AMC.34 YR

AMC.34 YR

AMC.34 YR

France

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Light tank

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

Description

The Automitrailleuse de Combat AMC.34 YR (Combat machinegun-car) is a rank I French light tank with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance". While originally a reserve vehicle, it was later superseded in status as a reserve vehicle in Update 1.93 "Shark Attack" by the AMD.35. It features a well-armoured turret on a fragile chassis with a subpar SA34 L/30 cannon as the main armament.

Being not so fast, not so well-armoured and not so powerful, this tank is clearly not one to be bold with. Any other light tank you may encounter has a cannon that penetrates about 150% greater than yours and can fire twice as fast, so never engage an enemy head-on. Instead, as with most rank 1 French vehicles, stick with the team and follow flanking manoeuvres. Do not go out in an open field since your armour cannot protect you from incoming shots, your cannon cannot reliably engage an enemy, and your mobility does not allow for dodging. At best, this tank is a support brawler; at worse, it is a decoy for the enemy to shoot a round of ammunition at.

This tank's turret is its best attire: thick, sloped, and small. It is nearly invincible in a hull-down position. Otherwise, any penetrating frontal shot has a good chance to one-shot you: on the left side, a big ammo-rack can be easily detonated while on the right side, your only 2 crew members are all lined-up. Its mobility is "Not the best but still good" in terms of characterization. With about 15 HP/ton, it can carry its user to a good position.

Firepower is the main worry of early French tanks: they are subpar. With at most 27 mm of penetration at point-blank ranges, poor ballistics and an awful reload time, this the worst main reserve armament. This gun is best used in assisting allied flanking manoeuvres and close-quarter engagements.

General info

Survivability and armour

The AMC.34 YR fits all definitions of a light tank. It has very little armour and very little space - it can't take a shot. When looking at it frontally, the AMC.34 YR has a big ammo rack on the left, and both crew members on the right, meaning that any shot that penetrates will almost certainly destroy the tank. When looking side-on, the AMC.34 YR has two other ammo racks in the middle, and right behind those, there are crew members (if any of them are taken out, the tank is destroyed); the only way that this tank can survive when shot side-on is if the enemy shoots too far back, where there's only a single fuel tank. However, with short reloads at rank I, the enemy is likely to reload in-time to finish the job.

Generally, the AMC.34 YR can't get shot, if it does - it is destroyed. This is easier to accomplish in realistic battles, where bushes can be used as cover, as well as buildings. However, in arcade battles, the AMC.34 YR has to be played extremely carefully and the player should expect the enemies to know their exact location.

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (turret, cupola)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	20 mm (18-24°) Upper plate 20 mm (29°) Lower plate 20 mm (41°) Lower glacis	18 mm	10 mm (27°) Top 10 mm Radiator shaft 10 mm (24°) Bottom	10 mm 5 mm Vents
Turret	35 mm Turret front 35 mm Gun mantlet 35 mm (conical) MG port 25 mm (49°) MG cover plate 10+20 mm (cylindrical) Turret ring	35 mm (6-21°) 10+20 mm (cylindrical) Turret ring	35 mm (22-26°) 38 mm (22°) Turret hatch 10+20 mm (cylindrical) Turret ring	30 mm
Cupola	35 mm			30 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are 15 mm thick

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	45	7	9.7	130	229	13.4	23.61
Realistic	41	6		106	120	10.93	12.37

The AMC.34 YR is one of the more mobile rank I French tanks. It can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h when on hard, flat ground and it turns rather well. However, its speed can't be used to avoid enemy fire since the maps at this rank are quite small, and usually enemies are still able to align their shots due to very short reload speeds. Nevertheless, the player should move around the map when playing the AMC.34 YR especially in realistic battles. If the enemies don't know your position, they can't shoot you - and you can't take any chances.

Armaments

Main armament

47 mm SA34 L/30					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	76	-8°/+12°	±180°	Vertical	15.0	20.7	25.1	27.8	29.6	7.80	6.90	6.36	6.00
Realistic					9.3	11.0	13.3	14.8	15.7

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Mle1892G	APHE	27	26	20	15	11	8

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Mle1892G	APHE	450	1.48	1.2	6.0	50	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the AMC.34 YR

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
76	53 (+23)	25 (+51)	1 (+75)	No

Note:

• As they are modeled by sets of 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire all shells in the set.

Machine guns

7.5 mm MAC 31
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,800 (150)	1,350	N/A	N/A

The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

Usage in battles

Play carefully. The AMC.34 YR is the opposite of survivable, so you can't get shot, at all. Your gun will struggle to penetrate early Italian tanks and some German tanks, which you will encounter the most, so learn the weak spots and flank. Below are some strategies that may help you out when operating the AMC.34 YR:

Hull-down:

• With its thickest armour being on the turret, this tank performs fairly well in ambush positions near a choke-point: find yourself a rock, trench or hill and poke your turret out. You should have a good view of the battlefield while bouncing most incoming rounds, although don't take your chances and use cover to hide from the enemies. Even if you found a good spot, reposition every now and then since you will be spotted and dealt with in no time.

Support:

• Assisting your allies will be your best use of this tank, whether by breaking tracks/guns of your enemies or by scouting and marking enemies on the map (or calling them out in the chat). Do try to steal targets from your allies, since its the best you can do. However, do keep in mind that your penetration and reload time are awful, never engage anything alone, or without cover nearby, since you will likely be destroyed.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Has APHE shell (Mle1892G)
• Turret is well armoured and angled
• MAC 31 machine gun as coaxial MG is good
• Tiny target

Cons:

• Has bad penetration values
• Reload time is twice as slow as any other tanks of similar caliber
• Bad speed
• Hull armour is only 20 mm thick and flat
• Turret ring is only 30 mm thick
• Only 2 crew members are lined up and cramped: easy to one-shot
• Huge ammo racks are easy to detonate

History

The AMC.34 was a pre-war cavalry tank design that was not accepted for wide service, being considered insufficiently armoured. A dozen pre-series vehicles were equipped with the APX1-model turret, also used by the pre-war Char B1 tank and mounting the 47 mm SA 34 gun (as shown in-game), and used by the French 4th Cuirassiers in 1936-37, before being re-armed with 20mm gun turrets and shipped to the French North African colonies for service there. They are believed to have been all replaced by H.39 tanks and taken out of service in late 1939.

The earlier Char D1 and the early versions of the Char D2 infantry tanks, which shared the same short 47 mm gun (and turret, in the case of the early-production D2) as the in-game AMC.34 but on different vehicle bodies (better armoured than the AMC.34, but also slower), did see wartime service. France produced 160 D1s between 1932 and 1935, which equipped 3 tank battalions in North Africa in 1939. One of these battalions, the 67th, would be recalled to fight in the fall of France. After the French defeat, the Germans allowed the Vichy regime to keep 60 of their remaining D1s in North Africa, where they fought against both the American landings at Oran in late 1942 and the German occupation of Vichy Tunisia around the same time. The estimated 50 early-model D2s that were produced between 1934 and 1936 with the same APX1 turret (later production vehicles of the D2 line would be up-gunned to carry the better 47 mm also found on the in-game Somua and B1 bis) also served during the fall of France, in their case with the 19th Tank Battalion under De Gaulle.

Media

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

See also

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

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
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