1:72 Somua S39SI infantry support tank, French Army, Belgium, May 1940

[Dizzyfugu]

1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The famous Napoleonic cuirassiers, which still are displayed in official events and on 14th of July parade as republican horse guards, had their traditions shattered during world war one, when it became obvious that the cavalry was obsolete in this new kind of stalemate which prevailed on the western front. When the first tanks appeared in 1917, new tactics quickly led to give this new kind of instrument to the cavalry corp, leaving their horses for these new mechanized beasts, but almost similar duties.
Since then, the French, as well as the British and Soviets, always made the distinguishment between two kind of tanks, the infantry and cavalry ones (as well as the heavy breakthrough tank, "char de rupture" as the FMC 2c). Plans for a new cavalry tank, which was to replace obsolete models, came as soon as 1931, revised on 26 June 1934, which a new, heavier model, capable of resisting any antitank gun at that time. The task was given to the St. Ouen Societe d'Outillage Mecanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie (SOMUA).
The resulting tank became the S35. The hull was made of four parts, and the turret was a solid piece of cast iron, just like the hull, with max thickness around 47 and 40 mm respectively. The turret was derived of the B1 heavy tank model, but with an enlarged turret ring, allowing both the tank commander and the gun operator to be in at the same time. The medium-barrel SA-35 47 mm gun was a common issue, too. It was quite efficient against most German and Soviet tanks at the time, using a provision of 90 AP and 28 HE shots. There was also a coaxial 7.5 Reibel machine gun with 2250 rounds, which could be moved independently from the gun. Radio was scheduled to equip all S35 units, but as the ER28 set production never reached the required level, only one tank of five were equipped, despite the fact that many of them included an antenna. The rear engine was side by side with two self-feeding fuel tanks, and the crew was protected by a thick firewall bulkhead. The V8 Somua designed by engineer Javier-Sabin developed about 200 bhp and used a double filling tank system which sometimes caused problems.


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The first prototype was ready in April 1935, undergoing successful trials until august, and gaining an order, so the model was named after its year of production. However, the S35 had several flaws, the first of which was a common issue among French tanks: A overloaded commander, and at the same time, a hatchless turret (mostly adopted for budgetary reasons) which caused the same commander to be unprotected, completely outside the turret. The other flaw was maintenance: The cast iron modules didn't facilitate any access to the suspension, which made any work complicated and time-consuming. Also, the cost per unit was high, and only a limited numbers of this medium tank were ever produced. On the first of September 1939, 246 had been delivered, and only 288 were in service by May 1940, but 430 were built until June 1940. Production was halted for the more advanced SOMUA S40. This S40 was, in some ways, both a considerable evolution and a very similar vehicle to the S35. It adopted a modified suspension, with a raised front drive sprocket, to give the tank better cross-country capacities – the Achilles heel of the S35's mobility – as well as a slightly lowered front hull.

During this transition time a small number of late S35 hulls still on the production lines were diverted to produce the tank's only variant, the S39SI, a dedicated infantry support (Soutien d'Infanterie, hence the "SI" suffix) vehicle. The S39SI differed from the S35 mainly through its new cast turret, which was a completely new design and had been developed for the Char B1 but was never applied to it. Thanks to the turret ring's same diameter it was easy to adapt to the S35's hull, though.


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The S39SI's main armament was a 75 mm modèle 1929 ABS howitzer, designed by the Arsenal de Bourges, also known as the 75 mm SA 35. This gun was the same as the hull gun in the Char B1 bis tank but had a longer barrel (L/25 instead of the L/17,1 barrel in the B1) for higher accuracy and range. Thanks to its compact breech, the gun could be elevated 40° in its internal cylinder mantlet and depressed by 10°. A 7,5mm Reibel machine gun was carried to the right of the gun. It was normally be linked to the main gun, copying (only) its horizontal elevation (up to a limited +20° elevation) and fired through a pedal by the commander. The machine gun could also be detached from the gun and moved separately by the gunner, in an independent mount that allowed separate movement of 15° to each side, too.

