armored vehicles from World War I to today. Gondrom, 2000, ISBN 3-8112-1739-9 , p. 43.
  2. ↑ Thomas L. Jentz : The German Armored Troop 1933-42. Podzun-Pallas Verlag, 1998, ISBN 3-7909-0623-9 ; P. 277.
  3. ↑ Jeffrey A. Gunsburg: The Battle of the Belgian Plain. May 12-14, 1940. The First Great Tank Battle. In: The Journal of Military History. Vol. 56, No. 2. (Apr. 1992), pp. 207-244.
  4. ↑ Citation du regiment
  5. ↑ Data sheets from other equipment, D 50/12 France. [1]
  6. ^ French Somua S-35 cavalry tank. In: figuren.miniatures.de. Retrieved February 22, 2017 .