5 Things (you NEED to know) About The Char B1 

FACT 6: the Char B 1 Bis at Bovington is the rarest tank in the world. as it is the only French tank used by the Germans (Panzer-Abteilung 213) on British soil (Jersey, Channel Islands) still in existence.

"For, as we all know, arguments on the internet are of critical importance." What an absolutely perfect straight-faced delivery. And I'll bet this comment generates arguments .

Char B1: The most Warhammer 40k-looking tank, that existed for some 60 years before 40k as a setting. This thing would not look out of place crossing no man's land on Armageddon or Vraks.

You missed out the tale of how thee Saint Chammond company managed to con the French armaments committee into choosing their 75mm. L.17 gun for use in the B1 over other tenders. They set up a range test with a 5cm. thick target plate, made of mild steel, at 500 metres and then fired a Rupture Modele 1910 APHE shell at it, penetrating it cleanly. The committee was impressed and so placed orders for the gun. The fraud was only discovered later, when it was too late to alter the design of the B1, but their was a court trial of those involved. German range tests,, at Kummersdorf, recorded that the 75mm. L.17 B1 hull gun could only penetrate up to 38mm. of RHA @ 0 degrees @ 100 metres with PzGr.(f) APHE.

I just know the Char B1 had the cool individual tank names painted on each tank! That and it had doors and corridors inside the engine room!

This is a comment of critical importance.

I was SO excited to get this tank in WoT as I had played it in World War II Online/Battlefield Europe (or whatever else they renamed it to) and it was an absolute BEAST to face when the best Gereman tank in the game was a III J. That side vent was really the only vulnerable spot on it, and I killed several (I played axis mostly) as a sapper by placing a charge on it. WW2OL was good for showing the need for support between armor and infantry.

Always an Outstanding video and presentation.

All I need to know about the Char B1 is that it was a magnificent landship!

There was no chance of me arguing for this tank, but I loved the History. Thank YOu Chieftan.

What would Warhammer 40K be without French tank designs?

Thanks Nick! Loved the final "thing to know" about the B1. Just imagine if the French had equipped it with a decent 3 man turret with the 47mm, a good coax, adequate vision, workable radios and hatches - And they had developed a truly workable doctrine to use the tanks they had. Hmmmm. Yep, and if pigs could have flown, too, huh?

somewhat loud background musak I think its volume supposed to remain lower than the speaker, not competing his self and low flying aircraft (theres always one)

With the greatest respect to you, Nicholas, I am worried that WG will be scratching around for their next hairbrained scheme and look at this video and say Hallelujah. A new branch in the French tech tree made up of less than blueprint tanks. All that aside, thank you for the as always informative and well researched video.

One of my faves!

So... the phrase " ...bloody French tanks!?!" is actually accurate.

Thanks Nick.

Oh Man you were right. !! . I needed to know more about the B1. How did I ever live without this knowledge ??? We should start an email campaign to get the B1 Ter built in !/35 scale ! Somebodies got to do it. Good to see you are not just resting on your Laurels. I think Doc Mark Felton is so envious that he didn't think of it first.

I'm curious about how the tank managed to run over a bunch of guys. I would have thought the tank would be slow enough for them to get out of the way, so presumably they were pinned down or boxed in or something?

'Crunchies'... I just noticed the movie projector with the top reel rotating, but no film. Nice prop!

This is such a cool tank

I love these

Whoever did the music on this deserves the Sonne treatment.

THKS

Oh my gawd, Chieftain did you just quote Star Trekkin at 5:23?!?!?

Many thanks for the video. There is a controversy regarding the DCr name. Many argue that it does not mean Division Cuirassée de Réserve but Division Cuirassée. The small r being here to not call the DCr division DC which was the name of the cavalry divisions in the French army.

DCr and not DCR doesn't mean Division Cuirassée de Réserve but Division Cuirassé. the r was added to make the distinction with the DC Division de Cavalerie. In some books you can read DCu.

Nice video .

As someone old enough to have used an 8mm projector, it's a little distracting to see the one on the desk (real or cgi?) turning backwards. They feed from the top to the bottom. Sorry for the OCD outburst.

Appreciated the tank encyclopedia easter egg.

Id love to see a vid on the churchill tanks. Or matildas

I see people praise this tank, and despise this tank. I've seen people say it's one of the worst tanks of the war, or the best early war tank. The conclusion I came to after my own research and odd infatuation with this 40k looking tank, is that of all the tanks ever created, the Char B1 is one of them.

Richtig cooles Teil! Vll kann ich ihn nir sogar leisten, immerhin hab ich unter anderem 22500 anleihen angespart. Um welche Uhrzeit kommt der raus?

Driver, tracks, troops. Drive and adjust. Yeah. IIRC there were a couple of Stuarts that did a follow on to that v the Chinese on a beach in Taiwan circa late 40s early 50s.

