A fearsome tank
Huge, well-armoured and with two big guns, the Char B1 was regarded as a fearsome fighting machine when it first appeared in 1935.
Despite this, many of these tanks were destroyed or captured during the battle for France in 1940. The captured tanks were then used by the German forces.
The Char B’s size and shape, with large tracks going round the entire hull, made it more like the First World War tanks than those of the 1930s. It was a very difficult tanks for the crew to operate. The driver had to aim and fire the main gun, while the commander in a separate turret had to read maps and give orders, as well as load, aim and fire the turret guns.
The Tank Museum’s Char B
After being captured in France, our tank was used by the German Army in Jersey during the occupation of the Channel Islands from 1940 to 1945. After the war, it was brought back to Britain.
