Char B1

Char B1

The Char B1 bis Rhône at the Musée des Blindés at Saumur

Type Break-through tank, Heavy tank

Place of origin France

Service history

In service 1936–1940 (France)

1944–1945 (Free French Forces)

Used by France
Germany

Wars World War II

Production history

Designed 1921–1934

Manufacturer Renault and others

Produced 1935–1937 (Char B1)
1937–1940 (Char B1 bis)

No. built 405 (34 Char B1, 369 Char B1 bis & two
Char B1 ter)

Specifications

Mass 28 tonnes

Length 6.37 m (20 ft 11 in)

Width 2.46 m (8 ft 1 in)

Height 2.79 m (9 ft 2 in)

Crew 4

Armour 40 mm (Char B1)

60 mm (Char B1 bis)

Main 75 mm ABS SA 35 howitzer

armament

Secondary 47 mm SA 34 (Char B1)

armament 47 mm SA 35 (Char B1 bis)
2× 7.5 mm Reibel machine guns

Engine Renault inline 6 cylinder 16.5 litre petrol

engine
272 hp

Power/weight 9.7 hp/tonne

Transmission 5 forward, 1 reverse gear

Suspension bogies with a mixture of vertical coil and

 leaf springs

Fuel capacity 400 L

Operational 200 km (120 mi)

range

Maximum speed 28 km/h (17 mph)

21 km/h (13 mph) off-road

Steering double differential

system

The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before World War II.

The Char B1 was a specialised break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled
gun with a 75 mm howitzer in the hull; later a 47 mm gun in a turret was added, to allow it to
function also as a Char de Bataille, a "battle tank" fighting enemy armour, equipping the
armoured divisions of the Infantry Arm. Starting in the early twenties, its development and
production were repeatedly delayed, resulting in a vehicle that was both technologically complex
and expensive, and already obsolescent when real mass-production of a derived version, the Char
B1 "bis", started in the late thirties. A further up-armoured version, the Char B1 "ter", was only
built in two prototypes.
Among the most powerfully armed and armoured tanks of its day, the type was very effective in
direct confrontations with German armour in 1940 during the Battle of France, but slow speed
and high fuel consumption made it ill-adapted to the war of movement then being fought. After
the defeat of France, captured Char B1 (bis) would be used by Germany, with some rebuilt as
flamethrowers, Munitionspanzer, or mechanised artillery.

Contents

 1Development and production

 2Tactical function
o 2.1The one-man turret
 3Variants
o 3.1Char B1
o 3.2Char B1 bis
o 3.3Char B1 ter
 4Operational history
o 4.1French service
o 4.2German use
o 4.3German designations
o 4.4German units
o 4.5Italian use
o 4.6Post-war French use
 5Surviving vehicles
 6See also
 7Notes
 8References
 9External links

Development and production[edit]