The shells the 75 mm howitzer fired were 75×241 mm Rimmed, based on the larger 75×350 mm shells fired by the 75 mm mle 1897, the French Army's standard field gun in WW1 and, to an extent, also WW2. While these rounds were rather old-fashioned and not as powerful as modern ammunition types, they were still available in large quantities.
Two shell types were standard issue for the 75 mm ABS. The first was the Obus de rupture Mle.1910M (Rupture Shell model 1910M), which was an armored piercing high-explosive (APHE) shell. The shell had a weight of 6.4 kg and contained 90 grams of explosives. It was fired at a muzzle velocity of 250 m/s. It offered an armor penetration of 40 mm at an incidence of 30° and a range of 500 meters. Though this was a respectable performance by the 1930s, it should be noted that this shell was designed to engage fortifications, and not tanks. The other shell was the Obus explosif modèle 1915 (Explosive Shell model 1915), a high-explosive shell. It weighed 5.55 kg and contained 740 grams of explosive. It was fired at a muzzle velocity of 260 m/s. Sights provided for the 75 mm gun were two L.710s, which formed prismatic binocular sights. This gave a field of view of 11.5°, but the turret could be turned a full 360°. Range ladders were provided for up to 2.000 m with HE and 1.800 m for APHE shells.


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The S39SI's total ammunition supply was 47 rounds, and thanks to the additional space in the turret, the machine guns' 7.5 mm ammunition supply was expanded, too, to 2.750 rounds. Typically, 17 rupture/APHE and 30 HE shells would be carried into battle. The gun's theoretical rate of fire was quite high, at 15 rounds per minute. However, within the constraints of an enclosed armored vehicle with a limited crew and the ammunition stored not only in the turret but also in the hull, the rate of fire would be closer to 6 rounds per minute with APHE shells and the first 6 HE shells, because only twelve rounds were carried readied in the turret. After that, as the fuses had to be manually inserted into the shells for the HE rounds and the rest of the ammunition had to be passed from the hull into the turret, the rate of fire decreased to a mere 2 to 4 rounds per minute. This was, however, accepted, since the S39SI would normally only make prepared quick strike attacks against soft or fortified enemy positions, and after a few shots retreat.

For the S39SI the S35's hull crew was retained (a driver and a radio operator, who also acted as a loader for the turret crew); the latter's position was augmented with a glacis-mounted Reibel machine gun for close-range self-defense, to suppress enemy fire from the S39SI's targets. The two crew members in the turret (commander and gunner) were involved in the operation of the 75 mm gun, even though the commander could, thanks to his new crewmate, concentrate onto his core tasks. The commander was placed to the left of the gun and had a cupola taken over from the S35's turret. As a novelty, the cupola was not welded directly to the turret but rather placed onto a round hatch, which could be opened in a case of emergency and offered another exit for the crew, beyond the standard entry hatch on the left side of the cast hull and the gunner's hatch on the turret.
While the new turret was spacious and the additional crewman markedly improved the commander's workload, it had its downsides, too. The biggest issue was its weight and bulk: the bigger turret and its heavier weapon increased the vehicle's net weight by almost 2.5 tons, what markedly hampered its performance, especially off road. Acceleration and handling deteriorated, and the vehicle's center of gravity shifted up- and forwards, what not only made tight curves hazardous. The running gear, simply taken over from the S35 and not reinforced at all, became overstressed and the leaf springs in the front bogies frequently broke.

By May 1940, the bulk of the S39SI force was allocated to the first army deployed in Belgium in the 1st and 2nd DLM (Division Légère mécanique). Because of the lack of support and a weak constitution compared to the German Panzerdivisionen, these units performed as they could, with high losses, but with some successes. The battle of Hannut (May 12-14), the largest tank battle in 1940, occurred between six armored divisions, a clash of nearly 1700 tanks and armored vehicles. Despite tactical victories along strongpoints, it was a strategical failure: the Germans systematically outmanoeuvered the French, gaining local superior firepower, with excellent communication and support. At the same time, French tactics "from the book" proved obsolete.


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The remaining S39SIs, around twenty, were re-grouped and fought to prevent three German Panzerdivisions form approaching Dunkirk. They were destroyed or ultimately abandoned, deprived of ammunition and fuel. Only a handful survived, and five operational vehicles were taken over by the Wehrmacht. Due to their outdated armament and poor handling characteristics, they were soon refitted with S35 turrets, usually with a new Panzer III cupola hatch, and renamed Panzerkampfwagen 35-S 739(f). The retained, however, their hull machine gun and could be easily identified through this detail. After the fall of France, about 250 to 290 S35s were captured by the Germans.

