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France
Char Leger H-38 (Hotchkiss)

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The Char Leger H-38 was designed in 1937, manufactured by Hotchkiss based on the existing fully tracked H-35 and was in use from 1938 to 1945.

Flag of World War 2 France
Photo of Char Leger H-38 (Hotchkiss)

General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1938 - 1945
Quantity Produced9
Weight12.1 tonne
Crew2
M.G's small1
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length4.26 mtr
Width1.87 mtr
Height2.15 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed22 mph
Max Cross Country Speed8 mph
Range Road150 miles
Range Cross Country60 miles
Fuel TypePetrol
Fuel Capacityunknown
Horse Power120 hp
Power/Weight9 hp/tonne
General Information
The Char Leger H-38 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 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 which could penetrate 12 mm of flat plate at 800 metres

This was an updated H-35 with a larger engine and also improved handling and was more reliable

Armour Details
Turret
Front45mm@25°(50mm)
Side40mm@30°(46mm)
Rear40mm@30°(46mm)
Top12mm@90°(12mm)
Superstructure
Front34mm@(34mm)
Side34mm@20°(36mm)
Rear34mm@25°(38mm)
Top22mm@89°(22mm)
Hull
Front33mm@30°(38mm)
Side34mm@(34mm)
Rear22mm@30°(25mm)
Top12mm@90°(12mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 50 mm - Minimum 12 mm



Weapon Details
Flag
Mitrailleuse modèle 1931
(Machine Gun)
Blank
photo of Mitrailleuse modèle 1931 from Reibel from Wikipedia
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.
ManufacturerReibel
Manufactured1932 - 1945
Calibre7.50mm
LengthL/80
Rate of Fire450 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)1002004008001200160020002400
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)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.15
Penetration(mm@30°) 1
Penetration(mm@0°) 2
Hit Probability(%) 98


Weapon Details
Flag
37 mm SA M1918 L/21 Puteaux
(Tank Gun)
Blank
Calibre37mm
LengthL/21
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
Puteaux AP
(AP Armor Piercing)
37mm 0.56Kg 388M/Sec
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.27 0.55 1.16 2.64 4.6 7.28 11.31
Penetration(mm@30°) 17 15 12 10 8 6 4
Penetration(mm@0°) 20 18 15 12 10 7 5
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 96 41 8 2 0



37mm Mle1892
(HE High Explosive)
37mm 0.56Kg 388M/Sec 0.015Kg explosive
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.27 0.55 1.16 2.64 4.6
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.27 0.55 1.16 2.64 4.6 7.28 11.31 17.68
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 96 41 8 2 0 0
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill0 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill0 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill1 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr0 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.

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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