The French light tank Renault R35 is the most massive light French tank of the Second World War. Designed by order of the army to accompany the infantry in 1934. From 1936 to 1940, 1,630 tanks were launched.
In the online game World Of Tanks, the French light tank Renault R35 is on level 2. Playing it is interesting, but difficult. For its class, light tanks Renault R35 is more like a heavy tank due to low speed and booking. It often happens that the armor is not pierced, but patience is required to enter into battle with enemy tanks, the speed is low very low.
The body of the French light tank Renault R35 is made of cast armor, assembled on the frame with bolts. The tower is cast, with a rotating dome, but not a reclining commander turret. Engine and transmission shifted to starboard. In 1938, a radio station was installed, and the design of the mountings of the tower’s viewing devices was changed.
The French army used the R35, R39 and R40 tanks in all theaters of operations. As of May 1940, there were 945 vehicles in Europe, of which 810 in separate tank battalions attached to field armies, and 135 in the 4th tank reserve division (DCR).
In North Africa there were several colonial units equipped with R35 tanks. The 68th tank battalion was stationed in Syria, the 62nd and 63rd battalions in Algeria and Tunisia.
With the fall of the French government, all the colonial units came under the authority of the Vichy government, on the orders of which they fought with the British, Americans and “free” French, defending overseas possessions in Syria and Morocco from invasion by former allies.
After the defeat of France in the 1940 campaign, about 800 R35 tanks went to Germany. They were mainly used for training tankers, and after dismantling the towers, some of the vehicles were converted into artillery tractors for 150 mm howitzers and 210 mm mortars. The towers were installed on the Atlantic shaft as fixed firing points.
In 1941 – 1942, the Germans converted 174 French R35 tanks into self-propelled guns with a 47 mm Czech anti-tank gun. Some of them, along with the linear R35s of the 21st Panzer Division (100th I Tank Brigade), took part in the battles with the Allied forces in Normandy. 25 R35 tanks were used against the partisans in Yugoslavia.
In addition to the French army, the R35 was in service in Poland (53), Yugoslavia (50), Romania (41) and Turkey (100).
After 1940, the German authorities continued to sell tanks: 109 cars went to Italy, and 40 – to Bulgaria.
R35 participated in hostilities as part of the 5th Dragoon Regiment of the French Army during the liberation of France from the German invaders in 1944–1945.