France Char Leger H-39 (Hotchkiss)

World War 2 Tank and Gun Database

The Char Leger H-39 was a Light Tank designed in 1937, manufactured by Hotchkiss, it was based on the fully tracked H-35 chassis and was in use from 1938 to 1945. It was commonly called a Hotchkiss.

General Details (Light Tank)

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 a Light Tank designed in 1937, manufactured by Hotchkiss, it was based on the fully tracked H-35 chassis and was in use from 1938 to 1945. It was commonly called a Hotchkiss.

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 25.2 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


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	0.62	1.35	2.18	3.09	4.09	5.15
Penetration(mm@30°)	34	32	28	21	16	12	9	7
Penetration(mm@0°)	40	37	33	25	19	15	11	9
Hit Probability(%)	79	79	76	66	44	20	6	3


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)	0.12	0.24	0.49
Penetration(mm@30°)	6	5	4
Penetration(mm@0°)	8	6	5
Hit Probability(%)	74	74	74

Range(Mtr)	100	200	400	800	1200	1600	2000	2400
7.5 MAS (BALL Standard Small Arms)	7.50mm 0.009Kg 820M/Sec
Flight Time(Secs)	0.12
Penetration(mm@30°)	1
Penetration(mm@0°)	2
Hit Probability(%)	74

About Penetration Figures

All penetration figures in this database are calculated to a common standard based on German WWII testing criteria (complete penetration with functioning fuze). This allows direct comparison between all nations' guns.

Original national test figures would be higher for some nations due to different criteria:

German: 1.00? (baseline - strictest)
British: 1.02? (slightly looser)
American: 1.05? (50% mass through plate)
Soviet: 1.10? (75% mass through plate)

For example, a Soviet gun showing 159mm here would be published as ~175mm in Soviet documents, and a German gun showing 120mm would be published as 120mm in German documents. The 159mm figure is directly comparable to the German 120mm - the Soviet gun really was more powerful.

National Testing Standards
German:	1.00? - Complete penetration, fuze functions (strictest)
British:	1.02? - Complete penetration
American:	1.05? - 50% of shell mass through plate
Soviet:	1.10? - 75% of shell mass through plate
All database figures are normalized to German standard for direct comparison. Multiply by the factor above to see original national test figures.

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.