French Artillery Tractors
While researching 155mm artillery tow vehicles for my Belgians I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of photos of tractors for towing pieces across country into position from a road. The lighter guns by 1940 had started to receive 4wd trucks and vehicles. The heavy and reserve guns however were still using them in 1940. This must of been a major frustration for mobility of heavy guns as only four tracked tractors was assigned to a battery of French guns and two for the Belgians, with other spare vehicles assigned to the corps artillery reserve. Tractors could be from a number of manufactures Pavezi, Renault HI and Ford for the heavy guns Clétrac, Ara Alpha Prime 3 (only in Belgian service) and Ford for the 75mm guns, all tracked and mostly underpowered. Obviously this would have slowed the rapid redeployment of medium and heavy guns in a war of movement.
Now to find a H1 Renault tractor …. Or scratchbuild one….
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| 75mm canon with Cletrac tractor |
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| Artillery school Bretagne, unloading a 75mm |
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| H1 Renault tractors for the 105mm and the 155mm |
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| H1 Renault tractor |
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| Captured Belgian tractors in the foreground, behind is two T13 Armoured tank destroyers, and a FT 17 |
On the rail car
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