Somua SAu40 kept in production

After the fall of France local production for the Axis centered mostly on trucks. it wasn't regarded as worthwhile to keep producing french tanks for German use, and the large fleet of captured sehicles saw limted use. One vehicle that would fit in nicely with german doctrine would be the Somua SAu40, the assault gun version of the S35, mounting a 75mm gun.
This could have been issued as an alternative to the StuGIII, and in time been upgunned. Keeping it in production would also extend the useful life of the 300 S35 in German hands.

SAu 40.jpg
 

Kissinger

Banned
After the fall of France local production for the Axis centered mostly on trucks. it wasn't regarded as worthwhile to keep producing french tanks for German use, and the large fleet of captured sehicles saw limted use. One vehicle that would fit in nicely with german doctrine would be the Somua SAu40, the assault gun version of the S35, mounting a 75mm gun.
This could have been issued as an alternative to the StuGIII, and in time been upgunned. Keeping it in production would also extend the useful life of the 300 S35 in German hands.

Honestly it would be useful
 
Wouldn't the SAu40's presence within the Wehrmacht cause just another wrinkle in their already tenuous logistical system?

They had so much captured equipement another one wouldn't add much to the mess. If you see a photo of a German suply colum you'll notice that the trucks tend to be all of diferent makes and models, some diesel , some gasoline powered, etc.
But it would be simpler to keep them all in one place. A couple of PzD could be equiped with just French tanks (120 S35 + 40 SAu40, 47mm AT guns, etc.) Or this could be used to form the basis of a Romanian armoured corps for Barbarossa employment or Italian for African deployment.
 
Last edited:
They had so much captured equipement another one wouldn't add much to the mess. If you see a photo of a German suply colum you'll notice that the trucks tend to be all of diferent makes and models, some diesel , some gasoline powered, etc.
But it would be simpler to keep them all in one place. A couple of PzD could be equiped with just French tanks (120 S35 + 40 SAu40, 47mm AT guns, etc.) Or this could be used to form the basis of a Romanian armoured corps for Barbarossa employment or Italian for African deployment.


This is were I think they could have been useful, equiping junior axis forces. This way the Germans could sell a tank without pulling designs used/needed by it's own forces.
 
This is were I think they could have been useful, equiping junior axis forces. This way the Germans could sell a tank without pulling designs used/needed by it's own forces.

And up to June 1941 the french could say they were building them for export to a neutral country, wich would help smooth things over with the workers.
 
Isn't that the StuG Sherman?

No, in his Alternate Armoured Vehicles thread, somebody asked about modifying French tanks for German use after a failed Norway invasion (no Molybdenum) and the concensus among us was that the Somua S35 would make for a decent StuG, as it was one of the more modern designs that suffered from the French' love for really small turrets.
 
No, in his Alternate Armoured Vehicles thread, somebody asked about modifying French tanks for German use after a failed Norway invasion (no Molybdenum) and the concensus among us was that the Somua S35 would make for a decent StuG, as it was one of the more modern designs that suffered from the French' love for really small turrets.

Can you post the relevant link? I'm curious.
 
Probably a lot of dead german minor ally tank crews. Western factory workers were notorious for sabotaging their work during the war. For example none of the Browning weapons produced during the war can be trusted as they had a 40% failure rate.
 
Probably a lot of dead german minor ally tank crews. Western factory workers were notorious for sabotaging their work during the war. For example none of the Browning weapons produced during the war can be trusted as they had a 40% failure rate.

Yet all those Renault trucks worked...
 
Yet all those Renault trucks worked...

The ones that were captured did, while the spare parts held out. But what about the ones produced later. I would like to see if they had higher than normal rates of failure. Based on the stats i have seen for firearms i would bet they did but i don't know. Does anyone?
 
Top