Tank Chats

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 681

  • @thetankmuseum
    @thetankmuseum  2 ปีที่แล้ว +168

    Hello Tank Nuts! Let us know your thoughts on this week's video from David Willey.

    • @Panzer_Tracks
      @Panzer_Tracks 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      1 word: AMAZING! Keep up the great work.

    • @fatherglyn
      @fatherglyn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      They are now part of my standard Friday viewings and have encouraged me to be a friend and patreon of the museum. Fascinating and I love these more in-depth explorations.

    • @PanzerBuyer
      @PanzerBuyer 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Loving the long video!

    • @noobepro_7146
      @noobepro_7146 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Amazing as always. But it way better if you remove the sound when you play the war footage at the beginning of the video

    • @lairdcummings9092
      @lairdcummings9092 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Nice slice of information, especially the social context around the 'development hell' that plagued interwar French armor.

  • @kevcom2001
    @kevcom2001 2 ปีที่แล้ว +618

    As a modern Schneider employee it's always fun seeing some of our old products. ....Not that we make tanks anymore.

    • @bryankennedy7123
      @bryankennedy7123 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      I'm intrigued at how the first Schneider and this one have vaguely similar running gear.

    • @russwoodward8251
      @russwoodward8251 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      I laughed at that as Schneider is a big customer of ours.

    • @Shelmerdine745
      @Shelmerdine745 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      You should probably start doing that again.

    • @vaclavholek4497
      @vaclavholek4497 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Just installed some Schneider electrical components on a job last week. I was telling my co-workers that Schneider made tanks, and they were shocked.

    • @Sseltraeh89
      @Sseltraeh89 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      As someone who works for subcontractor manufacturing parts for Schneider: You guys should get back to it. Would be way cooler.

  • @amarrhardin
    @amarrhardin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +460

    My 7 year old son got me into this channel and now I am addicted.

    • @MotionMcAnixx
      @MotionMcAnixx 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      That is so sweet!

    • @nigeh5326
      @nigeh5326 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Maybe buy him something from the museum online shop to say thanks, especially with Christmas approaching 😊

    • @michaireneuszjakubowski5289
      @michaireneuszjakubowski5289 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      You've got to have a very intelligent and curious 7 year old kid for him to be interested in such voluminous talks!

    • @slartybartfarst55
      @slartybartfarst55 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      From your name, your son will also be able to help you plot out the Future of Humanity

    • @melancholyflapper7027
      @melancholyflapper7027 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Cherish that intergenerational passion - and I think it says something about how good this channel is considering it can appeal to all ages, and /how/.

  • @drdinod.diplodocus3397
    @drdinod.diplodocus3397 2 ปีที่แล้ว +315

    Loving the French tanks, would be great to see more, especially the AMX family.

    • @SpecialJess2
      @SpecialJess2 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      There is only so many ways you can say "here is this prototype only 5 where built it was/wasnt very good (insert sassy David Fletcher remark)" =(
      I like the French prototypes, but you don't get any satisfying history with tanks that have always sat around or became target practice

    • @Paciat
      @Paciat 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I dont. So many things done the wrong way.
      @ Jessie What French prototypes are you talking about? 500 S35, 7700 AMX13 and 3571 AMX30 were build.

    • @Tankliker
      @Tankliker 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@Paciat you basically named a single vehicle of WW2, and two of the cold war area.
      The first was mediocre at best, the other was a very successful light tank and the last was basically just a 10t lighter Leo. 1 with a weird HEAT projectile and arguably less successful.

    • @Paciat
      @Paciat 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@Tankliker And your point is?
      Get out of your tank hatch and you will notice that the second part of my comment is a response to Jessie comment calling amx tanks as prototypes. But most French tanks were designed badly. S35 included.

    • @Tankliker
      @Tankliker 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@Paciat my point is, that you haven't named a single prototype.
      What about the AMX 50 series? ELC's? Sumoa?
      There are a lot of prototype and could have been models yet all you did was name three production models completely missing his question.

  • @colbeausabre8842
    @colbeausabre8842 2 ปีที่แล้ว +143

    When I was at the Armor Officer Basic Course 1974-75, the Head of the Tactics Division expressed it this way "Cavalry is a mission, not a method of transportation"

    • @vorrnth8734
      @vorrnth8734 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      He was wrong. Cavalry comes from french cheval and that means horse.

    • @808bigisland
      @808bigisland ปีที่แล้ว

      Don't trust the bottom 10% of high-school graduates. He will be invariably wrong.

    • @shatzinorris1417
      @shatzinorris1417 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@vorrnth8734 Being rude literally comes from horse in French and they have never apologized for it

  • @tonyz7216
    @tonyz7216 ปีที่แล้ว +89

    My grandfather's division (2nd DLM /1st Army) was equiped with the S35. Alongside the 3rd DLM they distinguished themselves at the Battle of Hannut in May 1940, one of the largest tank battle in WWII, where they repelled the assault of the 3th and 4th Pzdv. They suffered heavy losses during the battle however and all surviving S35s of the division had to be scuttled at Dunkirk like the rest of the division's equipment. The men only spent 3 days in Britain (at Weymouth in the case of my grandfather's regiment) before being sent back to the front line in France but with less equipment as the rate of attrition had been too high compared to the industrial output. The locations where the S35s were manufactured were about to fall to the Germans and in the absence of any foreign equipment as a substitution, this was the begining of the end.
    This tank was not flawless but it was definitely a good one by 1940 standard.

