Char 2C

Char 2C
Char 2C "Berry", 1928
TypeHeavy tank landship
Super-heavy tank
Place of originFrench Third Republic
Service history
In service1921–1940
Used byFrench Third Republic
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Designed1917
ManufacturerForges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée
Produced1921
No. built10
VariantsChar 2C bis, Char 2C Lorraine
Specifications
Mass69 tonnes (68 long tons; 76 short tons)
Length10.27 m (33 ft 8 in)
Width3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height4.09 m (13 ft 5 in)
Crew12

Armour45 mm (1.8 in) max.
Main
armament
75 mm Canon de 75 modèle 1897
Secondary
armament
Four 8 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine guns (three in gimbal ball mounts at front and both sides forward, one mounted in a rear turret)
EngineTwo engines
2 x 250 CV (180 kW)
Suspensionleaf springs
Operational
range
150 km (93 mi)
Maximum speed 15 km/h (9.3 mph)
Painting of Char 2C Alsace

The Char 2C, also known as the FCM 2C, was a French post WWI heavy tank landship, later considered a super-heavy tank.[1][page needed] It was developed during World War I but not deployed until after the war. It was, in total volume or physical dimensions, the largest operational tank ever made.[2][page needed]

Ten tanks were built in 1921. Although remaining operational, their value at the start of World War II was largely propagandistic. After Germany broke through French defences in June 1940, they were sent away from the front to preserve them. They were unable to reach safety and deliberately destroyed to prevent capture.

  1. ^ Estes, Kenneth W. (2014). Super-heavy Tanks of World War II. New Vanguard No. 216. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781782003830.
  2. ^ Merriam, Ray (23 March 2015). World War II Album Volume 10: French Tanks Char B1 - Char D1 - Char D2 - Char 2c. Merriam Press. ISBN 978-1-329-01004-8.

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