The Char Leger H-38 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 9 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 8 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-38 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 adequate providing a max speed of about 8 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 M1918 L/21 Puteaux weighing 0.560 kg. This was an updated H-35 with a larger engine and also improved handling and was more reliable 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 37 mm SA M1918 L/21 Puteaux (Tank Gun) Calibre 37mm Length L/21 Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content Puteaux AP (AP Armor Piercing) 37mm 0.56Kg 388M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.26 0.54 1.13 2.47 3.99 5.69 7.54 Penetration(mm@30°) 14 13 11 9 6 5 3 Penetration(mm@0°) 17 16 14 10 8 6 4 Hit Probability(%) 79 76 71 44 12 3 3 37mm Mle1892 (HE High Explosive) 37mm 0.56Kg 388M/Sec 0.015Kg explosive Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.27 0.57 1.26 3.09 5.68 9.28 14.2 20.87 lateral dispersion means the side to side variation of the shell from the aiming point 50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 80% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 95% of shells land within +/- (mtr) range dispersion means the back to front variation of the shell from the aiming point 50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr) 80% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 95% of shells land within +/- (mtr) Direct Fire Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 Flight Time(Secs) 0.26 0.53 1.09 2.29 Hit Probability(%) 79 76 71 44 Blast/Fragmentation Effects Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill 0 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill 0 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill 1 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr 0 mm An explosion within 0 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's. An explosion within 1 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties. The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will not cause any significant armour damage. 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) 0.12 0.24 0.49 Penetration(mm@30°) 6 5 4 Penetration(mm@0°) 8 6 5 Hit Probability(%) 74 74 74 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) 0.12 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.

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