List of World War II weapons of France
Encyclopedia
This is a list of weapons which were used by the French military during World War II.
Light tanks
Medium tanks
Cavalry tanks
Armoured combat tanks
Heavy tanks
Handguns
- MAB Model AMAB Model AThe MAB Model A is a 6.35 mm caliber pocket pistol made in France. MAB stands for Manufacture d'armes de Bayonne. It is patterned after the Baby Browning.MAB Model A "Brequette" is a semi-automatic pistol with a blowback action...
- MAB Model D pistol
- Modèle 1935 pistolModele 1935 pistolTwo similar but distinct French military pistols carry the designation "model 1935", the model 1935A and the model 1935S. Both were designed to compete in the 1935-37 French military trials conducted by the Commission d’Experiences Techniques de Versailles to select a new sidearm...
- Star Model 14Star Model 14The Star Model 1914 was produced by Star Bonifacio Echeverria S.A., and largely an improved version of the Star Model 1908, particularly in terms of ergonomics. This model was chosen by the French Army in 7.65mm Browning calibre, also called the Pistolet automatique Star...
- MAS 1873 revolverMAS 1873 revolverThe service revolver model 1873 Chamelot-Delvigne was the first double action revolver used by the French army. It was produced by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne from 1873 to 1887 in about 337,000 copies. Although soon replaced by the Modele 1892 revolver, it was nevertheless widely used...
- Modèle 1892 revolverModele 1892 revolverThe Model 1892 Revolver was a French service revolver produced by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne as a replacement for the MAS 1873 revolver...
- Ruby pistolRuby pistolThe self-loading Ruby pistol is best known as a French World War I sidearm, the Pistolet Automatique de 7 millim.65 genre "Ruby". A very international piece of weaponry, it was closely modeled after the American John Browning's M1903 made by the Belgian Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, and was...
Rifles
- Fusil Automatique Modele 1917Fusil Automatique Modele 1917The Fusil Automatique Modele 1917 was a semi-automatic, gas-operated, infantry rifle that was placed in service in the French Army during the latter part of World War I. It was chambered in the then-standard 8mm Lebel rimmed cartridge used in other French Army infantry weapons of the time...
- LebelLebel Model 1886 rifleThe Lebel Model 1886 rifle is also known as the "Fusil Mle 1886 M93", after a bolt modification was added in 1893. It is an 8mm bolt action infantry rifle which entered service in the French Army in April 1887...
and BerthierBerthier rifleThe Berthier rifles and carbines were a family of bolt-action small arms in 8mm Lebel, used in the French Army from the 1890s to the beginning of World War II...
rifles - Fusil MAS36MAS-36The MAS Modèle 36 is a bolt-action rifle. It was adopted in 1936 by France, and was intended to replace the Berthier and Lebel series of service rifles. It was manufactured by MAS The MAS Modèle 36 is a bolt-action rifle. It was adopted in 1936 by France, and was intended to replace the Berthier...
- Fusil MAS36 CR39MAS-36The MAS Modèle 36 is a bolt-action rifle. It was adopted in 1936 by France, and was intended to replace the Berthier and Lebel series of service rifles. It was manufactured by MAS The MAS Modèle 36 is a bolt-action rifle. It was adopted in 1936 by France, and was intended to replace the Berthier...
- M1917 Enfield, supplied by the US through Lend-lease to Free French forces
- M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle
- Ribeyrolle 1918 automatic carbineRibeyrolle 1918 automatic carbineThe Ribeyrolles 1918 was an attempt to manufacture an automatic rifle for the French forces. It was chambered in the experimental 8x35mm round, used straight blow-back, was fed from a 25 round magazine and had an effective range of 400m....
- MAS-40 rifle
- Meunier rifleMeunier rifleThe Meunier rifle evolved as a part of the program initiated in 1890 by the French military to develop a semi-automatic infantry rifle that would eventually replace the Mle 1886-93 Lebel rifle. Four government research establishments proposed over 20 prototypes...
Submachine guns
- MAS-38MAS-38The MAS-38 was a French submachine gun designed prior to the Second World War and used by French and German forces.It derived from a small arms development program that took place between 1918 and 1922 under the control of the Service Technique de l'Armement. A submachine gun, a light machine gun...
- Erma EMP-35ERMA EMP-35The German sub-machine gun EMP-35 was designed by engineer Heinrich Vollmer and produced at the Erma factory from 1930 to 1938 for export . The EMP was tested in the Spanish Civil War...
