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AMX “Tracteur C” Super Heavy Assault Tank

The long period of stagnation that struck the French tank industry in the 1920s and 1930s was interrupted just before the war. This, however, did not mean at all that the theories on the use of tanks by the General Headquarters of the French Army had gone as far as design thought. Possessing such a titanic structure as the “Maginot Line”, the command of the land forces remained in absolute certainty until May 1940 that it would be impossible to break through. They were expecting the same from the worst enemy in the face of Germany, which had the “Siegfried Line”.

It was for the breakthrough of the well-fortified defensive lines that heavy tanks with large-caliber guns were intended, which in German and British terminology were called assault tanks, and the French called “fortress tanks” (Char de forteresse). The strong impression left by the British "diamonds" and the horrors of the trench warfare, greatly spoiled the mind of the French High Command.

While the opponents tried to abandon the use of multi-turreted tanks like the T-35 or Nb.Fz.VI, in France everything developed diametrically opposite. Of course, it can be argued that at the same time, three-towers T-28 were actively used in the USSR, and two-towed QMS and T-100 were preparing to replace the T-35, but in January 1940 ABTU finally stopped its choice on tanks with one turret.

In November 1939, the French General Staff formulated technical requirements for the next “tank-fortress” capable of overcoming well-fortified defensive lines. For this, according to the generals of the old school, it was necessary to equip the tank with two types of guns to combat various types of targets. In this regard, an analogy can be seen with the Soviet multi-turret designs, but the other requirements clearly exceed reasonable limits and led to projects such "monsters", as the FCM F1 and the AMX Tractuer C.

Such an order for AMX did not come as a surprise, although fulfilling all the conditions of the specifications even at the project level was a difficult task. Nevertheless, such a project was created and soon submitted to the court of the army command. The name “Tractuer C” tank was used for secrecy. The design of this vehicle did not offer much special novelty. The “Tractuer C” case of the 1939 model was very similar in layout to the “ancient” Char 2C made by FCM much earlier.

In the nose part there was a compartment of management where the driver-mechanic (on the left) and the radio operator (on the right) were located. In the front fighting compartment were places for the commander of the machine and loader. Behind them, the engine and transmission were installed, and a small gun turret and rear driver position were located in the rear part. The presence of the latter was more likely a relic of the 1st World War, rather than an advantage, since no one was able to provide equal maneuvering forward and reverse.

The armament of the “tank fortress” consisted of 105-mm guns (probably Canone 105L mle1913) in the main turret with a maximum diameter of 2.35 m and 47-mm SA35 gun in a small hemispherical tower, which was located at the stern with a slight shift to the right from the central housing axis. Due to the large mass, the rotation of the main turret was supposed to be carried out using an electric motor. Additional armament consisted of four 7.5-mm machine guns MAC31, placed on the sides in the front and rear parts of the body.

The armor of the tank was quite impressive. The hull had to be welded and assembled from armor plates with a thickness of up to 100 mm (fore and sides). The likely armor of the main tower was in the same range, the back tower was about 60 mm.

The undercarriage is clearly the tanks of the past war. Applied to one side, it consisted of 24 small-diameter support rollers, 13 supporting rollers, a front guide wheel and a rear drive wheel. The dimensions of the “Tractuer C” were appropriate (the length of the tracks - 9.375 m, width - 3 m, height - 3.26 m), although not very different from the same T-35. The tank's weight was estimated at 140 tons.

To carry so much huge weight “Tractuer C” was supposed to be equiped with electric transmission and two engines, however, their type and power remained unknown. But the volume of fuel tanks made a reservation immediately - 1200 liters.

The FCM F1 and AMX Tractuer C projects submitted in December 1939 on a competitive basis aroused great interest among the army command, but only the first of them was recognized as the winner. Perhaps the military commission considered its layout and placement of weapons more rational, but the main trump card of FCM was the full-size wooden model of the tank. After losing the first round of the struggle for the right to manufacture an assault tank, AMX was not at all about to give up.

Already in January 1940, a significantly revised project was introduced, which was called AMX “Tractuer C” 1940 . The hull has undergone significant changes - as before, its design was welded and assembled from armor plates up to 100 mm thick, but the layout was completely new. Having abandoned the aft turret, as a relic of the past, French engineers transferred it to the bow, which predetermined some similarities with the FCM F1 project, as well as with the Soviet SMK and T-100 tanks. The engine and fuel tanks were moved to the rear of the hull.

In the middle there was a fighting compartment, on the roof of which a main ARL8 tower with a 90-mm gun was installed. In the small tower, which was in front, just to the right of the driver's seat, the 47-mm SA35 cannon was preserved. Four 7.5-mm machine gun MAS1931 on the sides of the hull remained. Because of the modifications carried out, the length of the tank somewhat increased, which resulted in improvements in the undercarriage. Now on each side accounted for 26 road wheels.

The overall dimensions of the “Tractuer C” project of 1940 were as follows: length - 10 m, width - 3.03 m, height - 3.70 m. Business did not come to the realization of Char de Forteresse by AMX, although there were certain prerequisites. Apparently, as a safety net, the Army commission allowed FCM, ARL and AMX to build one prototype for carrying out tests - tanks were to be commissioned by the summer of 1940. In parallel, in January 1940, Schneider received an order for four turrets for prototypes of super-heavy tanks. It was stated that the towers will be built only for the installation of 105-mm guns. However, it soon became clear that AMX was unable to provide a prototype of the “Tracteur C” in such a short time, and its project remained on paper.