By May 1940, the French army had 2,637 tanks of a new type. Among them: 314 B1, 210 -D1 and D2 tanks, 1070 - R35, AMR, AMS, 308 - H35, 243 - S35, 392 - H38, H39, R40 and 90 FCM tanks. In addition, up to 2,000 old FT17 / 18 combat vehicles (of which 800 were combat-ready) from the period of the First World War and six heavy 2Cs were stored in the parks. 600 armored vehicles and 3,500 armored personnel carriers and tracked tractors supplemented the armored armament of the ground forces. Almost all of this equipment, both damaged during the hostilities and absolutely serviceable, fell into the hands of the Germans.
It can be safely argued that never before has no army in the world captured so much military equipment and ammunition as the Wehrmacht during the French campaign. History does not know and an example that captured weapons in such a large number were adopted by the victorious army. The case is undoubtedly unique! All this also applies to French tanks, the exact number of which is not even named by German sources.
Repaired and repainted in German camouflage, with crosses on the sides, they fought in the ranks of the enemy army right up to 1945. Only a small number of them, located in Africa, as well as in France itself in 1944, were able to again stand under the French banners. The fate of the combat vehicles, forced to operate under a false flag, developed in different ways.
Some tanks, captured by serviceable ones, were used by the Germans during the fighting in France. The bulk of the armored vehicles after the completion of the "French campaign" began to be taken to specially created parks, where they underwent "technical inspection" in order to find out the faults. Then the equipment was sent for repair or re-equipment to French factories, and from there entered the German military units.
However, things did not go further than the formation of four regiments and headquarters of two brigades in the winter of 1941. It soon became clear that units armed with French armored vehicles could not be used in accordance with the tactics of the Wehrmacht's tank forces. And mainly due to the technical imperfection of captured combat vehicles. As a result, at the end of 1941, all regiments that had French tanks were rearmed with German and Czechoslovak combat vehicles. The released captured equipment was used to staff numerous separate units and subunits, which mainly carried out security services in the occupied territories, including parts of the SS and armored trains. The geography of their service was quite extensive: from the islands in the English Channel in the west to Russia in the east and from Norway in the north to Crete in the south. - A significant part of the combat vehicles were converted into various kinds of self-propelled guns, tractors and special vehicles.
The nature of the use of captured vehicles was directly influenced by their tactical and technical characteristics. Only H35 / 39 and S35 were supposed to be used directly as tanks. Apparently, the decisive factor was their higher speed than other machines. According to the initial plans, they were to be equipped with four tank divisions.
After the end of hostilities in France, all serviceable and faulty R35 tanks were sent to the Renault plant in Paris, where they underwent revision or restoration. Due to its low speed, the R35 could not be used as a battle tank, and the Germans subsequently sent about 100 vehicles for security service. 25 of them took part in the battles with the Yugoslav partisans. Most of the tanks were equipped with German radio stations. The domed commander's cupola was replaced by a flat two-piece hatch.
Captured French Renault R35 tanks were initially used by the Wehrmacht in their original form, without any changes, except for new colors and insignia
The Germans transferred part of the R35 to their allies: 109 - Italy and 40 - Bulgaria. In December 1940, the Berlin-based firm Alkett received an order to convert 200 R35 tanks into self-propelled guns armed with a Czech 47-mm anti-tank gun. A similar ACS on the chassis of the German Pz.l tank was used as a prototype. In early February 1941, the first self-propelled gun based on the R35 left the factory shop. The gun was installed in an open-top wheelhouse, located in the place of the dismantled tower. The frontal leaf of the felling was 25 mm thick, and the side plates were 20 mm thick. The vertical pointing angle of the gun ranged from -8 ° to + 12 °, the horizontal angle was 35 °. A German radio station was located in the aft niche of the cabin. The crew consisted of three people. Combat weight - 10, 9 tons. In 1941, one self-propelled gun of this type was armed with the German 50-mm anti-tank gun Rak 38.