He should have been called the 'Rouleau à pâtisserie des heures'. The 'Rolling Pin of Stonne' ☮

I wonder if the Char B had any influence with the tanks in WarHammer? Cause it really does look like it came straight out of that game.

Good

Lieutenant Domercq: "DRIVE ME CLOSER! I WANT TO HIT THEM WITH MY SWORD!"

My "interesting" fact: I stayed in the Alsatian village of Ricquewihr on my vacation last year. Very nice.

Naughty naughty Zoot, lighting the beacon which just happens to be Grail shaped! Wait, you don't think the Char B1 was at the Carmaargue... it's in France I think. Run Away!

I think the B1 is a case of a well made, hopelessly obsolete upon completion tank. I mean, for all of it's shortcomings, I don't think any of it has to do with build quality, or how it was to be put together. For it's time, it was reasonably well armored, and had a good enough bit of firepower. But that's kind of where all the good stops. After that, you are looking at a tank with very little realistic proposition to be upgraded later on due to the ludicrously small turret ring for the weight of the tank, a tank that requires a stupid amount of fuel compared to the combat effectiveness that it can bring to bear. A tank that is an absolute manpower hog, in a nation that is facing a population decline. A tank where the big 75mm, can only really be called effective against thin walled structures, or other lightly protected completely fixed emplacements. And while these compromises could be made due to it being a product of it's original development time, that being in the 1920s, by the 1930s, when it would finally be produced, there were already many real world examples of conflicts that could prove that this tank simply would not be effective in anything modern. Yet, the french stuck with it, because the french simply wanted what could be bought for a reasonable enough price. And, I think that is the major failing of the French in WW2. Their leadership just didn't study what was changing in other wars to the same extent as the british, or the germans. They stuck with a modified plan for what won in the first world war, that being large networks of static defenses, and slow moving, cheaply made tanks that had more of a focus on being able to fit pre-existing parts from their WW1 surplus, than if they could be made well for a modern engagement. Even their 'best' tank, the S35, really only had the structure in the hull for the gun that was in place. Which, yes, likely could have remained effective in the pacific war, but in Europe, most nations in Europe had to up-armor, and up-gun their tanks. And based on the pre-existing chassis in the french army, I simply don't think that could've been possible even if they didn't fall as quickly as they did. So, they would either be stuck with the 47mm gun, until getting lend lease crusaders, valentines, and shermans, or, they'd have to develop an entirely new platform, in a war even larger than the last, on their soil, against three major powers. And, there's nothing wrong with lend lease, many nations used it, but I believe that it is more of a statement on how unprepared the french leadership was for this new war, that their only real path to getting the proper equipment they needed, was to hold out long enough for the British, or Americans to pick up war production of better equipment for them.

I have a rare book "B1 at fight" (500 produce only) and I know well this tank, also when B1 was in service germany was only building the Panzer 1 only.

No doubt after the battle, Lt. Domercq spent considerable time attempting to find the equivalent of tank track dental floss with which to remove said ghastly remains. Le Pu indeed.

When are we getting more french mediums? Or maybe french super heavies?

As a kid, I wanted to be a Tanker...then I served 30 years in the USAF.

Ian of Forgotten Weapons: “the French copy no one, and no one copies the French.”

Char-B sounds something likes it could be a wine or a hip-hop singer . Who knows… maybe we might be able to slip this into a casual dinner conversation.

"...an economy of ammunition". Military circumlocutions are a wonder and a joy.

Would the Char B 1 be more effective if the 75mm was mounted higher?

I can only imagine the brown trails leading out of town when those German soliders saw what they saw. "Hey Fritz, is that Fred's head going round and round on those tracks?"......lol

The receipt quote at 4:50 is unfortunate

With hindsight how would you have used Allied Forces? A "what if" scenario. :)

Char B1 vs M3 Lee?

#4 seems very much like a Wargaming thing/"fact" to mention; there were paper projects of further development of this tank...! The fact is that besides the two sunk with the ship, none of these ever existed off paper, yes?

Wait. There’s one right behind me isn’t there?

More Chieftain time :)

They were in action in 1944 by the Germans around Arnhem meeting Airborne forces towed 6 Pounders.

Intro❤ Muhuhehe

The Butcher of Stonne sounds metal AF.

I'm sure I heard somewhere that the French devised a special fuel specially and solely for tanks. It was probably Wikipedia, or a wise man down the pub.

