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France
Char S-35 (Somua S35)

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The Char S-35 was designed in 1935, manufactured by Société d'Outillage Mécanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie and was in use from 1935 to 1945.

Flag of World War 2 France
Photo of Char S-35 (Somua S35)

General Details
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1935 - 1945
Quantity Produced430
Weight19.5 tonne
Crew3
M.G's small1
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length5.33 mtr
Width2.14 mtr
Height2.64 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed25 mph
Max Cross Country Speed20 mph
Range Road140 miles
Range Cross Country56 miles
Fuel TypePetrol
Fuel Capacityunknown
Horse Power190 hp
Power/Weight9 hp/tonne
General Information
The Char S-35 was designed in 1935, manufactured by Société d'Outillage Mécanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie and was in use from 1935 to 1945.

The vehicle was powered by SOMUA 'V-8' petrol powerplant producing 190 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 25 mph with a range of about 140 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 20 mph and a range of about 56 miles.

It was armed with 1 light machine gun , a Mitrailleuse modèle 1931. Its main armament consisted of a 47 mm SA 35 which could penetrate 63 mm of flat plate at 200 metres


Armour Details
Turret
Front55mm@(55mm)
Side46mm@22°(50mm)
Rear46mm@22°(50mm)
Top30mm@70°(32mm)
Superstructure
Front36mm@22°(39mm)
Side35mm@22°(38mm)
Rear25mm@30°(29mm)
Top20mm@85°(20mm)
Hull
Front36mm@45°(51mm)
Side35mm@(35mm)
Rear35mm@(35mm)
Top20mm@90°(20mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 55 mm - Minimum 20 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 118
 
 
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
47 mm SA 35
(Tank Gun)
Blank
Calibre47mm
LengthL/32
Number of Rounds 118
 
 
Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
AP
(AP Armor Piercing)
47mm 1.63Kg 670M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 40mm @ 400mtr/30° ( ≈ 46mm/0°)
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.15 0.31 0.65 1.44 2.41 3.62 5.2 7.33
Penetration(mm@30°) 59 54 48 39 32 26 20 15
Penetration(mm@0°) 69 63 56 46 38 31 24 18
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 88 48 22 6 2



HE
(HE High Explosive)
47mm 1.41Kg 590M/Sec 0.142Kg explosive
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.17 0.35 0.74 1.63 2.73 4.12 5.91 8.31
Direct Fire
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.17 0.35 0.74 1.63 2.73 4.12 5.91 8.31
Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 81 39 15 3 2
Blast/Fragmentation Effects
Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill2 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill4 mtr
Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill11 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr0 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.

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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