Renault UE Chenillette

The requirement for the chenillette stemmed back to the lessons of World War I. In 1922, the French army was reviewing its experience of trench warfare, and concluded that it would be useful to field a vehicle to supply troops in forward trench lines. This had been a difficult and dangerous process in World War I, and a tracked armoured vehicle seemed to offer a solution, since it could traverse shell-pocked terrain and deliver supplies under enemy fire. A requirement emerged in 1930 and prototypes were submitted from Renault, Citroen and Latil. After tests, the army selected the Renault "tracteur blinde de ravitaillement d'infanerie type UE" along with accompanying UK tracked trailer. An original order of 60 tractors was ordered in October 1931. The design was quite simple to minimise costs, with an armoured hull protecting two crewmen and a stowage box at the rear. The box was automated so that the crew could drive the tractor to the edge of a trench and remotely dump the contents into the trench without leaving the comparative safety of the vehicle.

Power came from a Renault 10CV 38hp engine fitted in the centre of the vehicle between the two crewmen. Maximum armour was 9mm, enough to resist machine gun fire and shell splinters from field artillery. The UE had a maximum range of about 100km at a top speed of 30kph. Some thought was given to arming the tractor with a machine gun but this was firmly resisted by the infantry branch despite the example of the British Bren carrier. There were concerns that the UE would be used as a combat vehicle and be distracted from its primary role of resupply.

After the first order of 60 UE 1931R was delivered a second order for 916 followed. These were manufactured from late 1934 to early 1937. The latter vehicles had a variety of improvements including a plate for the triangular towing sign and an extended left side tool bin; the armoured domes for the crewmen were also standardised in this series and they were retrofitted to earlier vehicles. The third order of 220 vehicles made between July and October 1936 featured lengthened mudguards. A final fourth order of 1,400 vehicles was ordered in 1936 that had the original twin Restor headlights replaced by a single Guicherd armoured night driving light. Due to the size of the fourth order it was split between Renault, AMX, Fouga and Berliet, with some minor differences in detail. In total some 2,596 UE tractors were built including UE and UE2 prototypes, as well as tractors exported to China a nd Romania.

Further Development. In 1935 the French Army began to consider further infantry mechanisation and put out a requirement for a successor to the UE tractor. Some fine designs were considered and the army proceeded to order designs from Renault, Lorraine and Berliet. Of these, only the Renault infantry tractors was significant, and this was simply a modernised version of the UE called the Chenillette 1937R UE2. This introduced a semiautomatic four-speed clutch and transmission. It could be distinguished from the early production orders by small details such as the use of 'U' towing hooks in place of the 'pig-tail' hooks on the earlier tractors. About 2,300 UE2 were ordered from three manufacturers through to June 1940, including AMX, Berliet and Fouga. A total of about 4,900 UE and UE2 tractors were completed by June 1940 of the 6,200 ordered, and perhaps as many as 5,300 were eventually completed, some being finished after the armistice. Only about 3,300 reached the troops, however, and there were 1,278 in various depots at the time of the armistice. Romania signed a contract in 1937 to manufacture 300 UE tractors under license at the Malaxa plant in Bucharest . Production did not begin until 1939, however, and due to the shortage of parts from France only about 113 were completed, plus 13 more that were received from France for a total of 126.

Renault UE Characteristics for Command Decision

The Renault UE does not appear in Command Decision charts. I would rate it as follows:

Renault UE 10 May 1940

The Renault UE was the most widely distributed armoured vehicle in the French Army in 1940. The Renault UE and UE2 tractors were used in both line infantry regiments and motorised infantry regiments. Each infantry regiment had a supply company and a vehicle company, each with six tractors for a total of 12. The motorised regiments added a support company with two UE tractors in each battalion for a total of 18 tractors per regiment. Each infantry division also had a divisional antitank company equipped with UE tractors were used in other types of units for other tasks including towing fuel trailers, mortars and other specialised equipment.

Wargame Usage and Model Availability

In wargames the vehicle can be used in almost every conceivable scenario. Perhaps the only place you won't find it is with the cavalry and tank forces. Otherwise, it is widely used, particularly as a 25mm tow.

The model is available in 1:72 from at least:

S Models in plastic https://www.scalemates.com/kits/600200-s-model-china-ps720140-ue-chenillette

Early War Miniatures in metal http://earlywarminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=237_245&products_id=1551