In February 1941, most of these fought with the Panzerbrigade 100. Eventually this unit was renamed Panzerabteilung 211 and sent to Finland, fighting on the Eastern front, but they were outclassed by Soviet KV-1 and T-34. Others formed suppletive unit for re-organized Panzer divisions, for training and transport (without their turret or with an open superstructure), and for police duties. Some fought the resistance on many occasions, and some were hastily sent to Normandy, in June 1944 (Panzer Ersatz-Abteilung 100 and Panzer Abteilung 206). Other S35s were sent to Yugoslavia, fighting the partisans. Many dismounted turrets were also allocated to German armored trains, which served in all European theaters, but none of the S39SIs' howitzer turrets survived. Axis forces received some S35, too, the biggest user being Italy with 32 tanks, and there had been German plans to resume S35 production and send these vehicles to Japan, but this did not come to fruition. In December 1944, a single German unit was still equipped with an handful of S35s, but they were by then hopelessly outdated.


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Specifications:
    Crew: Four (driver, radio operator/purveyor, gunner, commander)
    Weight: 21,9 tons (48.240 lb)
    Length: 5,90 m (19 ft 4 in) overall
                  5,30 m  (17 ft 4½ in) hull only
    Width: 2,12 m (6 ft 11½ in)
    Height: 2,95 m (9 ft 8 in)
    Ground clearance: 0.35 m (14 in)
    Suspension: Leaf spring bogies
    Fuel capacity: 510 l (136 U.S. gal)

Armor:
    28 - 50mm cast steel

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 40 km/h (25 mph) on road
                                    32.2 km/h (20 mph) off road
    Operational range: 230 km (142 mi) on road,
                                       130 km (81 mi) off road
    Power/weight: 9,13 PS/ton

Engine & transmission:
    Somua 12.666cm³ V8 petrol engine with 200hp

Armament:
    1× 75 mm Arsenal de Bourges (ABS) SA 35/L 25 howitzer with 47 rounds
    2× 7,5mm Reibel machine guns (in the turret and in the front glacis plate) with a total of 2.750 rounds


The kit and its assembly:
I had wanted to build a Somua S35 (or rather a whiffy derivative of it) for a long time, and had already salvaged a Heller kit as a donor bank a while ago. But what could have been plausibly changed about this quite unique tank with its cast hull and small turret? In real life these features hindered its evolution, and except for the S40 and a projected SaU39 SPG on the S35's chassis there were no variants or evolutions – also blocked by the fall of France and the German occupation.

Inspiration for a build struck me when I thought about a different main armament, in the form of a howitzer and as an infantry support vehicle, similar to the early German Panzer IV or late Panzer III. This would allow to take over hull and chassis and only required a different (bigger) turret for a bigger gun.
Finding a suitable turret turned out to be a tough task, though, because it was to be a cast construction, like the S35 itself. In 1:72 there's only little choice. I checked aftermarket resin options but did not find any suitable parts. From other kits the only option I found was the early T-34 turret, but that had already been used on a modded Char B1, and beyond the wish to avoid a doublet I thought that it might be too big for the S35. After a long search I eventually came across Hasegawa's Churchill Mk. I kit – which features the early and quite odd-looking 2-pounder turret which appeared like a serious option for my build.

Said and done, I tried to adapt the Churchill turret, and this was not as easy as expected. The S35 hull had to be opened, but the Churchill turret also featured a socket/ring which raised it markedly above the hull – looking a bit goofy, together with the turret's bulbous shape. Cutting it away would have been a complicated task, so I rather decided to hide it behind a "fence" of styrene strips. The turret still sticks out, but not as obviously as without the small "collar". The turret itself was upgraded with the Churchill's 76.2 mm hull gun barrel and received S35 donors, namely the typical commander cupola and the independent machine gun mount. Both add more French flavor.


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Other small mods include a scratched tarpaulin at the back (from paper tissue, white glue and tape strips, instead of the OOB "thing" that looks like a bulged box), a radio antenna at the back and a machine gun in the glacis plate – yes, and unlikely change due to the cast hull, but it would IMHO make a lot of sense for an infantry support vehicle that would attack enemy positions at relatively short range, to suppress enemy fire or infantry excursions. This was completely scratched from sprue material.


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A final word about Heller's 1:72 kit of the Somua S35. It is a nice representation of this tank at that small scale, and appreciably simple. However, it has some weak points. One major problem, esp. during lower hull assembly, is the lack of locator pins or other alignment aids. The instructions are not conclusive, leaving the modeler to trial and error. Another weak point (much like many other Heller tank kits) are the vinyl tracks. They are molded in a relatively stiff, bright silver PVC material, and they lack detail. Good thing is that not much of them is visible, once they are put into place – but this is another challenge in itself. They appear to be quite short, and to avoid damage to the running gear I mounted them unconnected. Good move, because the space above the return rollers turned out to be too small (or the tracks to be too thick), so that they had to be forced into position. Only then the track was fixed with super glue to the lower wheels, and thankfully the tracks neither broke when I bent them around the idler and sprocket wheels (the latter are devoid of any sprocket, BTW!). With some paint on the tracks the result looks quite good, though, but I'd give out a dire warning!