    • @MrMarinus18
      @MrMarinus18 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      But it's also important to remember that the tanks was not the main reasons the German Panzer divisions worked so well. What made them so effective is something the Germans had already perfected which were their sturmtroopen from WW1. These were adapted into panzergrenideer batalions and later divisions which worked exceptionally well with the tanks. The tanks securing the open fields and the panzergranideers securing the more difficult terrain with the air force defending them. The British didn't really have storm troop batalions and without them tanks were easily halted by obstacles and small fortifications. The effectiveness of stormtroops had already been proven in 1918 with the massive spring offensive. The tanks just added the final component to that success which was the firepower to directly punch through heavy army formations.
      The German army was very effective cause it was able to take the strengths of both France and Britain. It had a large well trained professional army of about 800k just like Britain did but it also had a massive and well motivated conscript army of around 5 million like France did. Germany also had about twice the industrial power of Britain and nearly twice the population of France so it could keep pace with them on both fields at the same time. During the interwar period while the German army was only 100k they kept up their standards very strictly and their small size meant that by 1932 they were arguably the best trained army in the entire world. Then you also had the very successful expansion to that 800k which instead of being done by just throwing new units in divisions was done very carefully to take away experienced soldiers to help train the new ones but not break up the effectiveness of the old divisions. That combined with lots of training of those new professional divisions over the course of 5 years put them nearly on par with the British.
      The conscripts were quite a bit above their French counterparts as they had been training for 5 years already and had already seen combat in Poland as well as in Denmark and Norway.
      You also had the fact that while there was a division between the professionals and the conscripts in the German military they were still part of the same army in contrast to the British professionals and French conscripts which meant they could coordinate much better. Though while the British professionals didn't do so well in France they proved their worth a year later in the tank dominated wastes of North-Africa by defeating an Italian army 8 times their size.

    • @russcole5261
      @russcole5261 ปีที่แล้ว

      o

    • @tonyz7216
      @tonyz7216 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@MrMarinus18comment worth reading thank you. I will study how Panzergrenadiers compared with French Dragons Portés in equipment and tactics.

  • @woff1959
    @woff1959 2 ปีที่แล้ว +62

    Great talk, thanks! My Dad was the last commander of the two Hungarian SOMUAs from late 1943 to September 1944.

    • @PossiblyIgor71
      @PossiblyIgor71 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Thats interesting!

    • @woff1959
      @woff1959 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@PossiblyIgor71 Thanks!

    • @PossiblyIgor71
      @PossiblyIgor71 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@woff1959 It's quite interesting in general, the role of minor nations in WWII, like the Ukrainian partisan roles or the Australian role.

    • @woff1959
      @woff1959 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@PossiblyIgor71 And they get overlooked a lot, which is a pity.

    • @PossiblyIgor71
      @PossiblyIgor71 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@woff1959 Yeah, I am currently reading Churchill's WWII memoirs in which he barely mentions it.

  • @Sonofdonald2024
    @Sonofdonald2024 2 ปีที่แล้ว +122

    Love these more in depth tank chats..I enjoyed the short 5 minute videos but prefer these more in depth talks..Think all the tanks deserve chats like this :)

  • @mpersad
    @mpersad 2 ปีที่แล้ว +46

    A really comprehensive analysis of the machine and French tactics. Another terrific Tank Chat with David Willey.

  • @stewartellinson8846
    @stewartellinson8846 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I think this is the best of all the tank chats so far; clear, detailed and historically insightful. It gets away from the top trumps style obession with numbers and focuses on the S35 in its proper historical context with a wonderfully delivered narrative that explains clearly the situation facing France and how and why decisions were made, scotching as it does some long standing myths. Mr Willey's work just gets better and better. Excellent.

  • @BV-fr8bf
    @BV-fr8bf 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    Thank you for the comprehensive review of this solid French tank and the challenges of rapid rearmament, global economics, politics, radios AND training had on battle field deployment.

  • @msgfrmdaactionman3000
    @msgfrmdaactionman3000 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    They give it a fancy camouflaged paint job, then paint a bright bullseye on it!

  • @c.j.zographos3713
    @c.j.zographos3713 2 ปีที่แล้ว +122

    Interesting to see a French specimen. The French vehicles don't seem to get that much coverage, despite the country's solid examples, especially in more recent years.

    • @genericpersonx333
      @genericpersonx333 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      French sort of do that to themselves by a culture of keeping military technology relatively inaccessible to the public even long after it is technically no longer secret. Either the government still keeps the stuff close to the chest or they do very little to help others use the information when asked for it.
      Another big headache is French developers often have a unique method of communicating with each, ways of writing and talking that makes sense to each other, but less sense to outsiders. Be it how they create statistics, make drawings, or what have you,. it takes practice and patience to comprehend a lot of French technical information. This further limits detailing French technology.
      Thankfully, more French and Anglophone historians are taking the time to actually pry the knowledge out of the French systems, so we are getting more data than we used to, but it is a process. All the more reason to throw support at institutions like Bovington and to buy the books that historians like Zaloga writes, so these people can afford to take the time necessary to overcome indifferent governments who see little to no value in aiding historians research.