Tank run-in. Trophy Renault R35 with a double-leaf hatch instead of a French-style domed turret and a German radio station during training sessions with recruits in France
Light tank 35R 731 (f) from the 12th Special Purpose Tank Company. This company, numbering 25 tanks, conducted counter-guerrilla operations in the Balkans. To increase cross-country ability, all vehicles were equipped with "tails"
Of the 200 ordered vehicles, 174 were made as self-propelled guns, and 26 as commanders. On the latter, the gun was not installed, and its embrasure in the frontal leaf of the cabin was absent. Instead of a cannon, an MG34 machine gun was mounted in a Kugelblende 30 ball mount.
The rest of the R35 tanks, after dismantling the turrets, served in the Wehrmacht as artillery tractors for 150 mm howitzers and 210 mm mortars. The towers were installed on the Atlantic Wall as fixed firing points.
Captured German tank 35R 731 (f) during tests at the NIBT Polygon in Kubinka outside Moscow. 1945 year
German self-propelled artillery mount with a 47-mm Czechoslovak anti-tank gun on the chassis of the French R35 tank
As mentioned above, the Hotchkiss Н35 and Н39 tanks (in the Wehrmacht they were designated 35Н and 38Н) were used by the Germans as … tanks. They also mounted double-leaf turret hatches and installed German radios. The vehicles converted in this way entered service with the German occupation units in Norway, Crete and Lapland. In addition, they were intermediate weapons in the formation of new tank divisions of the Wehrmacht, for example, the 6th, 7th and 10th. As of May 31, 1943, 355 35N and 38N tanks were in operation in the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, SS troops and others.
15 machines of this type were transferred to Hungary in 1943, another 19, in 1944, to Bulgaria. Croatia received several 38Ns.
Between 1943 and 1944, 60 chassis of the Hotchkiss tanks were converted into a 75-mm self-propelled anti-tank gun. Instead of the removed turret, an impressive size was mounted on the tank's hull with an open-top wheelhouse, in which a 75-mm Rak 40 cannon was installed. The thickness of the frontal armor plates of the wheelhouse was 20 mm, the side armor plates - 10 mm. With a crew of four, the combat mass of the vehicles was 12.5 tons. The Baukommando Becker enterprise (apparently an army repair plant) was engaged in the conversion of tanks into the self-propelled guns.
At the same enterprise, 48 "hotchkiss" were converted into a self-propelled gun armed with a 105-mm howitzer. Outwardly, it was similar to the previous vehicle, but its wheelhouse housed a 105 mm leFH 18/40 howitzer. The vertical aiming angles of the gun ranged from -2 ° to + 22 °. The crew consisted of five people. 12 self-propelled guns of this type entered service with the 200th assault gun division.
Some of the captured R35 tanks were converted into artillery and evacuation tractors. Attention is drawn to the military alteration - the cabin of the driver
French tanks R35, H35 and FT17 in one of the German parks of captured equipment. France, 1940
Trophy tank 38H (f) from one of the Luftwaffe units. The vehicle is armed with a 37 mm SA18 cannon, equipped with a "tail" and a radio station
Tanks 38H (f) of the 2nd battalion of the 202nd tank regiment during training sessions in France. 1941 year. On all vehicles, the domed commander's turrets were replaced by hatches with double-leaf covers, German radio stations were installed
For units armed with self-propelled guns based on Hotchkiss tanks, 24 tanks were converted into vehicles for forward artillery observers, the so-called grosser Funk-und Befehlspanzer 38H (f). A small number of 38Ns were used for training purposes, as tractors, ammunition carriers and ARVs. It is interesting to note an attempt to increase the tank's firepower by installing four launch frames for 280- and 320-mm rockets. On the initiative of the 205th tank battalion (Pz. Abt. 205), 11 tanks were equipped in this way.
