French Tanks of World War II (2) by Steven Zaloga

Author:Steven Zaloga
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: French Tanks of World War II (2): Cavalry Tanks and AFVs
ISBN: 9781782003946
Publisher: Random House Publisher Services

A Somua S35 of the 29e Dragons, 2e DLM, knocked out during the fighting in 1940. At least one hit can be seen on the driver’s visor plate. The club insignia on the turret identifies it as a tank of the 4e Peleton (platoon). (Patton Museum)

The majority of AMD 35 was deployed in the six squadrons of the régiments de découverte in the three light mechanized divisions, each with 24 armored cars. A further five squadrons were attached to the régiment d’automitrailleuses (RAM) of the light cavalry divisions, each equipped with 17 vehicles. Seven squadrons, each with 16 vehicles, were attached to the reconnaissance groups of the motorized infantry divisions (GRDI). A single squadron, the 21e Escadron, was raised to support the expeditionary corps in Norway in 1940. Besides these standard units, a number of improvised cavalry units were hastily equipped with the AMD 35 in the May–June 1940 fighting.

In May 1938, the cavalry proposed the amalgamation of the AMD and AMR vehicles into a single vehicle, dubbed the automitrailleuse puissante de cavalerie. Several firms presented concepts, including a Somua half-track design. The most promising was the futuristic Panhard 201 design, which was based on a conventional 4x4 configuration, but with two additional sets of steel wheels in between the main wheels to assist in extricating the vehicle if it became bogged down. The prototype underwent tests through April 1940. The armament was not fully developed, but an oscillating turret was in development, armed with the 37mm SA38 gun. Production of 600 Panhard AM 40P was ordered on May 1, 1940, with production expected to begin in the spring of 1941. In the event, none were manufactured. The prototype was evacuated to Morocco in 1940 and formed the basis for the postwar Panhard EBR armored car.

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