B1 ter

B1 ter

B1 ter

France

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.7	2.7	2.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Heavy tank

Purchase:1 300

This page is about the premium heavy tank B1 ter. For the standard version, see B1 bis.

Description

The Char de bataille B1 ter (Battle tank B1 "tertiaire") is a gift Rank II French heavy tank with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance". With the best armour at its BR, this tank is a beast in long-range engagements since it is hard to penetrate at distances. While not having the best armament, it should do the job taking care of these dangerous early SPGs and light tanks. The "ter" suffix to its name is an abbreviation for the french word "tertiaire" which means "third", referring to the series, just as the "bis" suffix identified the previous second B1 production series. Its most noticeable features from its predecessor (B1 bis) are an increased horizontal traverse for the hull gun, thicker armour and an extra crew member.

This tank's mobility won't allow you to position fast enough. Taking time is the only way to get where you want safely. Since this tank is pretty long and narrow, do not engage in cramped spaces since you will not be allowed to manoeuvre as you wish. You reverse speed won't allow you to retreat if things get bad around you, stay behind the front-lines, making good use of your armour.

In order to effectively use this tank's armour, there is a few things to consider. First of all, there is some shot traps,most noticeably the turret ring and the hull gun mount. In order to minimize your enemies' chance to hit these weak spots, stay away from them. Second, even if your armour is very strong for the BR, do not completely rely on it by sitting around in an open field: you will eventually get hit where it hurts. The third thing to consider is your small and thick turret: hide that big clumsy hull behind a hill and pop out only your hard "head", take a shot, fall back, reload, repeat. If something goes wrong (i.e. getting shot in the turret ring), there is usually enough men left to take the job left by their knocked out crew. Do not bother getting spotted: it is your job to stay in the enemies' sights while your lighter teammates do what they ought to. In some situations, it can even be used as a breakthrough tank, rely on your own experience to guess when it is time to do so.

With the same gun as most other rank 2 French tanks, the B1 ter will never be recognized for having a fearsome armament: penetration rates are even lower than most reserve tanks while reload time is twice as long (a known feature of early French tanks). The turreted armament is only good at firing light targets such as SPGs and light tanks. Elevation and depression angles are amazing but turret sewing rate is a bit slow: this tank has been designed to be hull-down. As for the hull-mounted gun, it should only be used as a close range defence device, as it has poor penetration rates and high drop. Exposing your hull-mounted gun for long range engagements does not only makes you vulnerable, it is also mostly ineffective.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)'

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	70 mm (18-42°) Front glacis 70 mm (48°) Lower glacis 70 + 70 mm (3-29°) Gun mantlet	55 (0-43°) + 55 mm, 50 + 55 mm (23-28°) Top and front side border 70 mm (21-27°) Center 20 mm Bottom	25 mm (65°) Top 55 mm (1°) Center 55 mm (46°) Bottom	25 mm 8 mm Engine grille 22 + 25 mm Track cover
Turret	56 mm (0-46°) Turret front 56 mm (1-85°) Gun mantlet 56 mm (0-49°) Machine gun cover	56 mm (5-19°)	56 mm (18-19°) 38.1 mm (18°) Turret hatch	30 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	48 mm	30 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Turret ring armour is 25 mm thick.

Due to the extremely heavy frontal armor, one should try to use mobility to flank the B1. However, if that isn't possible, you'll want to try and hit the "mailslot" of the turret ring. It may be a tricky shot, but there's only ~40 mm of armor there. When flanking ,it is preferable to go for the right side of the tank as is is filled with ammo and fuel.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
36.6	N/A	33 (AB)
		31 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	452	556
Realistic/Simulator	310	350
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	12.35	15.19
Realistic/Simulator	8.47	9.56

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm SA35 L/17
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
90			-4°/+9°	-7°/+5°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
Mle1910M	APHE	57	55	52	47	44	37
Mle1915	HE	11	11	11	11	11	11

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
Mle1910M	APHE	500	6.4	1.2	25	90	°	47°	60°	65°
Mle1915	HE	500	5.6	0.4	0.1	740	+0°	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the B1 ter.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	11th rack empty	12th rack empty	13th rack empty	14th rack empty	15th rack empty	16th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
90	84 (+6)	80 (+10)	77 (+13)	75 (+15)	71 (+19)	68 (+22)	53 (+37)	39 (+51)	36 (+54)	34 (+56)	32 (+58)	27 (+63)	21 (+69)	19 (+71)	8 (+82)	1 (+89)	no

Additional armament

47 mm SA35 L/32
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
60			±18°	±180°	Vertical
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	5.90	8.20	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	5.90	7.00	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert Qualif.	Prior + Ace Qualif.
9.80	_.__	_.__	_.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
Mle1935	APC	69	67	57	48	27	24
Mle1935 HE	HE	4	4	4	4	4	4

