Tankopedia
WW2MediumMedium TankFrance

SOMUA S35

In service 1936 - 1945

Probably the best tank of 1940: cast armour, a good 47 mm gun and real mobility.

Built bySOMUA

SOMUA S35
Char 1935 S Somua — Mark Pellegrini, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5

Development history

The S35's cast hull and turret gave excellent protection, and its 47 mm SA35 outperformed every German tank gun in France. What let it down was the one-man turret and the scarcity of radios, which left French cavalry units unable to concentrate. Captured vehicles served the Germans as the Panzerkampfwagen 35-S.

Variants

One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.

  1. S35

    1936

    Standard cast-hull production version.

  2. S40

    1940

    Improved suspension and 220 hp engine; barely entered production.

  3. Panzerkampfwagen 35-S 739(f)

    1941

    German service conversion with a new cupola and radio.

Notable actions

  • Hannut 1940
  • Battle of France 1940