French tank R35 - Tamiya 35373

These tanks were produced at Renault plants in 1935-1940. A total of 1,611 R35 and R40 tanks were produced, which was a modernized version of the R35. Technical data: length 4.3 m, width 1.85 m, height 2.1 m. Track traction. Drive: 82 HP four-cylinder gasoline engine, road speed 23 km / h. Armor thickness from 25 mm (turret) to 8 mm (undercarriage cover). A crew of two soldiers. Armament: 1 37 mm gun and a 7.5 mm machine gun. Before the Third Reich invaded Poland in April 1939, Poland decided to purchase 100 R35 tanks. The first 50 tanks arrived in July 1939. The delivery of the next 50 tanks did not make it before the outbreak of the war. These tanks were also purchased by Yugoslavia, Romania, Turkey and Croatia.

After the outbreak of the war, the tanks were directed to the south-east of Poland. Some of them crossed the Romanian border without taking part in the fighting, another part on September 19 fought a skirmish with a unit of Ukrainian nationalists and then with a Soviet armored unit. All tanks were lost by September 25. Some of them were taken over by the Germans, some by the Russians. A large group of Polish tankers reached France and fought on other tanks until the end of the war. The R35 tanks did not play a big role in the defense fights in France. After the surrender of France, French units equipped with these tanks fell under the Vichy government and as such fought the Americans, the English and the Free French in Algeria and Tunisia. Few R35 tanks landed in the Free French troops in 1944 and took part in the fighting on the side of the Allies. About 800 of these tanks were taken over by the Germans after the defeat of France and used as support vehicles. The Italians used the tanks captured on the French in the battles with the Americans in Sicily in a similar way.