After the rearmament of the 201-204th tank regiments with German armored vehicles, captured French tanks carried guard duty in almost all theaters of military operations. These two Hotchkiss H39 tanks are photographed on a snowy road in Russia. March 1942
Captured German tank 38H (f) at the NIBT Polygon in Kubinka. 1945 year. Attention is drawn to the fact that this car is covered with "zimmerite"
Due to their small number, FCM36 tanks were not used by the Wehrmacht for their intended purpose. 48 vehicles were converted into self-propelled artillery units: 24 - with a 75-mm anti-tank gun Rak 40, the rest - with a 105-mm leFH 16 howitzer. All self-propelled guns were manufactured in Baukommando Becker. Eight anti-tank self-propelled guns, as well as several 105-mm self-propelled howitzers, entered service with the 200th assault gun division, included in the 21st tank division. Part of the self-propelled guns also received the so-called Fast Brigade "West" - Schnellen Brigade West.
Light tank 38H (f) during training sessions in one of the Wehrmacht units in Norway. 1942 year
Captured French tank 38H (f) during one of the counter-guerrilla operations in the mountains of Yugoslavia. 1943 year
Tank 38H (f) during training sessions runs into a smoke grenade. The 211st tank battalion, which included this vehicle, was stationed in Finland in 1941-1945
The Germans also did not use the few D2 medium tanks that they inherited. It is only known that their towers were installed on Croatian armored trains.
As for the SOMUA medium tanks, most of the 297 units captured by the Germans under the designation Pz. Kpfw. 35S 739 (f) were included in the Wehrmacht's tank units. SOMUA have undergone some modernization: they installed German Fu 5 radio stations and retrofitted the commander's cupola with a double-leaf hatch (but not all vehicles underwent such alteration). In addition, a fourth crew member was added - a radio operator, and the loader moved to the tower, where there were now two people. These tanks were supplied mainly to manning tank regiments (100, 201, 202, 203, 204 Panzer-Regiment) and individual tank battalions (202, 205, 206, 211, 212, 213, 214, 223 Panzer-Abteilung). Most of these units were stationed in France and served as a reserve for replenishing the tank units of the Wehrmacht.
For example, at the beginning of 1943, on the basis of the 100th tank regiment (armed mainly with S35 tanks), the 21st tank division was again formed, completely defeated at Stalingrad by units of the Red Army. The revived division was stationed in Normandy, in June 1944, after the Allied landings in France, took an active part in the battles.
In the 205th tank battalion, 11 38H (f) tanks were equipped with launch frames for 280 and 320 mm rockets. The photo on the left shows the moment of the shot.
Four launch frames were attached to each 38H (f) tank. The photo shows how the sergeant-major is screwing a fuse into a rocket.
As of July 1, 1943, in the active parts of the Wehrmacht (not counting warehouses and parks) there were 144 SOMUA: in Army Group Center - 2, in Yugoslavia - 43, in France - 67, in Norway - 16 (as part of 211- 1st tank battalion), in Finland - 16 (as part of the 214th tank battalion). On March 26, 1945, the German tank units still had five 35S tanks operating against the Anglo-American forces on the Western Front.
It should be noted that the Germans used a number of SOMUA tanks to fight partisans and protect rear facilities, 60 units were converted into artillery tractors (the tower and the upper front part of the hull were dismantled from them), and 15 vehicles entered service with armored trains No. 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30. Structurally, these armored trains consisted of a semi-armored steam locomotive, two open-top armored platforms for infantry and three special platforms with ramps for S35 tanks.
An American soldier examines a captured 38H (f) tank. 1944 year
Forward artillery observer vehicle based on 38H (f)
105 mm leFH 18 self-propelled howitzer on the 38H (f) light tank chassis
Self-propelled artillery installation Marder I, armed with a 75-mm anti-tank gun Rak 40
Marder I on the Eastern Front. Eve of Operation Citadel, June 1943
Tanks of armored train number 28 took part in the assault on the Brest Fortress, for which they had to leave their platforms. On June 23, 1941, one of these vehicles was hit by hand grenades at the northern gate of the fortress, and another S35 was damaged there by anti-aircraft gun fire. The third tank broke into the central courtyard of the citadel, where it was knocked out by artillerymen of the 333rd Infantry Regiment. The Germans managed to evacuate two cars immediately. After repairs, they again took part in the battles. In particular, on June 27, the Germans used one of them against the Eastern Fort. The tank fired at the embrasures of the fort, as a result, as stated in the report of the headquarters of the 45th German Infantry Division, the Russians began to behave quieter, but the continuous shooting of snipers continued from the most unexpected places.
