The story of the Char B1 and Char B1 bis can take up an entire book and there are many excellent books on the subjects - namely Trackstory Number 13 Le Char B1 and Hommes et Materiels du 15e BCC - Chars B au Combat. The abbreviated version is that in the early 1920s, several French companies submitted designs for a tank to meet the French Government's requirements for a heavy infantry tank. Several designs had been proposed, developed and tested over the course of the following eight years, combining the FCM suspension, the Renault engine and the Schneider transmission. The tank underwent many trials and tests over the course of the next 15-years. It was not until German movement in 1935 to re-occupy the Rhineland that the French Government ordered the immediate production of 40 Char B tanks. Design and development continued until a heavier 32-ton up-armoured variant - named the Char B1 bis - was approved for production. Modifications carried out on the Char B1 to bring it to a Char B1 bis include a larger engine to accommodate the extra 5-ton weight of the tank, and a heavier APX 4 type turret (similar to the Somua S-35) mounting a high velocity 47mm gun.
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