FCM 2C - FirearmCentral Wiki - Fandom

Contents

• 1 Overview
• 2 Operational History
• 3 Variants
  • 3.1 FCM 2C
  • 3.2 FCM 2C bis
  • 3.3 Unnamed FCM 2C

Overview[]

Char Lourd FCM 2C

General Data

Type

Heavy Tank

Place of Origin

France

Designer

FCM

Designed

1918

Manufacturer

FCM

Produced

1919-1921

Number Built

10

Armament

Main Gun

75mm APX 1897 (124 rounds)

Traverse

360° Electric

Elevation

-20° to +20°

Coaxial Gun

8x50mmR Hotchkiss

Hull Mounted Gun

8x50mmR Hotchkiss

Guns in other locations

Turret, rear: 8x50mmR Hotchkiss

Side: 8x50mmR Hotchkiss

Defence

Armour Type

Welded

Armour Layout

10-45mm

Misc Specs

Crew

12

External Communication

ER53

Dimensions

Weight

69000kg

Length

10.26m

Width

2.95m

Height

4m

Automotive

Engine

2 x Unknown Maybach

Power/Weight

7.5hp/t

Engine Characteristics

2 x 6 cyl, 16.95L

Ground Clearance

0.6m

Fuel Capacity

1280L

Operational Range

Onroad: 140km

Speed

Onroad: 12km/h

Trench Crossing

4.25m

Maximum Fording Depth

1.4m

Minimum Turning Diameter

14m

Suspension

Vertical Obstacles

1.7m The FCM 2C is a French heavy tank developed for World War I. It was however too late for that conflict, but if it was fielded, it would have been the largest operational tank ever made.

Operational History[]

The ten FCM 2C tanks were numbered 90-99. Because of the time that these vehicles were made, there was little value of using these vehicles throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Nevertheless, during the French mobilization of 1939, all ten were activated and put into their own unit, the 51st Bataillion de Chars de Combat. For propaganda, each tank was named after one of the ancient regions of France.

Number	Name
90	Poitou
91	Provence
92	Picardie
93	Alsace
94	Bretagne
95	Touraine
96	Anjou
97	Normandie / Lorraine
98	Berry
99	Champagne

The 10 vehicles did not participate in the attack on the Siegfried line in 1939, they were intentionally kept out of harm's way. They were used instead for numerous morale-boosting movies, to the public, they were seen as invincible super tanks. When the Germans were getting closer to the tanks, they were to be sent South by rail, however the railway was blocked, so the vehicles were scuttled. Later Goebbels and Göring claimed the tanks were hit by German dive bombers, a propaganda lie that was repeated in many sources. Tank 99 "Champagne" was captured mostly intact and was brought to Berlin to be exhibited as a war trophy until disappearing in 1948.

Variants[]

FCM 2C[]

Standard FCM 2C

FCM 2C bis[]

In 1926, FCM 2C #99 "Champagne" was modified into the FCM 2C bis, an experimental type with a 155mm howitzer in a cast steel turret. New engines were fitted and the machine gun positions were removed. This change was temporary, as the vehicle was restored to the standard FCM 2C the very same year. The turret was used in the Tunisian Mareth Line.

Unnamed FCM 2C[]

Between 15th November and 15th December 1939, FCM 2C #97 "Lorraine" was modified with increased armour. The front armour was upgraded to 90mm and the side to 65mm. The final product weighed about 75 tons.

FranceLand VehiclesPre-War & World War I Period (1900 — 1918)

Tracked Vehicles
Tanks	Light Tanks	Levavasseur • Peugeot 18 • Renault FT-17 • Renault FT-18
	Medium Tanks	Chars Fouche • FCM 1A • FCM 1B • FCM A • Saint-Chamond • Saint-Chamond 25t • Schneider C.A.1 • Schneider C.A.2 • Schneider C.A.3
	Heavy Tanks	Char de POIX • FCM 2C
Self-Propelled Guns	Self-Propelled Gun	Renault BS
Other	Experimental	Boirault Appareil No.1 • Boirault Appareil No.2 • Souain Experiment
	Command	Renault TSF

Wheeled Vehicles
Combat	Light Tank	Frot-Turmel-Laffly
Other	Wire-Cutter	Breton-Prétot Appareil

FranceLand VehiclesInterwar & World War II Period (1919 — 1945)

Tracked Vehicles
Light Tanks	Standard Light Tanks	AMX 38 • Batignolles-Châtillon 1935 • Citröen P103 • FAMH • FCM 36 • H 35 (ré-armé) • H 38 • H 39 • Renault APX 6t • Renault FT-31 • Renault NC27 • R 35 • R 40
	Light Cavalry Tanks	AEM
	Amphibious Light Tanks	DP-2
	Combat / Recon Tankettes	ACG 1 • ADF 1 • AMC 34 • AMC 34/YR • AMC 35 • AMR 33 • AMR 35 YS 1 • AMR 35 YS 2 • AMR 35 ZT 1 • AMR 35 ZT 2 • AMR 35 ZT 4
Medium Tanks	Standard Medium Tanks	AMX 39 • AMX 45 • AMX Tracteur B • BDR G (G1) • Fouga G (Fouga G1) • Lorraine G (G1) • Renault B • Renault B1 (bis • ter) • Renault D1 • Renault D2 • Renault D3 • Renault G (G1) • Renault NC1 • Renault NC2 • SEAM G (G1) • Somua G (G1)
	Medium Cavalry Tanks	AMX 40 • SOMUA S 35 • SOMUA S 40
Heavy Tanks	Standard Heavy Tanks	AMX 37 • ARL 37 • AMX Tracteur C (1939) • AMX Tracteur C (1940) • ARL 1937 Variante C • ARL 1937 Variante S • ARL 1937 Variante V • ARL 40 • ARL 44 • B40 • FAMH • FCM 1A • FCM 2C (bis) • FCM 21 • FCM F1 • Renault B1 (bis • ter) • RX Tank BL
Self-Propelled Guns	Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns	Lorraine 37 with MG
	Tank Destroyers	76.2mm M10 GMC • ACG 2 • AEM Tank Destroyer • AMR 33 Engin P • AMR 35 ZT 3 • Char d'Arrêt • Lorraine 37 Tank Destroyer • FT AC • SAu 40 • UE 57
	Self-Propelled Gun / Assault Gun	75 Garnier-Renault • ACL-135 • ARL V 39 • Renault BS
	Self-Propelled Howitzer	194mm GPF Saint Chamond • Lorraine 39 AM
Other Fully Tracked Vehicles	Command	AMR 35 ADF 1
	Observation	AMR 35 YS 2
	Reconnaissance	AMR 33 • AMR 35 (YS 1 • ZT 1 • ZT 2 • ZT 4)
	Transport & Towing	Lorraine 37 • Lorraine 38 • Lorraine 39 • Renault UE • SEAM
Turrets	Turrets	APX 1 • APX 4 • ARL 2 • ARL 3 • FCM F1 • FCM F4

Half-Tracked Vehicles
Combat	Combat Cars	Panhard-Schneider P16 • Citroën-Kégresse P28
	Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns	12.7mm M16 MGMC • Citroën-Kégresse P4T • Citroën-Kégresse P19
	Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Guns	75mm M3 GMC
	Self-Propelled Howitzer	75mm T30 HMC
	Self-Propelled Mortars	81mm M21 MMC
Utility	Bridgelayers	1939 Somua Bridgelayer
	Transport & Towing	1923 Peugoet-Kégresse • Citroën-Kégresse P17 • M2 Halftrack • M5 Halftrack • M9 Halftrack (A1) • MCL 5 • Unic P107