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings:
French WWII tanks and their paint scheme make an interesting modeling topic, because there were so many styles and variations, and even artistic if not bizarre liveries that really set them apart. One of these schemes is the "landscape with horizon" concept, an attempt to blend the tank's side view into the landscape, in a kind of colored horizontal bands that also include the sky as potential background on higher areas. Several tanks were painted in this fashion, including S35s, and I adapted a scheme from a real S35 for my fictional build and even expanded it with elements from another tank that followed a similar concept.

The basic camouflage consists of green and brown horizontal bands on the tank's lower areas (I used Humbrol 133 and 159, quite intense tones) and a greenish grey on the upper areas, including the hull's top side, that could be described as "Sky Type S" – an odd choice for a tank, yet plausible within the camouflage concept's framework. I used Tamiya XF-76 (IJN Grey-Green), which is more subdued than Sky, and it worked nicely,
The turret of the benchmark S35 was also painted in this grey-green overall and covered with black-rimmed mottles in green and brown. I adopted this for my build, too, but omitted the black contrast lines because they would have been very hard to replicate at the small 1:72 scala and on the turret's highly fragmented surface. A difference was incorporated from another real S35, though: the upper surface was painted in sky blue (Humbrol 47), and that tone was extended down the turret's sides. The blue blends well into the grey-green tone, and the mottles on top of that hide the edge between the tones even further.

1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Most tactical markings stem from a Trumpeter Char B1's decal sheet, with improvised registration plates. The whole model received a dark brown washing with acrylic artist paints and some tone-in-tone dry-brushing to emphasize details and add plasticity. After a coat with matt acrylic varnish, I also added some mineral pigments to the hill's lower areas to simulate dust.


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SOMUA S39SI, vehicle '2 (Bourassque)' of the French Army's 1e Division Légère Mécanique, 15ième battalion de chars cavalerie légère; Hélécine (Belgium), May 1940, (Whif/modified Heller kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Well, are more demanding conversion than obvious at first sight, and I am not 100% happy with the outcome because the bulbous new turret looks ...ridiculous – due to its with and the forward position on the hull. The resulting proportions remind me a lot of the cute "Napoleon" tank from Masamune Shiro's "Dominion Tank Police" manga/anime series. ^^ Yet, the paint scheme turned out nicely, and using the more intense brown and green were a good decision. The S39SI looks odd, but it's still rooted in reality for a good part.

[Wardukw]

That's very cool and very bad at the same time Dizzy mate 👍
It's bad as in its a very typical French design..impractical and not well thought out sitting on a tank chassis which has its upper hull bolted to it and with a turret which looks totally out of place ..in other words..perfect build Thomas 🤟😆😆

[Dizzyfugu]

Yeah, it's ugly! 

[NARSES2]

That does look like something that could quite easily have equipped the French Army in 1939/1940, well done 

Been musing on a multi turret design for a "Land Battleship" incase the 1930's suggestion gets through to this season's GB's. Pondering a 1/48 scale hull plus 1/76 & 1/72 turrets ?

[Wardukw]

That does look like something that could quite easily have equipped the French Army in 1939/1940, well done 

Been musing on a multi turret design for a "Land Battleship" incase the 1930's suggestion gets through to this season's GB's. Pondering a 1/48 scale hull plus 1/76 & 1/72 turrets ?

Chris there's 3 multi turreted failures I can think off straight of the bet...2 russian and one English..the Russian T28 and T35 and the English A1E1 Independent ..there was also the Vickers Mark E twin turreted built as well ..ponder some more bud   

[Wardukw]

Yeah, it's ugly! 

Yup ..and then some       

[scooter]

That does look like something that could quite easily have equipped the French Army in 1939/1940, well done 

Been musing on a multi turret design for a "Land Battleship" incase the 1930's suggestion gets through to this season's GB's. Pondering a 1/48 scale hull plus 1/76 & 1/72 turrets ?

Chris there's 3 multi turreted failures I can think off straight of the bet...2 russian and one English..the Russian T28 and T35 and the English A1E1 Independent ..there was also the Vickers Mark E twin turreted built as well ..ponder some more bud   

Not multi turreted, but don't forget about the Char B as a failure.