I'd still disagree. One on one against any Axis tank of 1940 ...with equally trained crews, the B1 would come out on top almost every time. It was designed to have a radio ... it's the fault of the French High Command that most French tanks did not have radios. Vision slots were common in those days, most tanks in 1940 were pretty blind when buttoned up. A lot had better optics added over the years following 1940. The mistakes of how they were used and the mismanagement of air power/cover ...which was a major contributor to France's defeat...also falls on bad planning by the French High Command. If the French had the Panzer II, III and IV's, with few radios and ineffective air cover instead...the results would have been the same. If it had been the Germans with the B1 ...they would have been used to great effect. The Chieftain seems determined to dislike the B1. But, most of the problems he stated, aren't caused by the design of the tank ...they are caused by it's misuse and lack of forsight by the French High Command. It did have it's flaws, the one man turret and no top hatch for example... But all the tanks of 1940 had their own issues.

Peaceniks and beatniks always fail to understand that peace cost money in order to protect it.

Could do without the music blasting out.

Hmm, Treaty Cruisers.....some might say that the RN Hawkins Class set the standard for the Treaty Cruisers.

Considering the B1 maximum speed was 28km/h (17mph) on road, I find it suspicious that some German troops somehow let themselves surprise and run over, and that in broad daylight.

The Char B1 was a superb, advanced tank... ...In 1930... ...In 1940, not so much. Still well armoured but in practically every other area, sorely lacking. Tiny turret Crazy refuelling system Abysmal crew ergonomics Radio, what radio?

There are like 7 possible tanks here that could be in tiers 4-7, and

What is that cursed thing on the thumbnail with what looks like the late T-34/76 turret (or at least the gun mantlet looks vaguely Soviet)?

A tank that spent linger in active service with germany than france.

Didn't the B1 inspired the design of the M3 Lee/Grant?

Супер

Did you intentionally make "Saint Omer" (St. Omer) into Stomer???

A procurement process so slow it wouldn't be out of place in the 2000s

A fascinating tale of messed-up logistics. Still no answer to whether a properly organized unit of Char B1 in sufficient number could have stopped German armored nits coming through the Ardenne.

Does the film projector on his desk ever run out of film?

sorry, music is too loud

I can just see Ian McCollum getting all worked up about another french item to swoon over 😉

open question to all, if the French had gone for 2 x man turrets would that have increased combat effectiveness enough to impact the fighting on the ground? Can we say 1 man turrets (mostly) = fall of France?

I've already moved to France...

Nicholas, do Americans know what calvados is ?

On paper it seems to check all the boxes. The reality of crew layout and tasking showed how bad it was. Armor thickness, speed, or gun penetration becoming outdated over a decade of development is understandable. Look how fast and far aircraft advances happened in the same period. But functionality? It's as if no one ever really tried it out beyond driving it around a factory test track. Only a four man crew, a morse code radio, one man turret, driver as gunner etc. all seem obviously ineffective. That's not just hindsight. An argument can be made that war was looming creating a crisis, but again over a decade of development. I'm sure they told themselves there were "reasons" for this or that, but they sure weren't good ones.

Is it really a 1920s tank though? This all sounds a lot like production and even much of the design work happened in the 1930s.

Dear WG can you buff the IS tier 7 tank for the aiming time please, there's no way IS to fight the higher tier tank for that aiming time

I'm out of calvados but I have some pommeau de normandie on hand.

Ehh. I found the “NEED” excessive. I mean. Ok. Remind me of all this next time I run into one.

I never really understood how tanks were supposed to just run over infantry soldiers. You would think they could be dodged or avoided and not just stand there and get squashed. Seems more likely to me that dead and wounded men were run over. Maybe a few that were pinned down by machine gun fire and unable to move.

Background music. Why?

3:05

New french tanks plz 😊

Who are you guys trying to fool with that weird thumbnail?

Can winning an argument on the internet be used as an OER bullet? Asking for a friend.

theres no sleep when someones wrong on the interwebs.

6 Years from design proposals to production prototype. Yikes. So it was a mid-20s design concept that wasn't operational until 13 years later. Obsolete much? Well, at least that is still faster than the development time for modern European weapons.

What my ears heard "the b2 was the best tank of WW2" .... wait a sec, hold up.. rewind.. enhance "the b2 was the best tank, from the 1920, to see combat during WW2". Ok.. I'll buy that. :) But this leaves me with a question for OP. Is there a better 1920's tank that DIDN'T see combat during ww2? Or, what 1920's tank would you consider better than the b2? I just stared the video and don't know if you point it out but many times the saying is true: "The French copy nobody, and nobody copies the French"

the ARL-44 was an amazing tank, it was truly fantastic! for 1930.... it was just a little late.

France... our tank meets the treaty requirements of under 20 tonnes Everyone else... but it doesn't have the gun or turret fitted France... Technicalities 😏

1:35 "The idea was to take the best features of all prototypes and blend them together" - And THIS is the result? This is just so French.. or maybe just so army in general.

Always thought it was as if this tank was designed by a committee

Let's compromise: the Char bis was a flawed tank, whose one man turret and overworked commanders compromized an otherwise capable design.

I don’t wanna move to France !