As part of the aforementioned armored trains, the S35 tanks were operated until 1943, when they were replaced by the Czechoslovakian Pz.38 (t).
Field Marshal E. Rommel (far left) inspects a unit of self-propelled anti-tank guns Marder I. France, 1944.
ACS with a 75-mm cannon based on the FCM (f) tank in the factory shop
After the occupation of France, the Germans repaired and returned to service 161 heavy tank B1 bis, which received the designation Pz. Kpfw in the Wehrmacht. B2 740 (f). Most of the vehicles retained their standard armament, but German radio stations were installed, and the commander's cupola was replaced with a simple hatch with a two-piece lid. Towers were removed from several tanks and all weapons were dismantled. As such, they were used to train driver mechanics.
In March 1941, the Rheinmetall-Borsig company in Dusseldorf converted 16 combat vehicles into self-propelled units, having mounted an armored wheelhouse with a 105-mm leFH 18 howitzer in place of the previous armament and turret.
105 mm self-propelled howitzer based on the captured French FCM tank.
The internal volume of the armored cabin open from above. The placement of ammunition is clearly visible
On the basis of French heavy tanks, the Germans created a large number of combat flamethrower vehicles. At a meeting with Hitler on May 26, 1941, the possibility of arming captured B2 tanks with flamethrowers was discussed. The Fuehrer ordered the formation of two companies, equipped with such machines. On the first 24 B2, flamethrowers of the same system as on the German Pz.ll (F), operating on compressed nitrogen, were installed. The flamethrower was located inside the hull, in place of the removed 75-mm cannon. All tanks were sent to the 10th battalion, formed by June 20, 1941. It consisted of two companies, each, in addition to 12 flamethrower vehicles, had three support tanks (line B2, armed with a 75-mm cannon). The 102nd battalion arrived on the Eastern Front on June 23 and was subordinated to the headquarters of the 17th Army, whose divisions stormed the Przemysl fortified area.
The first S35 tanks prepared for service in the Wehrmacht. The tanks are painted gray, equipped with radios and Notek headlights. On the starboard side, the characteristic form of ammunition boxes are reinforced
A column of tanks 35S (f) of one of the Wehrmacht units passes under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. 1941 year
Tank 35S (f) from the 204th German tank regiment. Crimea, 1942
The 35S (f) tank captured by the Red Army at an exhibition of captured equipment at the Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure in Moscow. July 1943
German armored train number 28 (Panzerzug Nr. 28). Eastern Front, summer 1941. This armored train consisted of three special platforms (Panzertragerwagen) with S35 tanks. In the picture above, you can clearly see the attachment points of the tank on the platform. The hinged ramp, with the help of which the tank could descend to the ground, was laid on the ballast platform. The platform for the infantry, covered with a tarpaulin, is visible behind the platform with the tank.