    • @emberfist8347
      @emberfist8347 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Agreed. I love seeing the Somua her beautiful tank and I feel underrated like most French designs.

    • @majormoolah5056
      @majormoolah5056 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Leclerc is beautiful in its power... though I have to say the French have been very original and successful with their wheeled vehicles

    • @MushroomPickles
      @MushroomPickles ปีที่แล้ว

      @@genericpersonx333 they seem to have no problem selling everything to the Chinese to copy.

    • @TheBob3759
      @TheBob3759 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      The LeClerc tank for one.

  • @PanzerBuyer
    @PanzerBuyer 2 ปีที่แล้ว +76

    I like the camouflage on the French tanks.

    • @pex_the_unalivedrunk6785
      @pex_the_unalivedrunk6785 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      I think the idea was to make them blend in with the horizon when viewed from a trench periscope. The vivid colors are quite appealing, I agree.

    • @pujo6532
      @pujo6532 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Some Somua tanks were painted with a very particular camouflage, the bottom of the body was painted brown to simulate the color of the ground, the middle of the tank was painted in different shades of green to simulate the colors of the vegetation while the top of the turret was painted blue-gray to confuse it with the color of the sky. It was a camouflage in 5-6 colors it was very original

    • @Gravity_studioss
      @Gravity_studioss หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I also like their division logos consisting of playing card symbols ♠️♥️♣️♦️

  • @kippamip
    @kippamip 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    The duck of doom! Love the S35 at the museum and the camo scheme.
    Great tank chat as always.

  • @DiggingForFacts
    @DiggingForFacts 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Thanks for providing a more in-depth look into the S35. One minor correction though with regards to the cavalry: they adopted the Hotchkiss H35 and later H39. Since the R35 were all going to the infantry after Renault having won the competition for the new light infantry tank and the Hotchkiss competitor was more or less its equal, they picked the Hotchkiss because that was what they could get in relatively short order. They weren't fans of the H35/H39 because of its speed so they tended to split units so that the various units wouldn't be bound to each other's speed when operating. A number of the unit diaries report on the H35/H39 having technical issues during troop movements and while retreating from northern Belgium.

  • @mattw785
    @mattw785 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Amazing you got this ALL memorized.. no notes. Preparation is awesome

    • @mattw785
      @mattw785 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Paul Fellows He is.. really knows his stuff. Just great to watch

  • @michaelnaven213
    @michaelnaven213 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Always a pleasure to listen to David’s discussions.

  • @FlyinBrian777
    @FlyinBrian777 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    You're providing excellent information and taking great care of these vehicles, what a magnificent job you guys are doing at The Tank Museum.

  • @WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS
    @WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS 2 ปีที่แล้ว +101

    I've always had a soft spot for this vehicle, it's quite underrated for the period it was produced and fell prey to the poor doctrine of the French armed forces that seemed to plague them during the invasion.

    • @colbeausabre8842
      @colbeausabre8842 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      If only it had a two man turret with voice radios (a three man turret probably wasn't possible given the size of the hull and better engine access

    • @delta2372
      @delta2372 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      French vehicles of WW2 are pretty underrated (outside of their light tanks though if they weren't all using FT turrets and shells they would be remembered better) shame only thing people see when they look at WW2 France is "haha cowards haha"

    • @Stripedbottom
      @Stripedbottom 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Same here. Always struck me as a good tank that found itself in the right place at the right time, but in the wrong hands. Compare it to the majority of medium tanks of the period, and it verily shines. Has a lot of the same qualities as the T-34 at an early stage actually - good all round sloped armour, good multipurpose gun that can defeat anything the enemy has at comfortable range (unfortunately, serviceability doesn't seem to have been one of those qualities) and the same general 'way of the future' air about it.
      Also, I'm not totally convinced about how big a drawback the one-man turret really was. Seems that most of the criticism of it comes from TH-cam comment sections and literature published decades after the war (and the comments stem from that, of course). Germany was the second biggest user, so I'd like to see what they honestly thought of it _at the time_, especially considering many of their own tanks had one-man turrets also. Somewhat of a drawback for sure, but was it really a battle/war-losing drawback, if the same tanks were otherwise used as part of a mutually supporting combined force, with sensible strategy and tactics, in a well organized fashion and to their best possible ability?

    • @christiandauz3742
      @christiandauz3742 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      France wish it had these tanks back during the Franco-Prussian War

    • @WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS
      @WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@christiandauz3742 I think anyone would desire them priorto the actual invention of the tank lmao

  • @jonsouth1545
    @jonsouth1545 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    I've always had a bit of a thing for the S35 I just love it

  • @johnray7311
    @johnray7311 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great exposé. Very informative and thorough. First I have heard about using the radio operator as loader-I have always wondered about this, especially as it was a pretty big turret.