The Char B1 had its origins in the concept of a Char de Bataille conceived by General Jean
Baptiste Eugène Estienne in 1919, e.g. in his memorandum Mémoire sur les missions des chars
blindés en campagne. It had to be a "Battle Tank" that would be able to accomplish a
breakthrough of the enemy line by destroying fortifications, gun emplacements and opposing
tanks. In January 1921 a commission headed by General Edmond Buat initiated a project for
such a vehicle. To limit costs, it had to be built like a self-propelled gun, with the main weapon
in the hull. To minimise the vehicle size this gun should be able to move only up and down, with
the horizontal aiming to be provided by turning the entire vehicle. The specifications included: a
maximum weight of thirteen tonnes; a maximum armour thickness of 25 millimetres; a hull as
low as possible to enable the gun to fire into the vision slits of bunkers; a small machine gun
turret to fend off enemy infantry attacks, at the same time serving as an observation post for the
commander and a crew of at most three men. Two versions should be built, one a close support
tank armed with a 75 mm howitzer, the other an anti-tank vehicle with a 47 mm gun instead.
French industry was very interested in the project. In the past, this had led to much non-
constructive rivalry. Estienne, who in the war had personally witnessed the dismal effects of such
a situation, was determined to avoid a repetition. He used his position as Inspector-General of the
Tanks to enforce the so-called "Estienne accord" on the industrialists, ordering them to "reach a
mutual understanding, free from any spirit of industrial competition". To be allowed to join, they
had to agree beforehand to relinquish any patents to the Army, which would be free to combine
all projects into a single type. In exchange, to the industry very large orders of no less than a
thousand vehicles were promised.
On these conditions four projects were started in 1921: two by a cooperation
between Renault and Schneider: the SRA and the SRB, one by Forges et Aciéries de la Marine
et d'Homécourt (FAMH), more commonly known as "Saint Chamond" from its location, and the
last by Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM), the FCM 21. Renault and Schneider
would each get to produce 250 units, FAMH and FCM each 125. A fifth producer, Delaunay-
Belleville, whose project (an improved FT 17) had been rejected beforehand, would be allowed
to make 83 tanks; the remaining 167 would be allotted at the discretion of the French State.
On 13 May 1924, the four prototypes were presented at the Atelier de Rueil, where they were
compared, each having to drive over a twenty kilometre test course. Immediately it became
evident that their technical development had been insufficient, most breaking down; the SRA
even started to fall apart. Maintenance was difficult because the engines were inaccessible. All
projects used a three-man crew but differed considerably in size, form and the solution chosen to
laterally point the gun.
The SRA

The SRA was the heaviest vehicle at 19.5 tonnes. Its length was 5.95 metres, its height 2.26m
and its width 2.49m. It had a 75 mm howitzer in the right side of the hull and a cast, 30 mm
thick, turret with two machine-guns. It was steered by an epicyclical transmission combined with
hydraulically reinforced brake disks, which failed to provide the desired precision during tests.

SRA side view

Seen from the front it was very similar to the final model, but its side-on profile was more like
that of the British Medium Mark D, including the snake track-system, with the drive wheel
higher than the idler in front. The suspension used leaf springs. A Renault six-cylinder 180 hp
engine (a bisected 12V aircraft engine) allowed for a maximum speed of 17.5 km/h; a four
hundred litre fuel tank for a range of 140 kilometres.

The SRB

The SRB, also using leaf springs, was a somewhat larger vehicle, six metres long, 2.28 metres
high and 2.5 metres wide. It was nevertheless lighter at 18.5 tonnes, a result of having a smaller
47 mm gun—it thus was the antitank version. Using the same engine, its speed was accordingly
slightly higher at 18 km/h. More limited fuel reservoirs holding 370 litres decreased the range to
125 kilometres. It used an advanced hydraulic suspension system and the hydraulic Naeder-
transmission from the Chaize company combined with a Fieux clutch and Schneider gear box. It
used modified FT 17 tracks. The upper track run was much higher, creating enough room for a
side door on the left.
The FAHM prototype

The FAHM prototype was 5.2 metres long, 2.4 m high and 2.43 m wide. It used
a hydropneumatic suspension. Despite a weaker Panhard engine of 120 hp it still attained a speed
of 18.2 km/h. Fuel reservoirs of just 230 litres limited its range to a mere seventy kilometres. The
75 mm howitzer was placed in the middle of the hull and steered by providing each snake track
with its own hydraulic Jeanny transmission. On top there was a riveted machine-gun turret with
25 mm armour.

The FCM 21

The lightest prototype was the FCM 21 at 15.64 tonnes. It resembled a scaled-down Char 2C, the
giant tank produced by the same company. It was very elongated with a length of 6.5 metres and
width of 2.05 metres. A rather large riveted turret with a stroboscopic cupola, adopted from the
Char 2C, brought its height to 2.52 metres. Like the superheavy tank it had no real spring system
for the twelve small wheels per side. Separate clutches for each snake track enabled it to
horizontally point the 75 mm howitzer in the middle of the hull. It used the same Panhard engine
as the FAHM type and its speed was the lowest of all at 17.4 km/h. However, its 500-litre fuel
tanks allowed for the best range at 175 kilometres.
In March 1925, Estienne decided to base the future production type on the SRB, as regarded the
general form and mechanical parts. However, it would be fitted with the 75 mm gun, a Holt-track
to be developed by FCM, which company had completed a special research programme aimed at
optimising weight distribution, and the FAMH-suspension (later this would again be discarded).
Estienne also had some special requirements: a track tension wheel should be fitted, adjustable
from the inside, and a small gangway from the fighting room should improve the accessibility of
the engine compartment. Furthermore, the front armour should be increased to 40 millimetres.