She, but without a tarp
On June 24, 1941, the battalion supported the offensive of the 24th Infantry Division. On June 26, the attacks were continued, but this time together with the 296th Infantry Division. On June 29, with the participation of flamethrower tanks, the assault on Soviet pillboxes began. The report of the commander of the 2nd battalion of the 520th infantry regiment makes it possible to restore the picture of the battle. On the evening of June 28, the 102nd battalion of flamethrower tanks reached the indicated starting positions. At the sound of tank engines, the enemy opened fire from cannons and machine guns, but there were no casualties. With a delay caused by thick fog, at 5.55 on June 29, 8, 8 cm Flak opened direct fire at the embrasures of the pillboxes. Anti-aircraft gunners fired until 7.04, when most of the embrasures were hit and fell silent. On a green rocket, the 102nd flamethrower battalion launched the attack at 07.05. Engineering units accompanied the tanks. Their task was to install high-explosive charges under the enemy's defensive fortifications. When some pillboxes opened fire, the sappers were forced to hide in an anti-tank ditch. 88-mm anti-aircraft guns and other types of heavy weapons returned fire. The sappers were able to achieve their assigned goals, lay and detonate high-explosive charges. The pillboxes were badly damaged by 88-mm guns and fired only occasionally. Flamethrower tanks were able to approach the pillboxes almost close, but the defenders of the fortifications offered desperate resistance, knocking out two of them from the 76-mm cannon. Both cars burned down, but the crews managed to leave them. The flamethrower tanks did not manage to hit the pillboxes, since the combustible mixture could not penetrate inside through the ball mounts. The defenders of the fortifications continued to fire.
Tank S35 on the platform of armored train number 28. Armored cover of the tank undercarriage is clearly visible
Tank 35S (f) of the commander of the 2nd company of the 214th tank battalion. Norway, 1942
Command tank equipped with a second radio station (its loop antenna is fixed on the roof of the MTO). Instead of the weapon, its wooden model is installed. France, 1941
White painted 35S (f) medium tank from the 211st German tank battalion. The identification mark for the vehicles of this battalion was a colored stripe applied along the perimeter of the tower.
Tank 35S (f) from the 100th Panzer Regiment in Normandy. 1944 year
35S (f) of the 6th company of the 100th Panzer Regiment of the 21st Panzer Division. Normandy, 1944. By the time the Allies landed, the regiment's rearmament with Pz. IV tanks had not yet been completed, so captured French tanks went into battle.
On June 30, the 102nd battalion was transferred to the direct subordination of the headquarters of the 17th army, and on July 27 it was disbanded.
Further development of German tank flamethrowers took place using all the same Pz. B2. For new types of weapons, a pump operated from the J10 engine was used. These flamethrowers had a firing range of up to 45 m, the supply of a combustible mixture made it possible to fire 200 shots. They were installed in the same place - in the building. The tank with a combustible mixture was located on the back of the armor. The Daimler-Benz company developed a scheme for improving the armor of the tank, the Kebe company developed a flamethrower, and the Wegmann company carried out the final assembly.
Training sessions with captured French Blbis tanks in the 100th reserve tank battalion of the Wehrmacht. France, 1941 (right). One of the B2 (f) tanks of the 213rd tank battalion. 1944 year. The combat vehicles of this unit, stationed in the Channel Islands, met the end of World War II without ever being in battle.
It was planned to convert ten B2 tanks in this way in December 1941 and the next ten in January 1942. In reality, the production of flamethrower machines was much slower: although five units were ready already in November, but in December only three were produced, in March 1942 - three more, in April - two, in May - three and, finally, in June - the last four. The further progress of the work is unknown, since the order for the alteration was sent to French enterprises.
In total, in 1941 - 1942, about 60 B2 (FI) flamethrower tanks were manufactured. Together with other B2, they were in service with quite a few units of the German army. So, for example, as of May 31, 1943, the 223rd tank battalion had 16 B2 (of which 12 were flamethrower); in the 100th tank brigade - 34 (24); in the 213rd tank battalion - 36 (10); in the SS Mountain Rifle Division "Prince Eugene" - 17 B2 and B2 (FI).
B2 were used in the Wehrmacht until the end of the war, especially in troops located in France. In February 1945, there were still about 40 such tanks here.
Serial flamethrower tank B2 (F1) from the 213rd tank battalion. The installation of the flamethrower and the observation device of the arrow-flamethrower are clearly visible
Flamethrower tank B2 (F1) in battle. The firing range of the flamethrower reached 45 m
As for French tanks of other brands, they were practically not used by the Wehrmacht, although many of them received German designations. The only exception is the AMR 35ZT light reconnaissance tank. Some of these machines, which had no combat value, in 1943-1944 were converted into self-propelled mortars. The turret was dismantled from the tank, and in its place was erected an open top and rear box-shaped wheelhouse, welded from 10-mm armor plates. An 81-mm Granatwerfer 34 mortar was installed in the wheelhouse. The crew of the vehicle was four people, the combat weight was 9 tons.
