France
Char D1

Tweet The Char D1 was an Infantry Tank designed in 1930, manufactured by Renault and was in use from 1931 to 1945. General Details (Infantry Tank) Specifications Operational Date(s) 1931 - 1945 Quantity Produced 60 Weight 13 tonne Crew 3 M.G's small 2 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 5.83 mtr Width 2.18 mtr Height 2.41 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 11 mph Max Cross Country Speed 6 mph Range Road 56 miles Range Cross Country 22 miles Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity unknown Horse Power 65 hp Power/Weight 5 hp/tonne General Information The Char D1 was an Infantry Tank designed in 1930, manufactured by Renault and was in use from 1931 to 1945. The vehicle was powered by Renault '4-cylinder' petrol powerplant producing 65 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 11 mph with a range of about 56 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was adequate providing a max speed of about 6 mph and a range of about 22 miles. It was armed with 2 light machine guns which were Mitrailleuse modèle 1931s. Its main armament consisted of a 47 mm SA 34 which could penetrate 27 mm of flat plate at 800 metres Armour Details Turret Front 35mm @ 15° (36mm) Side 25mm @ 15° (26mm) Rear 25mm @ 15° (26mm) Top 10mm @ 90° (10mm) Superstructure Front 35mm @ 45° (49mm) Side 16mm @ 0° (16mm) Rear 10mm @ 15° (10mm) Top 10mm @ 85° (10mm) Hull Front 35mm @ 40° (46mm) Side 10mm @ 0° (10mm) Rear 10mm @ 15° (10mm) Top 10mm @ 85° (10mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 49 mm - Minimum 10 mm Weapon Details 47 mm SA 34 (Tank Gun) Calibre 47mm Length L/27 Number of Rounds  75 Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content Obus de rupture Mle1892G (AP Armor Piercing) 47mm 1.4Kg 450M/Sec Quoted Penetration 27mm @ 100mtr/0° Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.23 0.46 0.96 2.1 3.47 5.14 7.24 9.91 Penetration(mm@30°) 27 25 22 19 15 12 10 7 Penetration(mm@0°) 32 29 26 22 18 15 12 9 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 64 25 6 2 1 Obus Explosif Mle 1932 (HE High Explosive) 47mm 1.41Kg 440M/Sec 0.142Kg explosive Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.23 0.47 0.99 2.15 3.55 5.26 7.4 10.13 Direct Fire Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.23 0.47 0.99 2.15 3.55 5.26 7.4 10.13 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 60 22 6 2 0 Blast/Fragmentation Effects Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill 2 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill 4 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill 11 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr 0 mm An explosion within 2 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal. An explosion within 4 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's. An explosion within 11 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  2500 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

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.

© WWIITanks 1980-2025
If you have any information, or comments on our site,
 please E-Mail Simon at wwiitanks@villagenet.co.uk
Page Last Updated: 2025-01-01