[Wardukw]

That does look like something that could quite easily have equipped the French Army in 1939/1940, well done 

Been musing on a multi turret design for a "Land Battleship" incase the 1930's suggestion gets through to this season's GB's. Pondering a 1/48 scale hull plus 1/76 & 1/72 turrets ?

Chris there's 3 multi turreted failures I can think off straight of the bet...2 russian and one English..the Russian T28 and T35 and the English A1E1 Independent ..there was also the Vickers Mark E twin turreted built as well ..ponder some more bud   

Not multi turreted, but don't forget about the Char B as a failure.

Bud the Char B bis wasn't really a failure..it was the most powerful and heavily armed and armoured tank on the planet at that stage of the war ..but man o man was it used wrong in so many ways its hard to count ..the French screwed up big time there .

[Dizzyfugu]

The Char B was regarded as one of the best tanks of its time. Yes, it was huge and cumbersome, the commander was overburdened, but it combined firepower against both tanks and artillery targets, and it had an armore that could withstand almost anything the Germans fired at it until the 8,8 cm FlaK came into play. The S35 was also regarded as a good medium tank. It just lacked development potential, its off-road capabilities were limited, and there was once more the commander issue who had to operate the gun, too. But a tank is always a compromise between agility, protection and firepower, so that you will hardly come across an "ideal" design in history and even today.

[NARSES2]

The French had some reasonable and even good basic designs in 1939/1940, but as Dizzy says one of the main problems was the way the tank's commander was completely overburdened. Two man turrets would have helped a lot.

Lots of lovely cast shapes as well, but even that led to production problems. They'd had some massive changes to their industrial infrastructure base and that was still being sorted out in 1939.

As for my multi turret idea. I was thinking of a 1/48 Matilda hull and various turrets. Would even fit in the "Bad Idea" GB if that gets through 

Thanks for the inspiration Dizzy. Triggered my brain into thinking about a fascinating period in the history of armoured warfare.

[Jakko]

Chris there's 3 multi turreted failures I can think off straight of the bet...2 russian and one English..the Russian T28 and T35 and the English A1E1 Independent ..there was also the Vickers Mark E twin turreted built as well ..ponder some more bud   

Don't forget the A9 and A15 cruiser tanks, which had two resp. one machine-gun turrets in the hull front. Or, technically, the M3 medium tank, with its almost useless commander's machine-gun turret.

[NARSES2]

Or, technically, the M3 medium tank, with its almost useless commander's machine-gun turret.

Yup, yet another of those great ideas on paper that just doesn't make it when coming face to face with reality.

[Old Wombat]

That does look like something that could quite easily have equipped the French Army in 1939/1940, well done 

Been musing on a multi turret design for a "Land Battleship" incase the 1930's suggestion gets through to this season's GB's. Pondering a 1/48 scale hull plus 1/76 & 1/72 turrets ?

Chris there's 3 multi turreted failures I can think off straight of the bet...2 russian and one English..the Russian T28 and T35 and the English A1E1 Independent ..there was also the Vickers Mark E twin turreted built as well ..ponder some more bud   

You forgot the German Neubaufahrzeug



Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neubaufahrzeug

[Wardukw]

That does look like something that could quite easily have equipped the French Army in 1939/1940, well done 

Been musing on a multi turret design for a "Land Battleship" incase the 1930's suggestion gets through to this season's GB's. Pondering a 1/48 scale hull plus 1/76 & 1/72 turrets ?

Chris there's 3 multi turreted failures I can think off straight of the bet...2 russian and one English..the Russian T28 and T35 and the English A1E1 Independent ..there was also the Vickers Mark E twin turreted built as well ..ponder some more bud   

You forgot the German Neubaufahrzeug



Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neubaufahrzeug

Yup ..forgot 
But  if I'd really put my noggin to work I'd remembered that 

[Old Wombat]

That does look like something that could quite easily have equipped the French Army in 1939/1940, well done 

Been musing on a multi turret design for a "Land Battleship" incase the 1930's suggestion gets through to this season's GB's. Pondering a 1/48 scale hull plus 1/76 & 1/72 turrets ?

Chris there's 3 multi turreted failures I can think off straight of the bet...2 russian and one English..the Russian T28 and T35 and the English A1E1 Independent ..there was also the Vickers Mark E twin turreted built as well ..ponder some more bud   

You forgot the German Neubaufahrzeug



Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neubaufahrzeug

Yup ..forgot 
But  if I'd really put my noggin to work I'd remembered that 

Although, the Neubaufahrzeug, unlike the others, was deployed operationally - to Norway for "policing" duties.