Elan Vital
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- Joined
- 6 September 2019
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Hi everyone,
New topic based largely on my research in the French archives, this time on one of the more elusive prototypes of late 30's France: the ARL self-propelled gun, also sometimes called the ARL V 39.
Preliminary history:
The story of French self-propelled 75mm guns date back at least all the way to the early 1930s. Such a concept is envisionned during a meeting of the Consultative Council on Armaments in July 1932, to cover French tank attacks against other enemy tanks, following experiments of combined arms exercises. The need to complete this study is reiterated in January 1933, and once again in March 1934.
"In early 1935, a first testbed built by the APX arsenal under the auspices of General GARNIER is presented to the Council.
This materiel was built on the basis of the D3 colonial tank (a lightened derivative of the Char D2 prototype), specially modified to mount a 75mm mle.1929 casemate gun (used on the Maginot Line), modified with a semi-automatic breech. It was trialled at MAILLY in May 1935. The experiment is unsatisfactory.
Aiming using the tracks is difficult and delays the opening of fire; aiming and maneuver incidents are common, owing to the high overhang of the gun in front of the vehicle. Crossing capabilities are insufficient.
Overall, this prototype is deemed insufficiently maneuverable, protected and safe to fire. As a result, the study of new vehicles benefitting from the lessons of this experiment are started:
- one by Renault with assistance from General GARNIER
- the other, by the APX.
The two projects are as follows:
Consulted on the opportunity of starting work on the prototypes, the 3rd Direction, the 12th Direction and the General Inspector of the Artillery agree to start work on the PUTEAUX prototype with a few detail changes, due to the particularly interesting features it includes (diesel engine, radio, close defence machinegun, etc...) and due to its design itself which accounts for the last progresses made in tank design.
The opinions have been less affirmative regarding the GARNIER-Renault project, which mostly benefits from the trials of the first protype, the defects of which it aims to fix. Perhaps could it then be more quickly done.
Moreover, it is worth noting that the cost of a 75mm SPG is 2-3 million francs. It is currently impossible to envision the simultaneous order of both prototypes, and it is likely to be the same in 1936 as well, due to the importance of other undergoing or planned studies for artillery equipment and many new ammunition."
Source: Note on 75mm SPGs in GR 7 N 4209
ARL V 39 is next.
New topic based largely on my research in the French archives, this time on one of the more elusive prototypes of late 30's France: the ARL self-propelled gun, also sometimes called the ARL V 39.
Preliminary history:
The story of French self-propelled 75mm guns date back at least all the way to the early 1930s. Such a concept is envisionned during a meeting of the Consultative Council on Armaments in July 1932, to cover French tank attacks against other enemy tanks, following experiments of combined arms exercises. The need to complete this study is reiterated in January 1933, and once again in March 1934.
"In early 1935, a first testbed built by the APX arsenal under the auspices of General GARNIER is presented to the Council.
This materiel was built on the basis of the D3 colonial tank (a lightened derivative of the Char D2 prototype), specially modified to mount a 75mm mle.1929 casemate gun (used on the Maginot Line), modified with a semi-automatic breech. It was trialled at MAILLY in May 1935. The experiment is unsatisfactory.
Aiming using the tracks is difficult and delays the opening of fire; aiming and maneuver incidents are common, owing to the high overhang of the gun in front of the vehicle. Crossing capabilities are insufficient.
Overall, this prototype is deemed insufficiently maneuverable, protected and safe to fire. As a result, the study of new vehicles benefitting from the lessons of this experiment are started:
- one by Renault with assistance from General GARNIER
- the other, by the APX.
The two projects are as follows:
GARNIER-Renault project | APX project | |
Weight | 20 tonnes | 21 tonnes |
Armor | 35 to 45mm | 30 to 50mm |
Engine | Gasoline 180 PS | Diesel 260 PS |
Crew | 4 men | 5 men |
Armament | 1 75mm gun | 1 75mm gun, 1 turreted 7.5mm machinegun |
Vertical traverse arc | -10 to +30° | -10 to +30° |
Horizontal traverse arc | 12° (6 either side) | 12° (6 either side) |
Capacity | 160 rounds | 200 rounds, 1500 machinegun cartridges |
Maximum instantaneous speed on roads | 25 kph | 36 kph |
Range | 150 km | 400 km on roads (14 hours autonomy) |
Crossing capability | No data (the 1st prototype was insufficient in this regard) | Over 1.8m |
Protection against gases | Seems doable. | Seems doable. |
Radio | None | One radio |
Observation | Rangefinder | Rangefinder, one binocular periscope, one rangefinding monocular periscope |
Consulted on the opportunity of starting work on the prototypes, the 3rd Direction, the 12th Direction and the General Inspector of the Artillery agree to start work on the PUTEAUX prototype with a few detail changes, due to the particularly interesting features it includes (diesel engine, radio, close defence machinegun, etc...) and due to its design itself which accounts for the last progresses made in tank design.
The opinions have been less affirmative regarding the GARNIER-Renault project, which mostly benefits from the trials of the first protype, the defects of which it aims to fix. Perhaps could it then be more quickly done.
Moreover, it is worth noting that the cost of a 75mm SPG is 2-3 million francs. It is currently impossible to envision the simultaneous order of both prototypes, and it is likely to be the same in 1936 as well, due to the importance of other undergoing or planned studies for artillery equipment and many new ammunition."
Source: Note on 75mm SPGs in GR 7 N 4209
ARL V 39 is next.
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