The wooden mock-up

In November 1925 Renault was given the order to build a wooden mock-up, that was finished
early 1926. On 27 January 1926, it was decided to build three prototypes of what was
provisionally called a Tracteur 30, a final design by engineer Alleaume of the Schneider
company, cooperating with the Section Technique des Chars de Combat (STCC). The first was
to be delivered by Renault, the other two by FCM and FAHM respectively.
The same year, the Direction de l'Infanterie in the Plan 1926 redefined the concept of a Char de
Bataille. There would be a greater emphasis on infantry support, implying that the antitank-
capacity was secondary and no armour increase was necessary. The weight was to be limited to
22 tonnes and the speed might be as low as 15 km/h. However, a radio set would have to be
fitted to better direct and coordinate its actions; therefore a fourth crew-member was needed.
On 18 March 1927, the contracts for the three prototypes were signed. The hull of first Renault
vehicle, made of soft boiler plate instead of armour steel to simplify changes, was finished apart
from the armament in January 1929; it was delivered in March. The separately produced cast
turret was delivered on 23 April. The howitzer could only be fitted in April 1930. This prototype
was allotted the series number No. 101. No. 102, the production of which FAMH had shifted to
Renault, was delivered soon after; in September 1930 FCM delivered No. 103, constructed by
the Atelier de Mépanti at Marseille. One of the vehicles was fitted with an alternative 75 mm
Schneider gun instead of the 75 mm St Chamond M 21 from FAMH.

Prototype No. 101, here in its original state with a small machine gun turret

Testing on the first prototype had already begun before the other two were delivered, or even its
main armament was fitted. At 24,750 kg (24.36 long tons) the weight was more than specified
but could nevertheless reach a top speed of 24 km/h (15 mph). From 6 May until August 1930
the Commission d'Experiences des Matériels de Chars carried out a further test programme on
what was now officially called the Char B—the "B" not referring to Bataille but to a general
classification code. The commission was largely satisfied with the vehicle, though many smaller
problems were detected that had to be improved. The FCM prototype featured several alternative
technologies: a Winterthur transmission, a Citroën clutch and a Sulzer diesel engine, later
replaced by a Clerget diesel. All of these systems would prove to be more unreliable than the
original concept and were ultimately rejected.
The three vehicles were not only used for technological, but also tactical experimentation.
Together with the Char D1 pre-series, they represented the only modern tanks in France and the
Army was naturally very interested in what lessons could be learned from them about future
warfare, outlining the concept of a Char de Manoeuvre. Neither Char de Bataille nor Char de
Manoeuvre are official type designations; they refer to the tactical concepts only. In October
1931 a small unit was formed, the Détachement d' Experimentation in which the prototypes were
united from December, using the Camp de Châlons as a base to see how they could be used in
winter conditions. Afterwards, they drove on their own power to the Atelier de Rueil for repairs.
In September they took part in the summer manoeuvres in Champagne as a Détachement
Mécanique de Combat; from 4 May 1933 No. 102 and 103 together formed a Détachement
d'Engins Blindés to perform tactical experiments in the army bases
of Coëtquidan and Mourmelon as part of a motorised light division, followed by comparable
experiments in April 1934 at Sissonne. Technical aspects were not forgotten during these tests
and it was established they could attain an average road speed of 19 km/h, cross a trench 2.4 m
(7.9 ft) wide, and wade through a 105 cm (41 in) deep stream.
The prototypes were again extensively altered to meet changes in specifications. On 6 April
1934, the first order was made for seven tanks of a Char B1. The "B1" refers to the fact that there
were other simultaneous projects to develop improved types: the Char B2, B3 and B B.
The Char B1 was manufactured by several firms: Renault (182), AMX (47), FCM (72), FAMH
(70) and Schneider (32). Although it was the main producer, Renault had not exclusively
designed the tank. Therefore, the official name was not Renault B1 as often erroneously given.
[citation needed]
 It was a very expensive tank to build: the cost per vehicle was about 1.5 million French
francs. In France at the time two schools of thought collided: the first wanted to build very strong
heavy tanks, the other a lot of cheap light tanks. Both sides managed to influence procurement
policy to the end that not enough tanks were built of either category, to the exasperation of men
like Colonel Charles de Gaulle, who wanted to build more of the medium Char D2 at a third of
the cost of the Char B1 bis, but with the same 47 mm anti-tank gun.