  • @pmwalt22
    @pmwalt22 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    A wonderful, in-depth discussion on the development and employment of the Somua! Well done David Willey and the rest of the crew who developed his narrative which was highly enlightening.,

  • @Zorglub1966
    @Zorglub1966 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you for sharing this very (but too short) interesting lecture.
    AMD => Automitrailleuse de Découverte
    AMR => Automitrailleuse de Reconnaissance
    AMC => Automitrailleuse de Combat

  • @Luddite-vd2ts
    @Luddite-vd2ts ปีที่แล้ว +4

    A fascinating in depth historical review. Really informative. That you've even covered social and political circumstances adds valuable insight. Thank you once again for sharing your knowledge in this way.

  • @Tuauld
    @Tuauld ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I would really like to see more of these longer videos. This was super interesting! For me a huge step-up from the usual short summaries. This is probably the best video that I have seen on this channel.

  • @duncannicholson1882
    @duncannicholson1882 10 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Very interesting, succinct delivery David.

  • @wadejustanamerican1201
    @wadejustanamerican1201 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Another great episode. The amount of time and research that is put in to each one of your videos is fantastic. I thank you very much.

  • @steenlu
    @steenlu ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Dear Mr Willy
    You¨ve got so much style!
    Thank you
    Sincerely Steen

  • @josephc6588
    @josephc6588 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Wonderful channel for old and newer tank information, and it’s well presented. A very good intelligent speaker who communicates very well.

  • @atticlight9048
    @atticlight9048 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    An outstanding presentation by a master of his subject.

  • @RichardGoth
    @RichardGoth 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great video, loved all the detail. A lot of sources say they were hard to maintain but I loved getting all the technical explanations and the dive into french doctrine!

  • @objectivelyacat3873
    @objectivelyacat3873 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    A very good looking tank. It does look a little cramped in the interior, but it makes good use of its armor.

    • @joaolucaslages7792
      @joaolucaslages7792 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      It IS very cramped. The Chieftain trying to get into it via the hatch was hilarious

  • @richarddyson4380
    @richarddyson4380 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    What a brilliant analysis and explanation. Thank you for explaining what, was to me, impact the political and industrial decision making had on the use and impact of this tank. I knew it was good, but not that good. I cannot imagine how different the story would have been if the army were professional and industry allowed to work effectively coming out of the Great Depression…. A great topic for discussion over an ale or two. Thank you for these marvelous presentations.

  • @michaeldunne338
    @michaeldunne338 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Just a fantastic segment - thank you for the thorough review of this tank. Funny enough, the WW2TV channel just had a segment on the German view of Dunkirk, which made me think of the Somua S-35 tank and the battles of Hannut / Gembloux. Now maybe this is worth another segment, like the Battle of Arras that you did, but would be interested in hearing about the French employment of tanks at Hannut and Gembloux. My impression was that the French as a whole, acquitted themselves decently well at the tactical level, in holding off certain German advances, but were completely undermined by the strategic victory of the Germans breaking through the Ardennes?
    Anyways, really great perspective. Much appreciated. But would like to see a clip on the Tank Museum's take on Hannut and the Gembloux Gap. Supposedly still up there in terms of size of battle with the number of tanks involved.

  • @christopping5876
    @christopping5876 ปีที่แล้ว

    Another fascinating and captivating extremely well-done video.

  • @davidgoodnow269
    @davidgoodnow269 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you for expanding and deepening my grasp of history!

  • @MaximumResultsCopy
    @MaximumResultsCopy ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Excellent video as always and providing a fuller picture of this tank than is usually provided. Interesting the impact of design and other factors such as the limited numbers of radios provided and how the small turret was a limiting factor. Seemed quite a common design "flaw" from that era...the early T-34s, for example, arguably didn't deliver their full potential because of the small turret and lack of radios.
    Concerning the German use of armour and concentration, IMO the situation is a little more nuanced. The Germans realised the need for armoured support for infantry...however, they simply didn't have enough tanks. So, they decided the best use was to concentrate their limited tank resources. The original idea behind the Stugs...cheaper to produce than tanks...was to provide the support for the infantry that there were not enough tanks to do so.

  • @rob9263
    @rob9263 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Wonderful video. Always great to see French armour getting attention 👍

  • @tectorama
    @tectorama ปีที่แล้ว

    It never ceases to amaze me as to the knowledge you have on the various tanks.

  • @tekis0
    @tekis0 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This gentleman is good speaker, as he sums up the important information at the end.

  • @danam0228
    @danam0228 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    This guy's knowledge of tanks is encyclopedic

    • @ostlandr
      @ostlandr ปีที่แล้ว +3

      He should really try to find a job where he can do this full time. 😉

    • @msgfrmdaactionman3000
      @msgfrmdaactionman3000 ปีที่แล้ว

      That's his job, to know tanks.

    • @mudcrab3420
      @mudcrab3420 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Finn has coached him well.

  • @kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860
    @kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Love hearing stories about French tanks. Not many left.

  • @richardmann145
    @richardmann145 ปีที่แล้ว

    On these things history turns. Great informative post.
    Thank you

  • @kilcar
    @kilcar ปีที่แล้ว

    The most scholarly examination I've every seen . Great piece.

  • @johnnyzippo7109
    @johnnyzippo7109 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This SOMUA tank definitely has “the ViBE” of a very good tank that for its time was cutting edge tech.