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
Mle1935	APC	660	1.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	°	48°	63°	71°
Mle1935 HE	HE	590	1.4	0.4	0.1	143	+0°	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
60	49 (+11)	37 (+23)	15 (+45)	11 (+49)	7 (+53)	5 (+55)	3 (+57)	1 (+59)	no

Machine guns

7.5 mm MAC 31
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
4,000 (150)				1,350	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The Char B1, upon playing it for the first time will be slow in both acceleration, max speed and turret rotation speed. The Hull gun is usable, while not being very suitable for this tank's main role. The best way to play the B1 ter is to hold down a position, preferably hull down (as its turret is thick and small, it will ricochet most shots it will take). Playing the B1 ter rightly, there is only 3 ways to get outplayed:

• Being outflanked by a light tank
• The enemy has been lucky enough to get a shot through a shot trap
• Meeting a dangerous gun (see Specific enemies worth noting)

All light tanks are dangerous as they can easily outflank you if they get too close, shoot them down before it happens. Also, do not engage medium and heavy tanks from the front as it is only a waste of efforts.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Overall good armour
  • Very heavy frontal armour for its rank.
  • Strong turret from the front
  • Good at side-scraping (thick sides)
  • Nearly impenetrable hull when angled
  • Increased armour values all around from its predecessor (70 mm instead of 60 mm)
  • Extra crew member
  • Smaller turret ring than its predecessor
  • No more weak "grille" and sides are no longer completely flat
  • Top part of tracks is now shielded
• Decent firepower
  • One of the best in-game depression (-18°, turret gun)
  • Has 2 main armaments
  • A rare feature on French tanks: it has APHE ammunition.
  • MAC 31 coaxial MG
  • Turret gun has LOCK, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics effective.
  • Hull gun has better horizontal traverse than its bis version.
  • Carries more ammo than the bis

Cons:

• Armour has many shot traps:
  • Engine grille on left side is a 15 mm weak point, nullifies angling from this side.
  • Fuel tank behind the grille lights up very often when penetrated.
  • Large turret ring is weak (25-40 mm poorly sloped)
  • Hull gun mount is a weak spot and can be penetrated by most guns of the rank.
  • Crew is cramped
  • Turret rear plate is only 38 mm thick
  • Has a tall and "thin" cupola
  • Literally has an hallway full of ammo in the back
  • 8 mm grille above ammo and loader makes it vulnerable to aircraft HMG fire.
• Guns feel lacking
  • Lacking penetration from both of its guns
  • Abysmal traverse on 75 mm gun (~1° left to right)
  • Slow reload on both guns
  • Only stock ammo choices
  • APHE shell won't detonate when shooting at light targets (25 mm or less armour)
  • Hull gun is hard to master (not beginner-friendly)
• Mobility is sub par
  • Not very mobile due to weight.
  • Slow hull turning rate
  • Reverse speed is low (-3km/h)
  • Turret sewing rate is slower than its predecessor
  • 4 tons heavier than its predecessor while sharing its engine.
• Has a very noticeable and thick antenna sticking upwards.

History

The Char B1 was one of the most produced and widely used indigenous French tank designs employed during the Invasion of France in 1940. The Char B1 came in three modifications, with the ter modification marking the third and final one. Each modification brought with it several changes that would improve the design’s overall performance, from the installation of more powerful engines, over enhanced armour protection and anti-tank capabilities to increased ammunition count. Although the Char B1’s development began as early as the mid 1920s, the B1ter version was conceived around the same time the Char B1bis entered serial production, in 1937.

Compared to the B1bis, the ter modification featured thicker frontal armour protection, going up to 75mm. Apart of the extra armour, the B1ter was also equipped with a more powerful 350 hp engine as well as a different transmission and received space for an additional crew member too. These changes increased the weight of the vehicle up to 36.6 tonnes, but also made the planned production process a lot easier, faster and most importantly, cheaper. The first prototype of the Char B1ter was constructed and shown off to French military officials in 1937, with testing and production approval following in May 1940. However, at that point, it was a case of too little too late for the Char B1ter. Three further prototypes were constructed before France capitulated in June 1940, with efforts to evacuate the prototypes from France ultimately failing, as the ship transporting the vehicles was sunk by a German air raid on 21 June 1940.

-From Devblog

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Char B1ter: A Blast From The Past

France heavy tanks
B1	B1 bis · B1 ter
2C	2C · 2C bis
ARL-44	ARL-44 (ACL-1)
AMX-50	Somua SM · AMX-50 Surbaissé · AMX-50 Surblindé
USA	▄M4A3E2