Tankopedia
InterwarHeavyHeavy TankFrance

Char B1 bis

In service 1935 - 1940

The best-protected tank of 1940, crippled by a one-man turret and a commander who had to do everything at once.

Built byRenault, Schneider, FCM, FAMH

Char B1 bis
Renault B1 bis,Tanks in the Musée des Blindés, France, pic-9 — Alf van Beem, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Development history

The B1 bis combined a hull-mounted howitzer for fortifications with a turret gun for tanks, and armour that German 37 mm guns simply could not penetrate. In practice the overloaded commander aimed the turret gun, directed the driver-gunner and led the troop simultaneously, and refuelling demands limited operational range. Individual machines such as Eure achieved remarkable feats while the campaign collapsed around them.

Variants

One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.

  1. Char B1

    1935

    40 mm armour and the short-barrelled 47 mm SA 34 turret gun.

  2. Char B1 bis

    1937

    60 mm armour, APX 4 turret with the longer 47 mm SA 35.

  3. Char B1 ter

    1940

    Prototype with adjustable hull gun mount and thicker armour; five built.

Notable actions

  • Battle of Stonne (1940)
  • Battle of Hannut (1940)
  • Battle of France (1940)