  • @perils1400
    @perils1400 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Very informative, loving the series. Great work.

  • @johnray7311
    @johnray7311 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Excellent presentation. 1st I have seen on the S-35 and very well researched and analyzed.

  • @FranticMatty
    @FranticMatty 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Love they tank chats :)

  • @J3AD
    @J3AD ปีที่แล้ว

    very well done, and nicely done showing the other side of French operations and effects of politics caused issues in production and complicated delivery and the 1 years conscription added to issues. and how the French were doing what most countries did with the armor packaging.

  • @richarddumont5389
    @richarddumont5389 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    As always a wise documented balanced account - thank you Sir and the Tank Museum.

  • @trashtasticus7714
    @trashtasticus7714 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    A 40 minute video on French tanks and doctrine? Sign me right up ☺️

  • @SzwarcuKX5
    @SzwarcuKX5 ปีที่แล้ว

    David Willey is so nice to listen to... respect.

  • @russwoodward8251
    @russwoodward8251 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I like these chats of a bit longer. Thanks again!

  • @warpaintjj
    @warpaintjj ปีที่แล้ว

    Cracking stuff - Thank you, more please!

  • @confuseatronica
    @confuseatronica ปีที่แล้ว

    omg that photo at 2:47 with so many FTs with their little hats going every which way. The cutest gaggle of tanks.

  • @douro20
    @douro20 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    SOMUA also made railcars and trolleybuses.
    Adolphe Kegresse is also the one who in 1935 developed the world's first dual-clutch transmission, the AutoServe, at Citroen. It was supposed to go into the Traction Avant but Kegresse ran out of money before he cold test it in an actual vehicle.

  • @themaster408
    @themaster408 ปีที่แล้ว

    Came for the tank, stayed for the French politics and tactics. Very interesting to need to say "look, politics at the time were weird, they didn't want a professional army, so the training was low" as part of an explanation. One of the reasons I love these videos, you get so much nuance.

  • @RiteKnight
    @RiteKnight ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A grand overview of this tank once more. HOWEVER just bear in mind for future videos, when you're adding period footage with a commentator reporting as part of that footage, keep the audio lower for those clips because at times you struggle to hear David's voice who continues speaking whilst the clip is playing. You could always post links afterwards to the various footage clips so that people can go back and hear those news reporters but for this tank chat video is important that David's voice is clear throughout.

  • @panzerknackerpaul2061
    @panzerknackerpaul2061 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    For me, one of the most beautiful tanks in the early war period.

  • @michaeltelson9798
    @michaeltelson9798 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    There is a photo of a S35 in the 21st Panzer Division while rebuilding in Normandy after coming out of North Africa in a book I have. They changed the commander’s cupola to the German pattern

    • @mudcrab3420
      @mudcrab3420 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      There is a photo of two 'German versions' on a parade. Hard to say if they could do it in combat but the photo has one in the commander's hatch and one sitting on the rear hatch/seat. So... speculation... The Germans forced the second crewman into the turret to be full time loader??
      Stab II/Pz/Reg 22 (the second bn of the Pz regiment) was mixed with PzIV and Somuas at roughly 1:2 ratio in favour of the Somuas.
      PzAbt 206 and Panzer-Ersatz Abteilung 100 over in the US part of the Normandy campaign also had some Somuas in service.

  • @moekitsune
    @moekitsune 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Despite the one man turret and lack of radio I have a strange love for this tank. The hull reminds me of a Sherman crossed with a T-34, with a stupid amount of armor for its time. It was genuinely a match for the Panzers it faced. Probably would have been more well loved if it had a better turret and radio, and if the french had a better doctrine.

    • @BHuang92
      @BHuang92 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      It is said that the M4 Sherman cast hull was inspired by the Somua S35.

    • @Jay-zk7uw
      @Jay-zk7uw 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I too have an inexplicable fondness for this tank.

  • @1971stretch
    @1971stretch ปีที่แล้ว

    Love these long in-depth chats. More please.

  • @thomashogan9196
    @thomashogan9196 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    Can't help noticing how much the Somua looks like a Sherman.

    • @friedyzostas9998
      @friedyzostas9998 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Straight from the front, maybe. But internally, not even close.

    • @theonlymadmac4771
      @theonlymadmac4771 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      To respect the time flow, the Sherman looks like the Somua😊

    • @martinhogg5337
      @martinhogg5337 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Thought it was just me that thought it was a mini Sherman!

    • @binaway
      @binaway 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      There is a good reason. I've read the US had ignored tanks after WW1. When it was decided to rebuild a US tank force in the late 1930's they looked at what other counties were doing, the easiest way to catch up and they liked this tank and took some of the idea's in development of the M2 which led to the M3 and M4. The Americans had the time to iron out the problems making the M4 very reliable.

    • @thomashogan9196
      @thomashogan9196 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@binaway At least one Free French unit affixed the "Somua" plate on the Shermans they were issued, although the Sherman's 3 man turret and 75mm gun must have been a step up.

  • @stevebohlin7245
    @stevebohlin7245 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    🙌Tanks! Never knew SKODA was a subsidiary of Schneider. Always assumed Skoda was an Austro-Hungarian/Czech enterprise.

