French thinking in tank use was influential in the design of their new machines. Like the British, they had four main designs available at the start of the French campaign.
The Char Somua S-35 was a medium tank weighing 20 tons, manned by a crew of three. A 47mm main gun, backed up with a 7.5mm machine gun, provided the armament. The armour protection was very good, at 55mm. It had a top speed of 25mph. This tank was more than capable of tackling the Panzers of 1940 vintage and was well designed. This was one of the few captured French tanks which the Germans made use of in the army after the campaign was over.
The Char B 1 was the heaviest tank in use by the French, weighing 32 tons. It was manned by a crew of four, which was too few. The main firepower consisted of one 75mm gun, situated in the hull. This was backed up by a 47mm gun located in the turret. In addition there were two 7.5mm machine guns-on board. The armour protection was an excellent 60mm but the speed was limited to 17mph. Despite the glaring flaws, this tank was to give a good account of itself in the fight against the Germans. The Germans found that this beast could be easily knocked out by a well-placed shell in the ventilation grill. At the start of the French campaign this was probably the most formidable tank in use.
Also facing the powerful forces was the Hotchkiss H.35 - one of the two light tanks in use by the French. It weighed in at 12 tons and had a two-man crew. The weapons that were fitted to this tank were a 37mm main gun backed up with a 7.5mm machine gun. The armour on this tank was a very respectable 40mm, and the top speed was also good at 22mph.
The Renault R35 was another one of the French light tanks. It weighed 10 tons and was manned by a crew of two. It also had a 37mm main gun backed up with one 7.5mm machine gun. The armour protection was 45mm thick. However, top speed was only 12mph.
On balance, the allied machines, and in particular the French tanks, outclassed the Germans in armour protection and main armament. The Germans were surprised to find that their 37mm anti-tank gun was ineffective against the thick armour of these tanks. The downfall of the allied tanks was the way in which they were employed tactically and also some of their design faults, like the one-man turrets used in the French machines.