The story of the use of captured French tanks in the Wehrmacht would be incomplete without mentioning the FT17 / 18. As a result of the 1940 campaign, the Germans captured 704 Renault FT tanks, of which only about 500 were in good condition. Some of the vehicles were also repaired under the designation Pz. Kpfw. 17R 730 (f) or 18R 730 (f) (tanks with a cast turret) were used for the patrol and security service. Renault also served to train driver mechanics of German units in France. Some of the disarmed vehicles were used as mobile command and observation posts. In April 1941, a hundred Renault FTs with 37-mm cannons were allocated to reinforce the armored trains. They were attached to railway platforms, thus receiving additional armored cars. These armored trains patrolled the roads along the coast of the English Channel. In June 1941, a number of Renault armored trains were assigned to fight partisans in the occupied territories. Five tanks on railway platforms were used to protect roads in Serbia. For the same purposes, several Renault were used in Norway. They constantly exploited captured Renault and Luftwaffe, which used them (about 100 in total) to guard airfields, as well as to clear runways. For this, bulldozer blades were installed on several tanks without towers.
80-mm self-propelled mortar based on the light tank AMR 34ZT (f)
In 1941, 20 Renault FT towers with 37-mm cannons were installed on concrete foundations on the coast of the English Channel.
After the defeat of France, a significant number of French armored vehicles fell into the hands of the Germans. However, most of them were of outdated designs and did not meet the requirements of the Wehrmacht. The Germans hastened to get rid of such machines and handed them over to their allies. As a result, the German army used only one type of French armored car - AMD Panhard 178.
More than 200 of these vehicles are designated Pz. Spah. 204 (f) entered the field troops and SS units, and 43 were converted into armored tires. On the latter, a German radio station with a frame-type antenna was installed. On June 22, 1941, there were 190 "Pan-dars" on the Eastern Front, 107 of them were lost by the end of the year. As of June 1943, the Wehrmacht still had 30 vehicles on the Eastern Front and 33 on the Western. In addition, some of the armored cars by this time were transferred to the security divisions.
The French government of Vichy received permission from the Germans to keep a small number of armored vehicles of this type, but at the same time they demanded to dismantle the standard 25-mm cannons. In November 1942, when the Nazis invaded the "free" zone (unoccupied south of France), these vehicles were captured and used for police functions, and in 1943 the Germans armed some of the "Panars" without towers with a 50-mm tank gun.
A group of captured French FT17 tanks from one of the Luftwaffe units. These outdated combat vehicles, which had limited mobility, were nevertheless successfully used to guard rear airfields.
Some of the FT17 tanks were used by the Germans as fixed firing points - a kind of bunkers. This tank was installed at a checkpoint at a crossroads near Dieppe in 1943. In the foreground is a German soldier near a captured French machine gun Hotchkiss mod. 1914 (in the Wehrmacht - sMG 257 (f)
The Germans also actively used the large fleet of French artillery tractors and armored personnel carriers, which included both wheeled and tracked and half-tracked vehicles. And if the half-track Citroen P19 cars were operated in the "West" brigade without any major alterations, then many other models of equipment have undergone significant changes.
For example, the Germans used the French four-wheel drive two- and three-axle specialized army trucks Laffly V15 and W15. These machines were operated in various parts of the Wehrmacht, mainly in pristine condition. However, in the "West" brigade, 24 W15T trucks were converted into mobile radio stations, and several vehicles were equipped with armored hulls, turning them into wheeled armored personnel carriers.