Tactical function[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this
section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (January 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this
template message)

B1 bis, No. 323, Var captured in Belgium after being abandoned because of a broken steering mechanism. Var was from
the 3rd Platoon, 2nd Company of the 37th BCC, 1re DCr

B1 bis, No. 401, Bearn II after being destroyed by its crew, one of the two 37th BCC replacement vehicles, earlier
named Vaux

General Walther von Reichenau inspects a destroyed Char B1 bis (No. 236, Le Glorieux), May 1940.

The outer appearance of the Char B1 reflected the fact that development started in the twenties:
like the very first tank, the British Mark I tank of World War I, it still had large tracks going
around the entire hull and large armour plates protecting the suspension—and like all tanks of
that decade it had no welded or cast hull armour. The similarity resulted partly from the fact that
the Char B1 was a specialised offensive weapon, a break-through tank optimised for punching a
hole into strong defensive entrenchments, so it was designed with good trench-crossing
capabilities. The French Army thought that dislodging the enemy from a key front sector would
decide a campaign, and it prided itself on being the only army in the world having a sufficient
number of adequately protected heavy tanks. The exploitation phase of a battle was seen as
secondary and best carried out by controlled and methodical movement to ensure superiority in
numbers, so for the heavy tanks also mobility was of secondary concern. Although the Char B1
had a reasonably good speed for the time of its conception, no serious efforts were made to
improve it when much faster tanks appeared.
More important than the tank's limitations in tactical mobility, however, were its limitations in
strategic mobility. The low practical range implied the need to refuel very often, limiting its
operational capabilities. This again implied that the armoured divisions of the Infantry,
the Divisions Cuirassées, were not very effective as a mobile reserve and thus lacked strategic
flexibility. They were not created to fulfill such a role in the first place, which was reflected in
the small size of the artillery and infantry components of the divisions.
The one-man turret[edit]
Another explanation of the similarity to the British Mark I lies in the Char B1's original
specification to create a self-propelled gun able to destroy enemy infantry and artillery. The main
weapon of the tank was its 75 mm howitzer, and the entire design of the vehicle was directed to
making this gun as effective as possible. When in the early 1930s it became obvious that the
Char B1 also had to defeat counterattacking enemy armour, it was too late for a complete
redesign. The solution was to add the standard cast APX-1 turret which also equipped the Char
D2. Like most French tanks of the period (the exception being the AMC 34 and AMC 35) the
Char B thus had a small one-man turret. Today this is typically seen as one of their greatest
flaws.[1] The commander, alone in the turret, not only had to command the tank, but also to aim
and load the gun. If he was a unit leader, he had to command his other tanks as well. This is in
contrast with the contemporary German, British and to a lesser extent[a] Soviet policy to use two
or three-man turret crews, in which these duties were divided amongst several men. The other
nations felt that the commander would otherwise be over-tasked and unable to perform any of his
roles as well as the commanders of tanks with two or three-man turret crews.
Whether this left the Char B1 less-formidable in actual combat than a review of its impressive
statistics suggests, is difficult to ascertain. In 1940, the vast majority of Char B1 combat losses
were inflicted by German artillery and anti-tank guns. In direct meetings with German tanks the
Char B1 usually had the better of it, sometimes spectacularly so as when on 16 May a single
tank, Eure (commanded by Captain Pierre Billotte), frontally attacked and destroyed thirteen
German tanks lying in ambush in Stonne, all of them Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs, in the course of
a few minutes.[2] The tank safely returned despite being hit 140 times. Similarly, in his
book Panzer Leader, Heinz Guderian related an incident which took place during a tank battle
south of Juniville: "While the tank battle was in progress I attempted, in vain, to destroy a Char
B with a captured 47 mm. anti-tank gun; all the shells I fired at it simply bounced harmlessly off
its thick armour. Our 37 mm. and 20 mm. guns were equally ineffective against this adversary.
As a result, we inevitably suffered sadly heavy casualties."[3]
The French favoured small turrets despite their shortcomings, as they allowed for much smaller
and thus cheaper vehicles. Although the French expenditure on tanks was relatively larger than
the German, France simply lacked the production capacity to build a sufficient number of
heavier tanks. The Char B1 was expensive enough as it was, eating up half of the infantry tank
budget.[4]

