Whilst the UK had built large vehicles for their first tanks, France’s first tank was the much smaller Schneider Char D’ Assault. Like the British Tanks it was designed to cross and breach German trenches during World War 1. As such, it had a front angled shape like a ships prow so as to not get stuck in trenches as it went across them.
It was armed with a shortened 75mm main gun in the right front of the vehicle, plus 2 Machine Guns mounted x1 on each side. It entered production in 1916 and when it participated in the war, the side mounted fuel tanks could be punctured by rifle fire and the vehicle would catch light.
The French Schneider Char D’ Assault Tank Spec’s
Crew: 7
Armament: x1 75mm main gun and x2 8mm MG
Armour: 11mm (max)
Weight: 11.8 tonne
Top Road Speed: 8.1km/h
Operational Range: 80km
Dimensions: Length 6.32m / Width 2.05m / Height 2.3m
Engine: Schneider 4-cylinder 55hp petrol