French combat vehicle production during World War II

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

This is a list of French combat vehicle production before and during the Second World War. The numbers given are generally those of vehicles actually delivered including exported vehicles. However, it includes those vehicles not yet delivered in June 1940 in the 1940 totals. For the Renault FT only the French metropolitan organic strength and matériel reserve is given. The list excludes those types having been taken out of service by May 1940.

Contents

Tank production

Modelbefore 1 September 193919391940Total
Char 2C 1010
Renault FT 15801580
NC273636
Char D1 160160
Char D2 5050100
R 35 10702004001670
FCM 36 100100
Char B1 16342200405
AMR 33 123123
AMR 35 167167
ZB1616
ZT21010
ZT31010
ZT44040
AMC 34 1212
AMC 35 2923557
Hotchkiss H35 6401304301200
SOMUA S35 27050110430
Total443644512456126

The following points should be taken into consideration:

The numbers given for 1 September 1939 and the 1939 totals are those of the deliveries; actual production numbers were in general somewhat higher as the army would only accept those vehicles that could be used immediately to equip units and training lagged behind production. So the number for 1939 is lower than the actual production; e.g. the ZT2's were produced towards the end of 1939. This growing backlog led to a sudden release of tanks in May which is sometimes mistaken for a jump in production. However actual production in 1940 again lagged behind production goals: 477 for the last four months of 1939 and 1226 for the first five months of 1940 only. It was planned to build 3087 tanks in the last seven months: 840 R 40's, 373 Char B1's, 1750 H 35's and 124 S 35/40's; these numbers included a monthly production of 75 H 35's in Britain.

Armoured car and half-track production

Armoured car and half-track AFV deliveries were:

Modelbefore 1 September 193919391940total
AMD White TBC 8686
AMD Laffly 50 9898
AMD Laffly 80 2828
AMD Laffly S15 TOE 4545
AMD Berliet VUDB 3232
AMD Panhard 165/175 3030
AMD Panhard 178 21969243533
AMC Schneider P 16 9696
Total63469243946

It was intended to continue the production of the AMD 35 Panhard 178 at a rate of sixty per month. The Panhard 178 numbers include some hulls not fitted with a turret, but exclude the continued production in 1940 for Germany which probably amounted to 176 vehicles. [4]

After the armistice in the unoccupied Free Zone of France, a clandestine rebuild took place of 225 GMC Trucks into armoured cars. When all of France was occupied in 1942, the secret hiding places (caves in fact) were betrayed to the Germans. [5] [6]

See also

Notes

  1. François Vauvillier, 2006, "Nos Chars en 1940: Pourquoi, Combien", Histoire de Guerre, Blindés & Matériel N°74, p.48
  2. François Vauvillier, 2007, "Notre Cavalerie Mécanique à son Apogée le 10 Mai 1940", Histoire de Guerre, Blindés & Matériel, N° 75, p.46
  3. François Vauvillier, 2007, "Notre Cavalerie Mécanique à son Apogée le 10 Mai 1940", Histoire de Guerre, Blindés et Matériel, N° 75, p.49
  4. François Vauvillier, 2008, "Produire l'AMD 35 Panhard: une affaire d'équipe", Histoire de Guerre, Blindés & Matériel, N° 82, p. 45
  5. Auto Mitrailleuse CDM Modelstories
  6. "1942 Auto Mitrailleuse CDM Chars-francais.net". Archived from the original on 2009-11-03. Retrieved 2009-10-11.

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References