Variants[edit]
Char B1[edit]

The wreck of the last surviving Char B1 at Fort de Seclin, Seclin, France (2007)

The original Char B1 had frontal and side armour up to 40 mm thick. The vehicle had a fully
traversing APX1 turret with a 47 mm L/27.6 SA 34 gun. This had a poor anti-tank capability: the
thirty Armour Piercing High Explosive (APHE) rounds among the fifty the tank carried had a
maximum penetration of about 25 mm. In addition, it was armed with a 75 mm ABS 1929 SA 35
gun mounted in the right-hand side of the hull front and two 7.5 mm Châtellerault M
1931 machine guns: one in the hull and the other in the turret. The 75 mm L/17.1 gun, able to
fire both a High Explosive and the APHE Obus de rupture Modèle 1910M round, had a limited
traverse of only one degree to the left or the right. It was laid onto target by the driver (provided
with the gun sight) through the Naeder hydraulic precision transmission.[b][5] The traverse had been
made possible only in order to align the gun barrel precisely with the sight beforehand. The
75 mm gun had its own loader—the remaining two crew members were the radio operator and
the commander, who had to load, aim and fire the 47 mm gun while commanding the vehicle
(and in the case of platoon leaders, command other vehicles as well). The fighting compartment
had the radio set on the left and an exit hatch in the right side. All vehicles had the ER53 radio
telegraphy set, which used Morse code only. A hatch in the rear bulkhead gave access to a
corridor (under which nineteen 75 mm rounds out of a total of eighty were stowed) in the engine
room to the right of the engine, which was officially rated at 250 hp (190 kW), but had an actual
output of 272 hp (203 kW). Each tank had its own team of three mechanics; in battle some of
these might join the regular crew.
The suspension was very complex with sixteen road wheels per side. There were three large
central bogies, sprung by a vertical coil spring. Each central bogie carried two smaller ones. The
three vertical springs moved through holes in a horizontal beam, to both extreme ends of which
road wheels were attached by means of leaf springs: three at the front and one at the back. The
high track run gave the tank an old fashioned look, reflecting its long development time. It had a
maximum speed of 28 km/h and a weight of 28 tonnes. The range was about two hundred
kilometres. A total of 34 vehicles were built from December 1935 until July 1937. They had
series numbers 102 to 135. Chassis number 101 was kept apart to build the Char B1 ter
prototype.
Char B1 bis[edit]
The Char B1 bis was an upgraded variant with thicker armour at 60 mm maximum (55 mm at
the sides) and an APX4 turret with a longer-barrelled (L/32) 47 mm SA 35 gun, to give the tank
a real anti-tank capacity. It was the main production type: from 8 April 1937 until June 1940 369
units were delivered out of a total order for 1144, with series numbers 201 to 569. Before the
war, production was slow: only 129 had been delivered on 1 September 1939. The monthly
delivery was still not more than fifteen in December; it peaked in March 1940 with 45.
