Char 2C
The Char 2C, also known as the FCM 2C, was a French post WWI heavy tank landship, later considered a super-heavy tank. It was developed during World War I but not deployed until after the war. It was, in total volume or physical dimensions, the largest operational tank ever made.
| Char 2C | |
|---|---|
Char 2C "Berry", 1928 | |
| Type | Heavy tank landship Super-heavy tank |
| Place of origin | French Third Republic |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1921–1940 |
| Used by | French Third Republic |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1917 |
| Manufacturer | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée |
| Produced | 1921 |
| No. built | 10 |
| Variants | Char 2C bis, Char 2C Lorraine |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 69 tonnes (68 long tons; 76 short tons) |
| Length | 10.27 m (33 ft 8 in) |
| Width | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 4.09 m (13 ft 5 in) |
| Crew | 12 |
| Armour | 45 mm (1.8 in) max. |
Main armament | 75 mm Canon de 75 modèle 1897 |
Secondary armament | Four 8 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine guns (three in gimbal ball mounts at front and both sides forward, one mounted in a rear turret) |
| Engine | Two engines 2 x 250 CV (180 kW) |
| Suspension | leaf springs |
Operational range | 150 km (93 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 15 km/h (9.3 mph) |
Ten tanks were built in 1921. Although remaining operational, their value at the start of World War II was largely propagandistic. After Germany broke through French defences in June 1940, they were sent away from the front to preserve them. They were unable to reach safety and deliberately destroyed to prevent capture.
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