FCM 1A - Misplaced Pages

Heavy tank

FCM 1A
FCM 1A
Type	Heavy tank
Place of origin	France
Specifications
Mass	41.2 t (45.4 short tons)
Length	8.27 m (27 ft 2 in)
Width	2.842 m (9 ft 3.9 in)
Height	3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Crew	7, later reduced to 6

Armor	35 mm (1.4 in) front, 21 mm (0.83 in) sides and rear.
Main armament	Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider, 122 rounds
Secondary armament	2 8mm Lebel Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun
Engine	Renault, twelve cylinder 220 horsepower (160 kW)
Ground clearance	40 mm (1.6 in)
Maximum speed	2–10 km/h (1.2–6.2 mph)

The FCM 1A was French heavy tank that served as a prototype of the char 2C.

Development

The FCM 1A began development in January 1917 when 200 hp engines became available. Trials were planned to start at the beginning of May after the first prototype began construction in April. However, after the failed Nivelle Offensive, the first operation where French tanks were used, all French tank development was halted. After a reversal of that decision, development was repeatedly delayed due to multiple problems.

Testing began on 20 November 1917 after six months of delays. The vehicle was the largest tank built up to that point, measuring 8.27 m (27.1 ft) long. The hull was extremely elongated in order to cross the trenches of the Western Front. The tank originally had a crew of 7, but the crew was reduced to 6 in December. The main armament was a shortened version of the Canon de 105 Court Schneider with a large ammunition capacity of 122 rounds.

It had a Renault 220 hp engine, allowing a maximum speed of 10 km/h (6.2 mph) and a minimum speed of 2 km/h (1.2 mph). The suspension consisted of bogies, sprung by leaf springs, of four wheels. The tank could cross a 3.5 m (11 ft) gap and overcome a 1 m (3.3 ft) gap.

Mobility tests showed issues with the tank’s tracks and with the engine overheating, but mobility was deemed unsatisfactory. Firing tests conducted between 5 and 7 February 1918 also had satisfactory results.

References

Citations

Press (2017), p. 43.
^ Press (2017), p. 44.
Press (2017), p. 45.

Bibliography

Ray, Merriam (2017-04-01). World War 2 In Review: French Fighting Vehicles. Merriam Press. ISBN 9781365864865 – via Lulu Press, Inc.
"1916 FCM 1A Heavy Tank". www.chars-francais.net (in French). 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2022.

v t e Tanks of the First World War
Light	M1918 Ford 3-ton tank M1917 light tank Renault FT
Medium	Medium Mark A Whippet Medium Mark B Medium Mark C
Heavy	A7V Mark I Mark II Mark III Mark IV Mark V Mark V* Mark V** Mark VIII Saint-Chamond Schneider CA1
Prototypes, experimentals	CLB 75 Tank FCM 1A Fiat 2000 Holt gas–electric tank Little Willie LK I LK II Mark VII Skeleton tank Steam tank Steam Wheel Tank Sturmpanzerwagen Oberschlesien Tsar Tank Vezdekhod
World War I tanks List of combat vehicles of World War I Background: History of the tank, Tank classification, Tanks in World War I

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World War I tanks of France