The Char B1 bis had a top speed of 25 km/h (16 mph) provided by a 307 bhp (229 kW) petrol
engine. The first batch of 35 Char B1 bis used the original engine but from 1938 to May 1940
they were slowly re-equipped. Its weight was about 31.5 tonnes. The operational range was
about 180 km (110 mi) which was similar to other tanks of the period. At 20 km/h (12 mph) the
three fuel tanks (total capacity of 400 l (88 imp gal)) would be exhausted in six hours. To
improve matters, at first, trailers with an 800-litre auxiliary fuel tank were towed but this practice
was soon abandoned. Instead Char B1 units included a large number of fuel trucks and TRC
Lorraine 37 L armoured tracked refuelling vehicles specially designed to quickly refuel them.
The last tanks to be produced in June had an extra internal 170 l (37 imp gal) fuel tank. To cool
the more powerful engine the Char B1 bis had the air intake on the left side enlarged. It is often
claimed[citation needed] this formed a weak spot in the armour, based on a single incident on 16 May
near Stonne where two German 37 mm PAK guns claimed to have knocked out three Char B1s
by firing at the intakes at close range. The air intake was a 6-inch (150 mm) thick assembly of
horizontal slits alternately angled upwards and downwards between 28 mm thick armour plates,
and as such intended to be no more vulnerable than the normal 55 mm side plates.
Over the production run the type was slowly improved. Tanks number 306 to 340 carried 62 47-
mm rounds (and the old complement of 4,800 machine gun rounds); later tanks 72 and 5,250.
However the B1 bis had fewer 75 mm rounds compared to the earlier B1 : 74 instead of eighty,
normally only seven of which were APHE ammunition. Early in 1940 another change was made
when the ER53 radio was replaced by the ER51 which allowed spoken wireless communication.
The company and battalion command tanks also had an ER55 for communication with higher
command. The crews of the 1re DCR kept their old sets however, preferring them because the
human voice was drowned by engine noise.
Char B1 ter[edit]
Development of the Char B1 ter was started at the same time as production funds were given
for the bis with the intention of providing a tank armoured to 75mm.[6] A design with sloped and
welded 70 mm armour, weighing 36.6 tonnes and powered by a 350 hp (260 kW) engine was
meant to replace the B1 bis to accelerate mass production, a change first intended for the summer
of 1940 and later postponed to March 1941. In the course of the redesign, space was provided for
a fifth crew member, a "mechanic".[6] Cost was reduced by omitting the complex Neader
transmission and giving the hull gun a traverse of five degrees to each side instead. The first
prototype was shown in 1937.[6] Only three prototypes could be partly finished before the defeat
of France. In May 1940 it was agreed to deliver nine Char B1s each month to Britain in
exchange for a monthly British production of the "H 39". The three prototypes were lost after
having been evacuated on 17 June 1940, their ship the Mécanicien Principal Carvin being
bombed by the Germans in the Gironde on 21 June.[7] However, some believe that another
prototype was obtained by Italy.