Since 1941, the German troops stationed in France, as an artillery tractor for 75-mm anti-tank guns, 105-mm light field howitzers and mortars, a transporter for transporting personnel, an ambulance and a radio vehicle, a carrier of ammunition and equipment, has been using the captured Unic half-track tractor Р107 - leichter Zugkraftwagen U304 (f). Only in the brigade "West" there were more than a hundred such vehicles. In 1943, a number of them were equipped with an armored body with an open-top body (for this, the chassis frame had to be lengthened by 350 mm) and reclassified into armored personnel carriers - leichter Schutzenpanzerwagen U304 (f), close in size to the German Sd. Kfz.250. At the same time, some of the machines had open, and some - closed hulls. Several armored personnel carriers were armed with a 37-mm Rak 36 anti-tank gun with a standard shield.
Panhard AMD178 armored car in the 39th anti-tank division of the 3rd German tank division. Summer 1940. For unknown reasons, the vehicle lacks a turret; two MG34 machine guns are used as armament.
The captured Pan-hard 178 (f) armored vehicles were also used in police formations in the occupied territories. Armored vehicle during the "restoring order" in the Russian village
Panhard 178 (f) armored car, equipped with a new open top turret with a 50 mm KwK L42 cannon. 1943 year
A number of tractors were converted into semi-armored ZSU armed with a 20-mm anti-aircraft machine gun Rak 38. An even larger series (72 units) in Baukommando Becker produced an armored ZSU with similar weapons. These vehicles also entered service with the West Brigade.
The heavier half-track tractors SOMUA MCL - Zugkraftwagen S303 (f) and SOMUA MCG - Zugkraftwagen S307 (f) were used as artillery tractors. Some of them were also equipped with an armored body in 1943. At the same time, they were supposed to be used both as armored tractors - the mittlerer gepanzerter Zugkraftwagen S303 (f), and as armored personnel carriers - the mittlerer Schutzenpanzerwagen S307 (f). In addition, combat vehicles were created on their basis: m SPW S307 (f) mit Reihenwerfer - self-propelled multi-barrel mortar (36 units manufactured); a double-row package of 16 barrels of French 81-mm mortars was mounted in the rear of the vehicle on a special frame; 7, 5 cm Cancer 40 auf m SPW S307 (f) - self-propelled 75 mm anti-tank gun (72 units manufactured); armored ammunition carrier (48 units manufactured); an engineering vehicle equipped with special walkways for overcoming ditches; 8 cm Raketenwerfer auf m.gep. Zgkw. S303 (f) - rocket launcher with a package of guides for launching 48 rockets, copied from the Soviet 82-mm BM-8-24 launcher (6 units were manufactured); 8-cm schwerer Reihenwerfer auf m.gep Zgkw. S303 (f) - self-propelled multi-barreled mortar (16 units manufactured) with a package of 20 barrels of captured French mortars Granatwerfer 278 (f).
A radio vehicle based on Panhard 178 (f) from the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibshtan-dart Adolf Hitler". Instead of a turret, the vehicle is equipped with a fixed wheelhouse with an MG34 machine gun installed in the frontal sheet.
Panhard 178 (f) armored railcar. Vehicles of this type were attached to armored trains and were intended for reconnaissance. Like German armored cars, the captured French armored car is equipped with a frame antenna, the mounting method of which did not interfere with the circular rotation of the turret.
All these combat vehicles were used by the Wehrmacht and the SS troops during the fighting in France in 1944.
Of the purely tracked French combat vehicles captured and widely used by the Germans, the first to be mentioned is the multipurpose transporter Renault UE (Infanterieschlepper UE 630 (f). It was originally used as a light tractor for transporting equipment and ammunition (including on the Eastern Front With an armored cabin and armed with a UE 630 (f) machine gun, it was used for police and security functions. parts - 3, 7 cm Cancer 36 (Sf) auf Infanterieschlepper UE 630 (f). At the same time, the upper machine and the cannon shield remained unchanged. Another 40 transporters were equipped with a special armored wheelhouse located in the aft part, where the radio station was located. as communication and surveillance vehicles in units armed with captured French tanks. converted into cable layers. In 1943, almost all vehicles that had not been altered earlier were equipped with launchers for heavy jet mines - 28/32 cm Wurfrahmen (Sf) auf Infanterieschlepper UE 630 (f).
