AMD.35

AMD.35

AMC.35 (ACG.1)

AMD.35

AMC.35 (ACG.1)

France

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Light tank

Research:Free

Purchase:Free

Description

The AMD.35 is a rank I French light tank with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.93 "Shark Attack", replacing the AMC.34 YR as a reserve vehicle for the nation.

General info

Survivability and armour

The AMD.35 raw armour thickness is superior all-around to its fellow rank I armoured cars, (including the ZT3).

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	15 mm (66°), 26 mm (0°), Front glacis 15 mm (38°) Lower glacis 20 mm (45°) Driver's hatch	15 mm (0°) Side 20 mm (0°) Driver port sides	15 mm (22-23°) Fighting compartment rear 15 mm (2°) Top 15 mm (44°) Bottom	7mm
Turret	26 mm (25°) Turret front 20 mm (0-15°) Gun mantlets	15 mm (15-24°)	15 mm (30-31°)	7mm

• Wheel are 10 mm thick.
• Fender are 5 mm thick
• Belly armour is 7 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	80	47	8.2	163	200	19.88	24.39
Realistic	72	43		93	105	11.34	12.8

Armaments

Main armament

The AMD.35 possesses the same gun as the AMR.35 ZT3: the 25 mm SA34 L/72. Its high (950 m/s) velocity gives its shells a very flat trajectory, making rangefinding a relatively easy task.

The penetration capability is acceptable, but the post-penetration damage, because of the shell type (only APC), is very light. You will have to shoot multiple times in order to destroy an enemy tank.

25 mm SA34 L/72					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	48	-7°/+20°	±180°	N/A	23.80	32.94	40.00	44.23	47.06	3.90	3.45	3.18	3.00
Realistic					14.88	17.50	21.25	23.50	25.00

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
Mle1934 TP (Ch.F)	APC	64	61	50	39	31	24

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Normalisation at 30° from horizontal	Ricochet
								0%	50%	100%
Mle1934 TP (Ch.F)	APC	950	0.31	N/A	N/A	N/A	+4.0°	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

File:Ammorack AMD.35.png

Ammo racks of the AMD.35.

The SA34 L/32 utilizes single-piece ammunition stored in a single rack found behind the gunner in the hull.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	Visual discrepancy
48	1 (+47)	No

Recommended ammo load is the full 48 as not only is the full stowage small in size and is an adequate number for the gun's rate of fire (provides 2.5-3 minutes of continuous fire), but reducing the ammo count brings negligible results in this case due to the way the ammo depletes.

Machine guns

The AMD.35 is equipped with a single Mitrailleuse MAC 31 de 7,5 mm installed in a separate mantlet to the left of the main gun. It is loaded with 800 rounds organised in AP/AP/T belts, with a maximum 10 mm of penetration and a decent fire-rate and velocity. It is loaded with a pan magazine loaded with 150 rounds (100 AP and 50 T) per magazine. The machine gun is able to provide continuous fire for around 6.5 seconds before having to be reloaded, taking 6 seconds with a stock crew. (It seems that the magazine the AMD.35 first spawns with is considerably shorter, firing only for only 2.5 seconds before having to reload.)

The machine gun, while not carrying the destructive power of a .50 cal HMG, it is often enough to wipe out the crew of unarmoured trucks quickly and when in extreme close range, penetrate light-car armour.

7.5 mm MAC 31
Mount	Capacity (Belt capacity)	Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
Coaxial	800 (150)	1,350	0°/+20°	N/A

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tires		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:

• High top speed in a straight line on paved and hardened surfaces (80 km/h AB, 72 km/h RB)
• Reserve vehicle means instant access and free repairs
• Quick 18°/s turret rotation (aced with stock crew, up to 25°/s max)
• Vehicle geared to achieve same top speed both in drive and reverse, allowing for a quick retreat
• Good frontal armour in its class
• Raw armour thickness is superior all-around to all other rank I armoured cars (including the ZT3) and includes three internal plates of armour around the engine compartment
• Good armour penetration of the main gun, capable of penetrating the frontal (unsloped) armour of most enemy tanks in its rank at 500 m distance
• Fast reload speed of the main gun
• Large crew for a vehicle of its class, increasing survivability
• The quick reload, relatively fast velocity and flat shell trajectory of the SA34 L/72 (25 mm) can be used to fire at low-flying planes with relative ease

Cons:

• Poor cross-country performance
• Poor fording and obstacle-crossing capabilities
• Wheeled vehicle, unable to turn on the spot
• Slow vertical gun elevation speed. (4.25°/s when aced with stock crew, up to 4.8°/s)
• Lightly armoured and vulnerable flanks and rear when compared to traditional tanks
• Limited ammo storage (48 rounds for the main gun, 800 rounds for coaxial machine gun)
• While capable of a relatively fast muzzle velocity of 950m/s, the round's light weight does not carry its force very far (dramatic decrease of penetration power above 500 m range)
• Very light APC round, doing comparatively little damage and so multiple rounds may be required to destroy a single tank
• APC round has comparatively poor penetration on vehicles with sloped armour in its rank
• Absence of specialised anti-aircraft protection
• -7° of depression compared to the -10° of the ZT3
• The AMD.35 has road wheels instead of off road ones, making cross-country performance worse than other armoured cars.
• The road wheels mean that braking takes ages and even with the upgraded brakes, stopping the vehicle from top speed takes around 5 seconds.

History

The AMD.35 or Automitrailleuse de Découverte, also known as the Panhard 178 was a French 4x4 specialised long-range armoured reconnaissance car built by Panhard. Designed to a 1931 specification to replace older models of armoured cars, Panhard completed a prototype in October of 1933 which was evaluated in January and February of 1934. Out of four competing models, built by Panhard, Renault, Berliet and Latil, the Panhard design was considered the best, being a highly advanced design for its time. After further trials by the French Cavalry, the Panhard 178 was accepted for production as the AMD Panhard Modèle 1935. Initial use revealed some issues like engine overheating and cracking of the gun sight, resulting in a major modification program in 1937 which saw numerous modifications introduced.

In order to obtain a vehicle capable of a long-range and relatively high speed for its class, Panhard designed the 178 to be relatively light. As a result, the vehicle was relatively lightly armoured, ranging from 7 mm armour bottom plates to 13 mm flank armour and 26 mm frontal armour. As a result, the vehicle had a road speed of 72 km/h (45 mph) and a range of about 300 km (186 miles), but due to its long wheelbase and leaf-spring suspension, its off-road top speed lay at 42 km/h (26 mph) and its wading and trench-crossing capacity lay at just 60 cm (2 ft). The vehicle also had its shortcomings: it had a cramped interior, poor cross-country performance, a slow turret rotation speed and a weak clutch.

Unusually for a French light reconnaissance vehicle, the Panhard 178 was equipped with a 2-man turret at a time when even most of their tanks had one-man turrets: the AP3X turret housed a commander and gunner, who had a 25 mm Hotchkiss Modèle 34 main gun and 7.5 mm Reibel coaxial machine gun at their disposal. The turret also housed a reserve machine gun which could be mounted on top for anti-aircraft defence, but which was rarely mounted in practice. The Hotchkiss gun had tungsten rounds at its disposal, capable of penetrating up to 50 mm of armour, however, these rounds performed poorly when confronted with angled armour. Already early on the poor armour-penetrating capabilities of the Hotchkiss Modèle 34 were recognised, and work was started on up-arming the AMD.35 with a 47 mm SA 35 gun. Early designs would have seen the gun fitted in the rear driver's post creating a tank-destroyer with two AT guns (the turreted Hotchkiss gun and a hull-mounted SA 35 gun), but this was abandoned in favour of a vehicle with a turreted SA 35 in an enlarged turret. Even so, by May of 1940, in the response of events in Poland, plans were already being drawn up to phase out production of the lightly armoured AMD.35 in favour of the more heavily armed and armoured AM40P.

Events decided differently, and following the German invasion of France in May of 1940, the AMD.35 proved its worth, outclassing its German counterparts. In a number of direct confrontation, German reconnaissance vehicles proved vulnerable to the Panhard's Hotchkiss gun, while their own 20 mm main gun proved ineffective against the Panhard. As a result, following the defeat of France, the Panhard 178 was taken into production for the German army as the Panzerspähwagen P204 (f). In German service, some of these vehicles were refitted with the 37 mm KwK 36; in 1944, a batch of captured ex-Vichy Panhards were fitted with the 50 mm KwK 38 L/42 or L/60 in an open turret.

Following the Liberation of France in 1944, production of the Panhard 178 was reinstated for the French Army, and consideration was given to up-arming the design with the 75 mm SA 45 L/32. A larger turret was designed which could fit this gun, however, before production started the decision was taken to fit the new Panhard 178B with the pre-war 47 mm SA 35 instead. The up-armed Panhard 178B was produced for the French Army, entering service after the War: it served both in France and its colonies, such as Syria, Tahiti, Madagascar and Indo-China. The Panhard 178B was phased out of French army service in 1960; examples taken over by Syria following its independence in 1946 continued service into the mid-1960, when it was finally phased out in favour of Soviet-supplied equipment.

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

• [Wikipedia] Panhard 178
• [Tanks-Encyclopedia] Panhard 178