Operational history[edit]
French service[edit]

Char B1 bis of 1 DCR destroyed by their crews at Beaumont in May 1940

An older B1 tank, re-armed with a SA 35 gun, destroyed near Orléans in June 1940.

The Char B1 served with the armoured divisions of the infantry, the Divisions Cuirassées (DCr).
These were highly specialised offensive units, to break through fortified positions. The mobile
phase of a battle was to be carried out by the Divisions Légères Mécaniques (mechanised light
divisions) of the cavalry, equipped with the SOMUA S35. The First and Second DCR had 69
Char B1's each; the Third 68. The 37th Bataillon de Chars de Combat, serving with 1DCR, was
at first equipped with the original B1; these vehicles were refitted with the longer SA 35 gun in
the spring of 1940 and the turret renamed to APX1A. The battalion was re-equipped with the
Char B1 bis and in May reinforced by five of the original tanks.
A Char B1 bis disabled in 1940 in Northern France

A Panzerkampfwagen B-2, showing the additional frontal armour above the hull gun. This example was Number 114
of Panzer-Abteilung 213. It is now owned by Bovington Tank Museum and shown on display at the Jersey War Tunnels.

After the German invasion several ad hoc units were formed: the 4e DCR with 52 Char B1s and
five autonomous companies (347e, 348e, 349e, 352e and 353e Compagnie Autonome de Chars)
with in total 56 tanks: 12 B1s and 44 B1 bis; 28BCC was reconstituted with 34 tanks. The
regular divisions destroyed quite a few German tanks but lacked enough organic infantry and
artillery to function as an effective mobile reserve.
German use[edit]
A number of Char B1s (161) were captured by the Germans during the Fall of France. These
were later pressed into service as second line and training vehicles under the name
of Panzerkampfwagen B-2 740 (f), and were often used as turretless Munitionspanzer supply
vehicles. Sixty became platforms for flamethrowers as Flammwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen B-2
(f). Sixteen were converted into 105 mm self-propelled artillery, armed with the 10.5 cm leFH
18 light howitzer. Ordinary tank versions were also frequently modified. For example, additional
armour was placed above the main gun, and a winch mechanism was added behind the turret.
One unit, Panzer-Abteilung 213, was equipped with the Char B1 bis and deployed on
the Channel Islands from 1941 to 1945. One of their tanks is displayed by the Bovington Tank
Museum, though repainted in French colours. In German service, the tank saw action in
the Balkans Campaign and the Eastern Front, initially during Operation Barbarossa, the
flamethrower version from 1942 onwards.[8] Some Char B turrets were removed and installed on
German bunkers defending Normandy beaches at the time of D-Day (6 June 1944).[9]
Panzer-Kompanie 224, a training unit, was outfitted with several flamethrower-equipped B2s.
[10]
 They were stationed in Arnhem during Operation Market Garden, losing six tanks to anti-tank
weaponry when they were sent to attack the Oosterbeek perimeter on 20–21 September 1944.[11]
German designations[edit]
A 10.5 cm leFH18/3 (Sf) auf Geschützwagen B-2(f). It is equipped with the 10.5 cm leFH 18 light howitzer and lacks the
75mm hull gun on the original Char B1.

In German service the tanks received the following designations.[12]

 Panzerkampfwagen B-2 740(f)
The Char B1, re-designated after capture, in use by German armed forces.

 Panzerkampfwagen B-2 740(f) als Schulfahrzeug

Turretless driver training tanks.

 Flammwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen B-2(f)

Sixty flame thrower tanks converted from Char B-2(f)s. The 47mm turret gun was
retained but the 75mm hull gun was replaced by the flamethrower unit in a ball fitting.
Most were used in the Eastern Front and were effective at their role due to their strong
frontal armor.[13]

 10.5 cm leFH18/3 (Sf) auf Geschützwagen B-2(f)

Self-propelled artillery, armed with the 10.5 cm leFH 18 light howitzer; Sixteen
converted by Rheinmetall-Borsig in 1942. It had a heavy, simple breech mechanism with
a hydro-pneumatic recoil system and the 75mm howitzer in the hull was removed. With a
newly installed muzzle brake, it could fire a 14.81 kg HE round to a maximum distance
of 10675 meters. Muzzle velocity was around 460 m/s with a rate of fire between four to
six rounds per minute. Production was launched in late 1941, and by the end of 1942, all
planned units were delivered to the troops. They were used on the Eastern Front.[13]
German units[edit]
The principal German units that used the Char B1 bis:[14]