    • @akessel92train
      @akessel92train ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I think it was. Though by the time of the 1920s and 1930s I think that became the case due to the post-WWI economic environment

  • @Bocqart
    @Bocqart ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for the tank chat, really appreciated and in depth

  • @theenigmaticgamer
    @theenigmaticgamer ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thanks for an excellent presentation. I really enjoy these more detailed Tank Chats and David’s wealth of knowledge and style of delivery is quite superb.

  • @foxhoundms9051
    @foxhoundms9051 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    🤔 I always liked the S35...looks cool, like a Metal Slug tank 😁

  • @pecazidle
    @pecazidle ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Díky!

  • @DominicBHaven-qm6nx
    @DominicBHaven-qm6nx 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great video, thank you. 😊

  • @BladeTheWatcher
    @BladeTheWatcher 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice summary, including technology, doctrine, and historical details.

  • @garyneilson1833
    @garyneilson1833 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    I''ve always wondered how effective this French camouflage system would be ? Maybe that could be another video to compare the effectiveness of US/British olive drab to French to German 3 tone and German grey when trying to hide vehicles in woods etc.

    • @andrewcombe8907
      @andrewcombe8907 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Bear in mind areas of France are quite dry including on the Mediterranean coast and the border with Spain. A mix of browns with a dash of green would be apposite. The current French Camouflage Centre Europe is a lighter version of the US woodland camo for this very reason.

    • @simongee8928
      @simongee8928 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Camouflage is very regionally specific, so in order to be practical regarding logistics and the having to repaint AFVs every time they moved to a different region, a general pattern would have to be adopted, thus the development of the German three colour style which was often down to individual crew choice.

    • @pex_the_unalivedrunk6785
      @pex_the_unalivedrunk6785 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@simongee8928 true....also I always figured, although I could be wrong, that the camo scheme used on the S35 had something to do with how the French expected the tank to be viewed by the enemy (in the type of war the French were familiar with)....from low to the ground as from a trench or trench periscope, with the intention of making it blend in with the horizon and layers of low hills, walls, and vineyards. Not sure if it really worked, but it sure looked aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Those bold contrasting colors and outlines almost give it a French impressionist art feel.

    • @emberfist8347
      @emberfist8347 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      From the video it looks like This S-35 was meant for the Mediterranean

    • @penzorphallos3199
      @penzorphallos3199 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Reminds me of the Soviet yellow-green tank camouflage

  • @QALibrary
    @QALibrary 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Very interesting and informative video - thank you

  • @trojohn7032
    @trojohn7032 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    The Tank looks like you can purchase it at a confectionery. It looks delicious 😋

  • @Caarajack
    @Caarajack 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    SOMUA S35 has a cute blob design with Frenchy curves.

    • @Otokichi786
      @Otokichi786 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Sorta like "Jabba the Hutt"?;)

    • @watcherzero5256
      @watcherzero5256 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Its amazing how much the Sherman took from this tank.

  • @russeldavis1787
    @russeldavis1787 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A brilliant presentation

  • @TheWtfnonamez
    @TheWtfnonamez 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Brilliant video. Gripped for the whole 40 minutes

  • @edward9674
    @edward9674 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I have been looking forward to this episode for long! An innovative tank in many ways but not in the ways that matter like 3 man turret, good vision and abundant radios. It'd have been interesting to see what France would have come up with it if they had fended off Germany during the battle of France. Not sure how they'd fit a turret that'd fit 3 crewmen but regardless interesting to think about.

    • @pavarottiaardvark3431
      @pavarottiaardvark3431 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah, would be interesting. I suspect the first-next-step would have been a medium tank in the M3 Grant, M11/39, or Char B2 line of thinking: Put the main gun on the hull so you don't need a three man turret. Pondering a lighter-tank is harder because the French command and control was so poor it would need reform for modern armoured warfare, but potentially we'd have seen a fake-gun/machine-gun command tank, with the regular tanks having clip-ammo for a two man turret.
      Guessing further into the future.... well eventually we have to assume that they'd go for a home-produced Medium Tank mounting the Matériel de 75mm Mle 1897. Then later a heavy tank much like the ARL44

    • @elanvital9720
      @elanvital9720 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      FCM did actually work on 2 and 3-man turrets for the S35 to be produced by Vichy in 1942 that David was talking about. Since the original turret ring was much narrower than the hull could actually allow, it was easy to increase the turret ring to a respectable 1435mm or 56.5", similar to other 3-man turrets with a small gun. That was with the more powerful 47mm SA37 btw, more comparable to the German long 5cm.
      Otherwise, 2 and 3-man turrets were designed for most future tanks planned for 1941/42. G1, AMX-40 and B40.

    • @MrT67
      @MrT67 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@pavarottiaardvark3431 Funny that you mention the M3 Grant. The S35 reminds me a little of a mini Sherman.