Wheeled armored personnel carriers manufactured by the West Brigade on the basis of the French Laffly W15T all-wheel drive trucks. On the left - with the second axle removed, on the right - on the original chassis
Light armored personnel carriers U304 (f). Above - a headquarters armored personnel carrier with two radio stations, below - a company commander's car armed with a 37-mm anti-tank cannon Rak 36 and an MG34 machine gun on an anti-aircraft mount
U304 (f) armored personnel carrier en route to the front line. Normandy, 1944
Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on U304 (f), armed with a 20-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun Flak 38. The vehicle tows a trailer with ammunition
A battery of semi-armored ZSU on the U304 (f) chassis during a combat training mission. France, 1943
Combat vehicles based on the Somua S307 (f) artillery tractor: 75-mm self-propelled anti-tank gun
16-barrel self-propelled mortar
Self-propelled launcher on the S303 (f) tractor chassis - 8-cm-Raketenwerfer. These vehicles were made by order of the SS troops.
At first, the 300 captured Lorraine 37L tracked armored personnel carriers were not actively exploited in the Wehrmacht. An attempt to use them for the transportation of various cargoes was not very successful: with a mass of 6 tons, the carrying capacity of the tractor was only 800 kg. Therefore, already in 1940, the first attempts were made to convert these vehicles into self-propelled guns: 47-mm French anti-tank guns were mounted on several tractors. The massive conversion of tractors into self-propelled units began in 1942. Three types of self-propelled guns were made on the Lorraine 37L chassis: 7, 5 cm Cancer 40/1 auf Lorraine Schlepper (f) Marder I (Sd. Kfz.135) - self-propelled 75-mm anti-tank gun (179 units manufactured); 15 cm sFH 13/1 auf Lorraine Schlepper (f) (Sd. Kfz. 135/1) - self-propelled 150 mm howitzer (94 units manufactured); 10, 5 cm leFH 18/4 auf Lorraine Schlepper (f) - 105 mm self-propelled howitzer (12 units manufactured).
All these self-propelled guns were structurally and externally similar to each other and differed from each other mainly only in the artillery system, which was located in the box-shaped wheelhouse located at the stern of the vehicle, open from above.
Self-propelled guns on the Lorraine chassis were also used by the Germans on the Eastern Front and in North Africa, and in 1944 in France.
One of the German armored trains included an ACS on the Lorraine Schlepper (f) chassis, in which a Soviet 122-mm howitzer MLO was installed in the standard wheelhouse.
On the basis of the Lorraine tractor, the Germans created 30 fully armored surveillance and communications vehicles.
Self-propelled launcher for 280- and 320-mm rockets on the chassis of the captured French light tractor Renault UE (f). The second installation option provided for the fastening of the launch frames along the sides of the vehicle body.
A mobile command and observation post, made on the basis of a light tractor UE (f). In the rectangular wheelhouse, located in the rear of the vehicle hull, there was a stereo tube and a radio station.
The most successful variant of the alteration of the French light tractor Penault UE (f) is a self-propelled artillery unit armed with a 37-mm anti-tank gun Rak 36
75-mm self-propelled anti-tank gun based on the Lorraine-S (f) artillery tractor. In the troops, these systems were called Marder I
A vehicle for forward artillery observers, a mobile command post based on the Lorraine-S (f) artillery tractor. 30 of these vehicles entered service with artillery batteries equipped with self-propelled guns based on this French tractor.
75-mm self-propelled anti-tank gun Marder I in a firing position. Eastern Front, 1943
150 mm self-propelled howitzer 15-cm-sFH 13/1 based on the Lorraine-S (f) artillery tractor. On the front walls of the armored wheelhouse, open from above, there are spare road wheels of a 105-mm self-propelled howitzer
10.5-cm-leFH 18/4 based on the Lorraine-S (f) artillery tractor
Battery of 105 mm self-propelled howitzers on the march. France, 1943
