France
Char Leger H-39 (Hotchkiss)

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The Char Leger H-39 was designed in 1937, manufactured by Hotchkiss based on the existing fully tracked H-35 and was in use from 1938 to 1945.

General Details Specifications Operational Date(s) 1938 - 1945 Quantity Produced 1200 Weight 12.1 tonne Crew 2 M.G's small 1 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 4.26 mtr Width 1.87 mtr Height 2.15 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 22 mph Max Cross Country Speed 11 mph Range Road 150 miles Range Cross Country 60 miles Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity unknown Horse Power 120 hp Power/Weight 9 hp/tonne General Information The Char Leger H-39 was designed in 1937, manufactured by Hotchkiss based on the existing fully tracked H-35 and was in use from 1938 to 1945. The vehicle was powered by Hotchkiss '6-cyl. 5.9 ltr' petrol powerplant producing 120 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 22 mph with a range of about 150 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 11 mph and a range of about 60 miles. It was armed with 1 light machine gun , a Mitrailleuse modèle 1931. Its main armament consisted of a 37 mm SA M1938 L/33 which could penetrate 23 mm of flat plate at 800 metres This was the last model in the range, and sported a long barreled 37mm gun. Armour Details Turret Front 45mm @ 25° (50mm) Side 40mm @ 30° (46mm) Rear 40mm @ 30° (46mm) Top 12mm @ 90° (12mm) Superstructure Front 34mm @ 7° (34mm) Side 34mm @ 20° (36mm) Rear 34mm @ 25° (38mm) Top 22mm @ 89° (22mm) Hull Front 33mm @ 30° (38mm) Side 34mm @ 0° (34mm) Rear 22mm @ 30° (25mm) Top 12mm @ 90° (12mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 50 mm - Minimum 12 mm

Weapon Details Mitrailleuse modèle 1931 (Machine Gun) History Designed by Lt Colonel Reibel, the FM 24/29 was developed into a heavier machine gun capable of relatively sustained fire, by giving it an extremely thick and massive barrel, to act as a heat sink. Manufacturer Reibel Manufactured 1932 - 1945 Calibre 7.50mm Length L/80 Rate of Fire 450 rpm Number of Rounds  2400     Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content 7.5 MAS (AP Standard Small Arms) 7.50mm 0.009Kg 820M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.15 0.36 1.2 Penetration(mm@30°) 10 7 4 Penetration(mm@0°) 12 9 5 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 96 7.5 MAS (BALL Standard Small Arms) 7.50mm 0.009Kg 820M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.15 Penetration(mm@30°) 1 Penetration(mm@0°) 2 Hit Probability(%) 98 Weapon Details 37 mm SA M1938 L/33 Calibre 37mm Length L/33   Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content AP (AP Armor Piercing) 37mm 0.56Kg 701M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.15 0.3 0.64 1.46 2.54 4.04 6.22 9.81 Penetration(mm@30°) 31 28 24 19 15 11 7 5 Penetration(mm@0°) 36 33 28 23 18 13 9 6 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 88 44 15 3 1

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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