The AMR 33/35, french light cavalry tank.

[Lord_Waka 1,932]

During the first world war, the french army armored vehicles has been divided in two branches: The armored cars, belonging to the cavalry, and the tanks, used by the infantry to support it's assault. At the end of the war, the infantry was clearly the strongest, with more than 3 000 tanks (The strongest armored force in the whole world), the majority of them being the very successfull FT-17. The cavalry only had some tens of armored car, the first White (A modern and nice vehicle) and some old vehicles on civilian chassis.

During the whole interbellum, the cavalry kept it's great White and used some news wheeled vehicles. The first use of tracked vehicles came in the early 30s wich the semi-tracked AMC Schneider P16. In fact, the cavalry wasn't especially asking for wheeled vehicle, but at this time, the concept of cavalry tank didn't really existed.

In January 1932, the cavalry emitted a tender for a reconnaissance armored car (Automitrailleuse de reconnaissance/AMR). The cavalry wanted a 3.5 tons vehicle, armed with a 7.5mm machine-gun, with a armor of 9mm (Mounted to 13 in December)and a max speed of 35 Km/h.

 

 

Renault answered with the VM project. It was a tracked vehicle (the suspensions were based on the Renault UE tankette), with a weight heavier than what the tender requested but a better max speed (up to 60 Km/h). Five prototypes of the Renault VM were ordered, and tested during the trainings of 1932. The VM was finally ordered in March 1933 and designated AMR 33. 

The AMR 33 was a really light tanks (5 tons in battle order), armed with a MAC 31 7.5mm machine-gun in the turret (Another machine-guns was stocked in the tank, being able to replace the turret machine-gun or to be used as anti-air weapon). The Machine-gun had 2 250 bullets in 15 cartridge clip of 150. The vehicle was powered by a Renault 24 CV 85hp engine for a max speed of 60 Km/h onroad. The vehicle had a armor of 13mm, sufficient to protect the two crew members (Driver and commander/gunner/loader) from light machine-gun fire. 

118 series vehicle were made (Plus three prototypes upgraded to the series standard, the two others being used on a other project). They were delivered in 1934-35. In the winter of 1939, the vehicles were given to the Dragons portés regiments (Mobile infantry), to be used as support vehicles, and were used in this role during the campaign of France. They suffered heavy losses, their machine-gun being to weak to serve against tanks, but their armor being too iow ro resist from 20mm shells.

A light serlf-propulsed gun, the Renault VE, was also made on the chassis of the AMR 33. But the prototype was made at a time when the machine was already close to be obsolete (1935), and this light tank hunter stayed at a prototype stage. It was armed with a long 37mm gun.

 

 

Even before the first deliveries of the AMR 33, the vehicle was already critized. The main problem was the engine, placed in the right-center of the tank: It reduced the crew space and unbalanced the vehicle. Renault worked on a improved version of it's vehicle, longer and with the engine at the rear. The two first prototypes of this machine were the Renault VM prototypes, redesignated Renault ZT after the upgrade, followed by a all-new prototype. The model was ordered in may 1934 under the designation of AMR 35 ZT-1.

Another major upgrade of the AMR 35 was the armament: On some of the ZT-1 (80 on 167), the 7.5mm machine-gun in a Avis N°1 turret was replaced by a 13.2mm Hotchkiss mod 1930 weapon, with 1 220 bullets in 37 cartridge clip of 20. Like for the 7.5mm version and the AMR 33, another machine-gun was avaible in the vehicle.

167 ZT-1 were made between 1935 and 1938. The French cavalry was wanting to order more vehicles, but the Hotchkiss H35 light tank (A infantry programm !) was finally imposed to the cavalry. Like their AMR 33 ancestor, the AMR 35 ZT-1 were used as infantry-support vehicles during the campaign. 

 

 

But the AMR 35 was derivated into two tank hunter models. The first one was the AMR 35 ZT-2. This vehicle use a 25mm SA 34 gun (50 shells) and a 7.5mm machine-gun in the new APX 5 turret. Only ten ZT-2 were ever built. 

 

 

The ZT-3 used the same 25mm SA 34, but was a unturreted vehicle. Without a turret, it was possible to carry more shells (80). It also used a 7.5mm MAC 31 machine-guns. Like for the ZT-2, only ten ZT-3 were ever built.

The ZT-2/3 vehicles were meant to enter in the "classic" AMR squadrons to give them a serious defence against ennemy armored vehicles.

 

 

A fourth version of the AMR 35 was made, the ZT-4. This version was meant for Indochina, where the french units were only equiped with old FT-17 tanks from WW1. One of the major difference is that some of the ZT-4 (18 out of 55) were intended to use the FT turret and it's 37mm SA 18 gun instead of the Avis N°1 turret (That the others were carrying). No ZT-4 were ever sent to Indochina: The vehicles, delivered in the spring of 1940, were used (Most of them without turret) in France. 

 

 

(Here you can see the ventilation, one of the difference between the ZT-4 and the others models)

Another AMR 35 variant was the ADF 1, a commandement vehicle with two radios (ER 26ter and ER 29) and three crew members. The vehicle had no turret, but had a 7.5mm machine-gun for it's defence.

 

 

The Renault YS was a ligh commandement vehicle on the chassis of the AMR 35. Only ten YS were ever made, the model being by tanks, cavalry and infantry units.

 

 

The YS 2 was a derivate of the YS. It was a artillery-observation vehicle. The single vehicle made was put in a unit for trials in 1939-1940 and probably seen fights during the campaign of France.

 

 

After June 1940, the AMR were used by Germany as light security vehicles. Some of them were turned into light self-propulsed guns.

After the invasion of France, the AMR were used by the germans as light security vehicles, some of them being turned into light self-propulsed guns. During the famous insurrection of Prague, three ZT-4 were captured by the rebels and used to guard their HQ. The fate of those vehicles after the capture of Prague by the soviets is unknow.

 

 

(A ZT-4 in Prague)

[Stuka_Hunter 3,408]

Cute tank.

[Sodanjumala 589]

AMR is rather unknown as it was never made in huge numbers and poor combat perfomance didn't help. For scouting, French had much better armored cars for the job and most of them were better armed then AMR.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Sodanjumala

[Lord_Waka 1,932]

AMR is rather unknown as it was never made in huge numbers and poor combat perfomance didn't help. For scouting, French had much better armored cars for the job and most of them were better armed then AMR.

"Rather unknow" not really... There are several projects based on the AMR that are sightly unknow (There was a project for a airborne tank, that was never made, or the german conversions that are also not really know), but the original vehicles are well-know. 

 

"It was never made in huge numbers"

 

123 AMR 33 + 167 AMR 35 ZT-1 + 10 AMR 35 ZT-2 + 10 AMR 35 ZT-3 = 310 vehicle, it's not huge but it's not that Iow.

 

"Poor performances"

 

The AMR crew and the french cavalry were considering their vehicle as excellent. The only thing that stopped more order is the fact that the Hotchkiss light tank was imposed to the cavalry by the governement. 

 

I assume that you are talking about the AMD 35 Panhard 178 for the armored car. It was a awesome armored car, that's true, but it doesn't mean that the AMR were obsolete. The AMR were better in offroad use, and had a Iower profile.