Renault R40

In the late thirties there had been several projects to improve the Renault R35 light infantry tank. One of these was directed to the improvement of the horizontal rubber spring suspension system that, apart from being less reliable than originally hoped for, caused an uncomfortable ride, high track and tread wear and an unfavourable weight distribution.

Apart from Lorraine, whose proposal based on Lorraine 37L suspension was rejected as too heavy and complicated to refit, both the AMX factory and the Renault design bureau developed from 1937 several solutions to this problem. Renault proposed a type with doubled wheels on the original bogies, a second type with vertical coil springs and a third type lengthened with a sixth road wheel. However, after tests from 19 May until 26 December 1938, an AMX design using six vertical coil springs covered with 8 mm armour plating with twelve road wheels per side, was on 16 February 1939 selected. The type resembled the suspension of the earlier Char D1 and Char D2. The variant was named the Char léger modèle 1935 R modifié 1939. At first it was literally envisaged as a modification, also to be retrofitted to existing vehicles, but the emergency caused by the outbreak of war in September led to a change in policy: the new suspension would only be implemented on the R 35 production run, from the 1501st vehicle onwards, to take place in February 1940. In late 1939 it was considered to retrofit the existing vehicles with the cheaper Renault vertical coil suspension after all, as it could be fitted by field workshops and thus pose less of a burden to the French industry.

The change however was delayed and went only in effect in May 1940 from the 1541st vehicle onwards. It coincided with a number of other improvements such as a longer and thus much more powerful SA38 Long 35 37 mm gun in the adapted cast APX-R1 turret, giving the type a good antitank capacity, and a tail to facilitate climbing. The number of rounds carried decreased from 102 to 90. A fundamental advance in tactical effectiveness compared to the R 35 was that the R 40s were equipped with a radio set, which had not been standard for any French light tank until then.

In May about sixty R40s were manufactured out of a total R 35/40 production that month of 91. It is uncertain how many R 40s were produced before production was halted in June 1940; certainly 130 and probably 145 hulls were manufactured, but likely these did not all have their turret fitted. It had been intended to keep production levels at 120 per month for the duration of the war and introduce the lighter welded FCM turret in the second half of 1940. In May 1940 the R 35 had the largest production of any Allied (or indeed Western) tank but it was planned to having it surpassed by that of the much faster "H 39", reflecting the emphasis on the formation of new armoured divisions, for which the slow R 40 was less than ideal; the "new" suspension was really rather old-fashioned and could not be combined with a high speed, as earlier experience with the Char D3 and Renault VO projects had shown. Nevertheless, apart from donations to allies and units already formed in June, another 800 vehicles were needed to replace the Renault FTs of eight existing battalions and raise eight new battalions to bring their number to the planned final total of fifty light tank BCCs (Bataillions de Chars de Combat), forty of these equipped with Renault tanks.

As the new vehicles looked quite different from the original R 35, they were very generally, also in army documentation, called the "R 40"; however, this was never their official type designation; officially these were still Renault R35s and their production was subsumed under the R 35 run in the statistics; their serial numbers are continuous with the older R 35 run.

Two new tank battalions, originally intended and trained to be equipped with Hotchkiss tanks to form the half-brigade of the new 4e DCR (fourth armoured division of the Infantry), the 40e Bataillion de Chars de Combat and the 48e BCC, were during the campaign of 1940 from 19 May as an emergency measure partly equipped with the R 40 (30 and 29 respectively) and attached to the 2e DCR. This reflects the large matériel reserve of Renault tanks. Some R 40s perhaps replaced losses in the older battalions. One of the two tank battalions of the Polish 10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade being formed in France was also partly equipped with first 24 R 40s, which were then on 31 May given to 25 BCC, after which the Polish battalion received another 28 R 40s, the last thirteen on 19 June.

Characteristics and Tabulated Data Renault R40

Engine: Renault 447, 4 cylinder, bore/stroke 120 x 130mm, 5,878cc producing 85hp at 2,200rpm

Gearbox: 4 and reverse

Max speed: 20kph

Range: 130km

Petrol capacity: 166l

All up weight: 11,600kg

Armour: 40mm max

Turret Front : 40mm/5° and 28° + gun mantlet

Turret Sides : 40mm/28°

Turret Rear : 40mm/30° (rear hatch is 40mm thick)

Turret Top : 25mm/90°

Copula : 40mm/round

Hull Front, Upper : 43mm/37° (driver’s hatch is 40mm/23°)

Hull Front, Lower : 40mm/round

Hull Sides, Upper : 40mm/10°

Hull Sides, Lower : 40mm/0°

Hull Rear : 32mm/24°

Hull Top : 25mm/90°

Hull Bottom : 10mm/90°

Crew: 2 commander/gunner in turret, driver/mechanic in hull

Armament: Turret. coaxial SA 37mm gun Model 1938 with 90 rounds and 7.5mm MAC 31 machine gun with 3,000 rounds

Width of vehicle: 2.01m

Length: 4.30m

Height: 2.15m

Renault R40 Characteristics for Command Decision

Renault R40 Companies 10 May 1940

Nil, however three French battalions and at least one Polish battalion were partially equipped with the R40 during the course of the campaign.

Organisation of the Tank Company Type 1935 Compagnie de Chars de Combat (Type 1935) December 1939

The table below shows the standard table of organisation for a Type 1935 tank company. Exactly how the R40s were allocated to companies is not known given that the battalions included R35s. It is possible that the R40s were used as section and platoon commander vehicles, given that they had the longer SA 38 gun and this allocation was the practice in other companies where the SA 18 and SA 38 guns served on tanks alongside each other. Alternatively, given the numbers, the R40s may have equipped two companies in the 40th and the 48th, and the R35s equipped the other company.

Example Renault R40 Organisation for Command Decision

Wargame Usage and Model availability

The R40 only saw action in the second part of the campaign, during Fall Rot, the German offensive starting 5 June 1940. The R40 was serving in the 40th and 48th Tank Battalions with the rebuilt 2nd Armoured Division positioned in reserve just north of Paris. The 2nd Armoured Division saw some action on 16 June when it was surrounded north of the Foret d'Orleans and had to fight its way out.

As for the Poles, on June 6, the Polish 10th Mechanised Brigade had one of its tank battalion, two strong motorized cavalry squadrons, one anti-tank battery and one anti-aircraft battery. The Brigade was attached to the French Fourth Army near Reims and ordered to cover its left flank. However, the Brigade unit was much too weak to hold back full German armoured divisions successfully. Polish soldiers managed to cover only one retreating French infantry division by attacking German forces in Champaubert-Montgivroux. Later, the Brigade had to withdraw along with French troops and joined the French XXIII Corps. On June 16 the brigade successfully attacked by night the town of Montbard over the Burgundy Canal.

The R40 is available in 20mm from at least:

Blitzkrieg Miniatures: http://www.blitzkriegminiatures.com/html%20pages/1-72%20scale%20tanks/French%20tanks%20final%2072.html

OstModels: http://www.mondo72.com/Review-Ostmodels-R40.html

Milicast; http://www.milicast.com/shop/product.php?productid=1031&cat=69&bestseller=Y

Early War Miniatures: http://earlywarminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=237_243&products_id=1527