 Panzer-Brigade 100
 Panzer-Regiment 100
 Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 100
 Panzer-Abteilung (F) 102
 Panzer-Abteilung 213
 SS-Panzer-Abteilung "Prinz Eugen"
 Panzer-Kompanie z.b.V. 12
 Panzer-Abteilung 223
 Beutepanzer-Kompanie 223
 I./Artillerie-Regiment 93 of 26.Panzer-Division
 II./Panzer-Regiment 1 of 1.Panzer-Division
 Panzer-Regiment 2 of 16.Panzer-Division
 I./Panzer-Regiment 36 of 14.Panzer-Division
 Panzer-Abteilung 205
 Panzer-Kompanie 206
 Panzer-Kompanie C (ND) 224
 Panzerjäger-Abteilung 657 (PK 224)
Italian use[edit]
Italy independently from Germany captured eight Chars B1 bis when in October
1940 an Italian worker disclosed to the Italian Armistice Commission that they
had been hidden in a cave near Les Baux-de-Provence in July 1940. These
vehicles, six of which lacked the turret, were tested, but probably not used
operationally by Italy.[15]
The Italian armour historian Nicola Pignato in contrast stated in 1989 that some
twenty B1 bis, in various stages of preparation and construction, along with a
single 36-ton B1 ter prototype were directly recovered from the FCM factory, of
which an unknown number were to be destined for Italy.[16] Six vehicles in Italian
service were known as Semovente B1-bis, and lacked turrets, but were used in
trials until 1943, after which they were used as target practice, and ammunition
carriers.[17]
Post-war French use[edit]

Former German B1 bis recaptured by the French

Resistance in Reims, 1944.

After the Allies had invaded France in

1944, some B1s were recaptured.
[18]
 Several were used on an individual and
incidental basis by resistance forces, such
as those fighting the German garrison
of Paris in August 1944.[19] On 7 October
1944, the Provisional Government of the
French Republic formed the 13th
Dragoon Regiment of the Free French
Forces. The majority of the regiment
fielded SOMUA S35 cavalry tanks, but
Captain Edmond Voillaume's 2nd
Company was equipped with 19 B1 bis
tanks, which included a mixture of standard and German modified B-2s. They
were stationed in Orléans until 2 April 1945, when they were mobilized for
the Allied siege of La Rochelle.[20]
The tanks were effective in the attack on Royan on 15 April 1945, using their
75 mm guns for fire support, while targeting pillboxes with their 47 mm guns.
After that, 2nd Company accompanied troops on an assault on Pontaillac on 17
April, followed by an attack on the German stronghold at La Rochelle between
29 April and 8 May. Voillaume was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for
his actions.[21] After the war, the 13th Dragoon Regiment was stationed in the
French occupation zone of Allied-occupied Germany as part of the French 3rd
Armoured Division. It was eventually disbanded in the German town
of Wittlich in April 1946.[20]

Surviving vehicles[edit]
B1
bis Rhin (formerly F
landres)
at Rétromobile 2018

Today eleven
vehicles survive,
one Char B1 and
ten Char B1 bis.[22]
The last surviving
Char B1 can be
seen at the Association pour la Sauvegarde du Patrimoine Historique et
Militaire (ASPHM), near Strasbourg, in France. It was previously at the Fort de
Seclin. It is in a bad condition, with parts like the main gun missing. It was
salvaged from a firing range, and will be restored by the owner.
Ten Char B1 bis can be seen in various places in Great Britain and in France:

 A vehicle at the Bovington Tank Museum, England. It was modified for

German service as the B2 variant and served as tank 114 of Panzer
Abteilung 213 in occupied Channel Islands.[23]
 Three are in the Musée des Blindés in Saumur, France.
One, Rhin (formerly Flandres), is in running condition, while
another, Rhône, is on permanent display in the museum. A third, a mine
roller tank, is in storage.
 A vehicle serving as a monument in the town of Stonne, France, where
during the Battle of France the B1 tanks of the 3rd  Division Cuirassée de
Réserve played a key role in delaying the advance of the 10th Panzer
Division for two days.
 Three are owned by the ASPHM, which bought one of them at the same time
as the B1, from the Fort de Seclin. This B1 bis is also in a bad condition,
with parts, including the main gun, missing. Salvaged from a firing range, it
is intended for restoration by the owner. The two others were acquired in
2009 and are very badly damaged.[22] They will most likely be cannibalized to
restore the B1 and one of the B1 bis. One of the two B1 bis wrecks was
identified as being No. 243 Intrépide, which belonged to 8th BCC and was
put out of combat on 1 June 1940, at Moreuil.[24]
 Two are on display at the 501st-503rd Tank Regiment at Mourmelon-le-
Grand, France. One of these tanks was previously on display at the
ERGMEB, Gien.