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 premium rank II French heavy tank with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance" as a pack vehicle and eventually discontinued from the store, but was later reintroduced for War Thunder's 7th anniversary as a premium purchasable in-game for 1,300 Golden Eagles and through the Warbonds mechanic.

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 a Latin abbreviation which means "third", referring to the series, just as the suffix "bis" 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

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	33	5	36.6	452	668	12.35	18.25
Realistic	31	4		310	350	8.47	9.56

Armaments

Main armament

47 mm SA35 L/32					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	60	±18°	±180°	Shoulder	8.1	11.2	13.6	15.0	16.0	5.20	4.60	4.24	4.00
Realistic					6.0	7.0	8.5	9.4	10.0

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
Mle1935	APC	62	59	47	36	27	20
Mle1935 HE	HE	4	4	4	4	4	4

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%
Mle1935	APC	660	1.62	N/A	N/A	N/A	48°	63°	71°
Mle1935 HE	HE	590	1.41	0.0	0.1	143	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	Visual discrepancy
60	49 (+11)	37 (+23)	7 (+53)	5 (+55)	3 (+57)	1 (+59)	No

Note:

• As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.

Additional armament

The hull-mounted gun 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 not only makes you vulnerable, it is also mostly ineffective.

75 mm SA35 L/17					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	90	-4°/+9°	-7°/+5°	N/A	3.2	4.5	5.4	6.0	6.4	14.9	13.1	12.1	11.4
Realistic					2.4	2.8	3.4	3.8	4.0

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
Mle1910M	APHE	64	62	55	47	41	35
Mle1915	HE	11	11	11	11	11	11

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%
Mle1910M	APHE	500	6.40	1.2	14.0	90	47°	60°	65°
Mle1915	HE	500	5.55	0.0	0.1	740	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
90	84 (+6)	80 (+10)	77 (+13)	75 (+15)	71 (+19)	68 (+22)	53 (+37)	38 (+52)

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
36 (+54)	34 (+56)	32 (+58)	27 (+63)	21 (+69)	19 (+71)	8 (+82)	1 (+89)	No

Notes:

• As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
• Packing 38 (+52) shells keeps the forward crew compartment empty of 75 mm shells.

Machine guns

7.5 mm MAC 31
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,000 (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

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.

Enemies worth noting:

• M3 / M5 Stuart: as previously mentioned, light tanks can be a dangerous threat to the clumsy B1. The Stuarts have good acceleration, great top speed regardless of the terrain, and fast hull traverse, allowing them to sneak up or charge at a B1 without getting hit. When they are close, their 37mm cannons can easily penetrate your hull cannon mount, turret sides and driving compartment, and their fast reload can knock out your crews one by one. But with the additional side armor of the B1 ter, Stuarts might struggle to penetrate your hull sides. To counter them, angle your hull for about 45 degrees, this way their small caliber shells tend to ricochet and will have a hard time to penetrate you. If they circle you, turn your hull and reverse at the same time to avoid them flanking, and if possible gain some separation. Target their hull, as their frontal turret is mostly covered by a curved gun mantlet which can cause non-penetrations.
• German tanks above its BR: their guns are usually more than enough to pierce the 70mm front armor and if they do, most of the crew will be knocked out, likely resulting in an OHK.

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
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

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 (now 5 instead of 4)
  • Smaller turret ring than its predecessor
  • 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:
  • Fuel tank behind the grille lights up very often when penetrated.
  • Large turret ring is weak (25-40 mm poorly sloped)
  • Crew is cramped
  • 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
  • Poor traverse on 75 mm gun (12° total)
  • The hull gun has reduced depression compared to the B1 bis version (-4°)
  • 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

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the B1 ter from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #75 - Metal Beasts section at 00:30 discusses the B1 ter.

The Shooting Range #75 - Pages of History section at 04:13 discusses the B1 bis and B1 ter.

Best secondary armaments discusses the B1 ter at 4:56 - War Thunder Official Channel

Best gun depression discusses the B1 ter at 3:01 - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• B1 bis

Vehicles equipped with the same 47 mm gun

• AMC.35 (ACG.1)
• D2
• S.35

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• M3 Lee / M3 Medium (USSR)
• Grant I / Grant I (Great Britain)
• Churchill I

External links

• [Devblog] Char B1ter: A Blast From The Past
• [Wikipedia] Char B1
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Char B1/B1 bis
• [Military Factory] Renault Char B1

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