    • @thethirdman225
      @thethirdman225 ปีที่แล้ว

      Those were all points of difference and I don’t think an6 of them were decisive in the outcome. He’s given you a good background into why the French were less successful with their tanks than the Germans and it had a lot more to do with the way they were used. For this reason, the Germans were able to make up for the fact that their tanks were mostly inferior to the French tanks. It wasn’t radios or one man turrets. It was poor training and running out of fuel (because the Germans had bombed or captured the fuel dump) or the fact that orders weren’t getting through… the list is almost endless.
      None of the things you describe are decisive matters and all can be worked around. The qualitative differences weren’t enough to matter and probably favour the SOMUA anyway.

  • @GuusvanVelthoven
    @GuusvanVelthoven 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    If I would draw a Sherman from memory it would likely look like this tank. 🤔

  • @Jay-zk7uw
    @Jay-zk7uw 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Been waiting so long for this one and I'm not really sure why.

  • @ironseabeelost1140
    @ironseabeelost1140 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for your chat of the French S35.

  • @brucelamberton8819
    @brucelamberton8819 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    II first learned about this relatively rare tank about 20 years ago, with a 1/72 scale kit (from Heller, I think) so it was good to see it in a Tank Chat.

  • @ptonpc
    @ptonpc 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    A very good long look at the S35 Thanks.

  • @julmar9153
    @julmar9153 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Very good video, love from france

  • @djd8305
    @djd8305 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Just brilliant!

  • @johnlovett8341
    @johnlovett8341 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Brilliant video.

  • @piton6232
    @piton6232 ปีที่แล้ว

    BRAVO. A great history lessen

  • @jjsmallpiece9234
    @jjsmallpiece9234 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Another fantastic detailed video by David. All good stuff for us military history students.
    My understanding was that one of the main reasons for the poor French performance in 1940 (and touched on in this video) was the overall social and political situation in France. An unpopular government and a general national malaise and anti war attitude leading to poor national morale.
    This is quite well described in the 1970's World at War series - episode 3 The Battle of France.

    • @thethirdman225
      @thethirdman225 ปีที่แล้ว

      Read Julian Jackson’s book, “The Fall of France”.

    • @jjsmallpiece9234
      @jjsmallpiece9234 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@thethirdman225 Or the book Blitzkrieg by Len Deighton
      Another good book is To Lose a Battle by Alastair Horne.

    • @thethirdman225
      @thethirdman225 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@jjsmallpiece9234 I’ve read Deighton. That one is okay but it’s much more from the British perspective. Jackson is almost entirely from the French perspective. Deighton talks mainly about the British actions in the north, while Jackson talks about the whole front and about the parlours state of French politics at the time.

    • @jjsmallpiece9234
      @jjsmallpiece9234 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@thethirdman225 Ok. Agree Deighton is more of a mass market historian. Will take a read of the other book

    • @thethirdman225
      @thethirdman225 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@jjsmallpiece9234 They all have their place.

  • @michel.montreal
    @michel.montreal ปีที่แล้ว

    My favorite tank from the late 30s, thank you.

  • @AnthonyEvelyn
    @AnthonyEvelyn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    You can see how the Somua influenced US tank design with the M3 and M4 medium tanks.

    • @oddballsok
      @oddballsok ปีที่แล้ว

      i dont see it...

    • @gastonjaillet9512
      @gastonjaillet9512 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Yes, and that's no coincidence, when France was invaded in 1940, some French engineers went to the US were they helped work on the M3, especially the suspension

    • @wbertie2604
      @wbertie2604 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​​@@gastonjaillet9512M3 design was already underway by the time any French engineers arrived. I don't obviously see any influence from the S-35. M4 initial specification began only a month after the M3. There was certainly general influence in terms of overall design from European experience

    • @HK-lfr1997
      @HK-lfr1997 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@wbertie2604before the war, french had bought 2 giga factory in the us. Both were used to build the M3 and M4
      The base of those tank are inspired by the somua however they changed the turret which was considered, even by french, too weak

    • @wbertie2604
      @wbertie2604 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@HK-lfr1997 the M3 and M4 are modifications of the M2 medium which has as its inspiration the running gear of the M1 and M2 light tanks which predate the S-35 in development. The M4 has a multi crew turret. It's hugely different from the S-35.

  • @Alakazzam09
    @Alakazzam09 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I wish my model LT VZ 35 had that cool muzzle break. Might have to print one or make one with thermal mold plastic.

  • @vapormissile
    @vapormissile 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    S35 is one of my favorites in World of Tanks. Nice video, subscribed.

    • @BFVK
      @BFVK ปีที่แล้ว

      Oh really ? This tank is so cheated in WoT...

  • @veers2883
    @veers2883 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Wait, so David Willey from Squire series is real employee of Bovington Museum? Nice to know and good thing to hear his story of S-35 and probably other stories on channel of museum :).

  • @zephyrzavala1695
    @zephyrzavala1695 ปีที่แล้ว

    Finally the Somua S35! I don't care about what people think of it. Its smol, its cute, its like the Sherman Lite. I love it and its aesthetics.

  • @Tounushi
    @Tounushi 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    1:06 "In other words it wasn't just about the horse, but what the cavalry was there to do."

