Char D2 - Projects

Projects

Apart from the two slightly different versions of the Char D2, and its Char D3 sister project, which resulted in just a single prototype, there were two important technological projects related to the type.

The first was the design of a flamethrower tank. Remarkably, this was not originally motivated by a desire to acquire a weapon able to destroy enemy pillboxes, the normal function of such systems, but inspired by the experience gained during the Spanish Civil War that tanks were quite vulnerable to attacks by portable flamethrowers. From this it was deduced that an entire flamethrower tank, supporting an entrenched position strengthened by antitank-obstacles, should present a most formidable defensive arm against enemy armour.

From 1938 the state Atelier de Rueil, in cooperation with the Chaubeyre factory, constructed a single prototype from one of the original series of fifty, that was finished on 5 December 1939. From the vehicle the turret had been removed and in the fighting compartment a large fuel reservoir was built of two thousand litres, protruding slightly above the hull roof, and containing a mixture of benzol and light oil. Beneath it a fuel pump was installed, able to pump 1800 litres per minute through a nozzle fitted in the front of the hull. The range was about fifty metres. During tests the results were quite impressive and on 28 March 1940 fifty conversion sets were ordered. These were to be of a different model with a smaller nine hundred litres fuel reservoir and using the original turret to place the nozzle in. On 23 April the order was given to rebuilt all fifty vehicles of the first series, in batches of fifteen, but in fact these were, as said, already being rebuilt in an uparming programme.

The second programme was that of a climbing tail. In the First World War such tails, fitted to the back of a tank, had shown themselves quite useful for overcoming trenches and antitank-ditches. The climbing tail was somewhat of a French speciality, mostly neglected by other nations — and indeed from the early thirties by the French too, as they were considered rather old-fashioned, a remnant of outmoded trench warfare. However, when war threatened it was realised that, outmoded or not, ditches would pose a serious obstacle to the French infantry tanks, especially to the shorter types, and existing prescripts about fitting them had better be followed.

On 25 August 1939 the Atelier de Rueil presented to the Commission de Vincennes an advanced prototype of a tail destined for the Char D2, fitted with a towing hook and inbuilt jack. On 2 September the tail was attached by means of rivets and tested from 11 September. Within three days the tail was sent back, however: it had been forgotten that due to its novel construction the Char D2 possessed no real girders at the back to secure the rivets; when they had to carry the entire weight of the tank, the rivets tore themselves from the armour plate. A second type, weighing 210 kilogrammes, and now secured by an attaching welded plate and bolts, was ready in 5 February and approved for production; the French defeat prevented any being fitted to the tanks.

There are no surviving Char D2 vehicles.