The French Char 2C Tank

The French Char 2C Tank was a true land-ship. Its vast size was designed for the expected break through of German lines during the 1919 Allied offensives. However its sheer size caused manifesting delays and of the requested 300, only 10 had entered service in 1921.

The French Char 2C Tank

The vehicle had two onboard engines that powered electrical generators connected to the electrical motors that powered the tracks. It had a 12 man crew, which proved troublesome for the commander to coordinate. It had two turrets. The main, which was mounted top front housed a 75mm Main Gun and a rear turret housing an 8mm Machine Gun. A further Machine Gun was mounted on wither side of the hull and another in its front.

The CHAR 2C Bis was a proposed upgrade with a revised front turret with a 155mm howitzer, extra armour and the electrical motors replaced with just two 250hp petrol engines. One prototype was completed.

When the Germans invaded France in 1940, the remaining CHAR 2C in service were found to be still in transit on trains heading to the front, which emphasised the issue of the vehicles poor logistic mobility.

The French Char 2C Tank Spec’s

Armament: x1 75mm & x4 8mm MG
Armour: 45mm steel
Crew: 12
Dimensions: Length 10.27m / Width 2.95m  / Height 4m
Weight: 69 tonne
Engine: x2 520hp 6-cylinder petrol
Top Road Speed: 12km/h
Operational Range: 100km