  • @FinsburyPhil
    @FinsburyPhil 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    In some ways you could see it as a 'mini Sherman'. Certainly a better machine than the M2

  • @LeJohnnyBoy
    @LeJohnnyBoy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Behind the Somua story, the reasons of France' failure are very interresting

    • @emberfist8347
      @emberfist8347 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Agreed one particularly interesting bit was that their plan to stop Germany was on the right track. The ideas was they would be waiting in the Low Countries for Germany to come marching in and ambush them as that is what they did in World War I and their first plan for taking France in World War II as there was German plane that landed in Allied Territory which had a copy of these plans.
      There were two significant snags that I don’t think we can blame France for.
      1. Belgium didn’t want to be part of the alliance so they couldn’t have their troops ready to defend them when Germany invaded.
      2. They never considered Germany marching through the Ardennes as that region was long considered impassible for any invading army.

    • @McLarenMercedes
      @McLarenMercedes ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@emberfist8347 "the Ardennes as that region was long considered impassible for any invading army." The Ardennes had stopped Caesar's previously undefeated legions and was always a seriously difficult place either to pass or to invade.
      Here's another fact. Most of the German high command wanted to go with the original Halder plan (basically a modified Schlieffen Plan) - which btw the allies based their whole strategy on - and found von Manstein's "Sickle Cut" through the Ardennes to be "much too risky". Fact is von Manstein's suggestion was basically not even really considered by the generals so he actually slipped his plan to Hitler *personally* . This was lucky for him because Hitler found the original Halder plan "much too traditional". When he read Von Manstein's plan he immediately liked it and said something akin to:"This man is really thinking outside the box. It's bold and daring." That being said this plan was *still* opposed by most of the top generals who believed that it relied too much on everything going right for the German invaders... Hitler insisted on von Manstein's plan to be implemented.
      Yes, that's the same man everybody seems to believe "always made terrible decisions which lost Germany the war".
      Here's the thing which the Germans couldn't have known and which might have totally derailed the invasion through the Ardennes.
      1. The French could/should have paid more attention to the radio traffic in the area which would have given them a heading/warning an invasion might happen here. If so it would have been relatively easy for them to deploy engineers to cut down trees and create makeshift natural obstacles to slow down the invading force or even stop it dead in its track. Instead intelligence reports were clumsily ignored. As were early reports from French recon aircraft that German tanks were moving in the Ardennes.
      The fact is that the invasion didn't go perfectly smooth for the Germans either. At first they got hold up by a serious traffic jam. Lucky for them they solved it fast enough. And lucky for them the French didn't seize this opportunity with attack aircraft.
      2. The French should have kept the explosives rigged to the important bridges at the Sedan. What was that again? Kept?? Yes, the French were well aware that these bridges would be important arteries to any invading force so they rigged them with explosives. But unfortunately during peace the local French civilians were feeling very nervous using bridges rigged with explosives so they protested. The local authorities fearing the fairly common worker strikes and road blockades indulged with the wishes of the locals and had those explosives removed. So when the allies *were* aware that the Germans had launched a huge force through the Ardennes they desperately tried to bomb the bridges with attack aircraft... The British used the abysmal Fairey Battle (an outdated design even before the war) and poorly armed Bristol Blenheim bombers trying to knock out these bridges and were shot down both by anti-aircraft batteries and fighters.
      All of this was too little too late. But had the French just told the locals "We're at war with Nazi Germany and these important bridges *will* be rigged to stop any invading force from going any further." history would have looked very different indeed.
      Lucky for the Germans the French completely missed both opportunity 1 and 2. Just slowing the invasion by 2-3 days would probably have bought the French enough time to form cohesive defense lines, redeploy better equipped troops were they were sorely needed and sort out the chaos on their roads (probably no refugees clogging up the roads). In our history there simply was no time to do any of this.
      Btw, a third of all German vehicles needed repairs after the short and successful French campaign. German logistical issues *were* noticed by alert commanders in France already (and would become a serious issue when the Soviet Union was invaded a year later). One can only imagine what effect a longer French campaign would have on the German army of 1940. Modern day historians have called the German army of 1939-1940 as a "sharp but brittle instrument".

    • @thethirdman225
      @thethirdman225 ปีที่แล้ว

      The French failure went a long way beyond how they used their tanks and their focus on the Maginot Line. He doesn’t cover much of that here because it’s a huge topic.

    • @emberfist8347
      @emberfist8347 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@thethirdman225 Well the Maginot Line was never an issue. They were trying to redirect the Germans away from their border and into Beglium but they were waiting in the low countries not the Ardennes.

    • @emberfist8347
      @emberfist8347 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@McLarenMercedes It is not unfortunate that local French civilians didn’t allow people to their bridges rigged to blow. That is a disaster waiting to happen either through someone setting them off by accident or a terrorist on purpose. As for radio traffic, French Doctrine didn’t put its trust in radio at all believing in the issue of the enemy planting false transmissions. You also forgot as I mentioned a German officer was captured with the plans for advancing through the Low Countries.

  • @lzappa9109
    @lzappa9109 ปีที่แล้ว

    11/10! Eccellente. Grazie Mille

  • @igorpokorny4178
    @igorpokorny4178 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video! I didn't know that Czech Skoda was a subsidiary of Schneider.

  • @tysonator5433
    @tysonator5433 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Wonderful detailed overview of a tank that should have more of the lime light of famous tanks of WW2 !