- Thompson M1928Thompson submachine gunThe Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
and M1928A1 - MP 18
- Delacre machine pistol
Machine guns
- Breda Model 30 Captured from Italian troops
- Bren light machine gun - supplied by the British
- ChauchatChauchatThe Chauchat , was the standard light machine gun of the French Army during World War I. Under the leadership of General Joseph Joffre, it was commissioned into the French Army in 1916. It was also widely used by the US Army in 1917-1918 and by six other nations: Belgium, Greece, Poland, Russia,...
- FM-24/29FM-24/29The Fusil mitrailleur modèle 1924 M29 was the standard light machine gun of the French Army from the early 1930s until the 1950s and was in use until 2000-2006 with the National Gendarmerie.-Development:...
- MAC 1931MAC 1931The MAC 1931 is a tank machine gun of French origin. It is gas operated and fed from a side loaded drum magazine. The MAC 1931 was also used on vehicles after World War II....
- MAC 1934MAC 1934In 1934 the Manufacture d'Armes de Châtellerault completed the development of the MAC 1934 machine gun to replace the Darne mod. 1933 machine gun aboard aircraft of the Armée de l'Air...
- Model 1924/1929D machine gunModel 1924/1929D machine gunThe Model 1924/1929D machine gun was a French infantry weapon used on the Maginot Line.It was a variant of the MAC 24/29, adapted to firing from interior firing ports in the bunkers of the Maginot Line.-Sources:...
- St. Étienne Mle 1907St. Étienne Mle 1907The St. Étienne Mle 1907 was a French air-cooled machine gun which was widely used in the early years of the First World War. It was not derived from the Hotchkiss machine gun, as often stated erroneously, but was instead a distinctly different mechanical design...
- Hotchkiss M1909 Benet-Mercie machine gunHotchkiss M1909 Benet-Mercie machine gunThe Hotchkiss M1909 machine gun was a French designed light machine gun of the early 20th century, developed and built by Hotchkiss et Cie. It was also known as the Hotchkiss Mark I and M1909 Benet-Mercie....
- Hotchkiss M1914 machine gunHotchkiss M1914 machine gunThe Mle 1914 Hotchkiss machine gun became the standard machine gun of the French Army during World War I. It was manufactured by the French arms company Hotchkiss et Cie, which had been established in the 1860s by American industrialist Benjamin B. Hotchkiss...
- Reibel machine gun
- 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gunThe 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun was a heavy machine gun designed and manufactured by Hotchkiss et Cie from the late 1920s until World War II where it saw service with various nation's forces, including Japan where the gun was built under licence....
- Hotchkiss M1922 machine gunHotchkiss M1922 machine gunThe Hotchkiss M1922 was a light machine gun manufactured by Hotchkiss. It had a regulator that could adjust the rate of fire and was chambered in a wide range of calibres and fed from 20 round overhead magazines or 15-24-30 round strip.-References:*...
- Darne machine gun
Anti-Tank weapons
- 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gunThe 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun was a French anti-tank gun that saw service in the first years of the Second World War.-Development:...
- 47 mm APX anti-tank gun47 mm APX anti-tank gunThe 47 mm APX anti-tank gun was a French anti-tank gun that saw service in the first years of the Second World War.-Development:In the 1930s the French artillery sought a replacement for the derivatives of the 75 mm mle 1897 field gun it used in the anti-tank role...
- AC 37 anti-tank gunAC 37 anti-tank gunThe AC 37 was a French anti-tank gun of 37mm caliber, developed by the Ateliers de Puteaux. It was principally used in the ouvrages and casemates of the Maginot Line in the late 1930's...
- AC 47 anti-tank gunAC 47 anti-tank gunThe AC 47 was a French anti-tank gun of 47mm caliber. It was principally used in the ouvrages and casemates of the Maginot Line in the late 1930s; another version was created for naval use....
Anti-Aircraft weapons
- Canon anti-aérien de 75mm modèle 1939Canon anti-aérien de 75mm modèle 1939The Canon anti-aérien de 75mm modèle 1939 was a French piece of 75 mm artillery of the Second World War, designed and manufactured by Schneider et Cie in Le Creusot....
- Darne machine gun
- 20 mm modèle F2 gun20 mm modèle F2 gun- History :The need for a newer 20 mm defence cannon than the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon began to grow noticeably during the 1980s. The companies DCN and GIAT were contracted to design the F2 20 mm cannon, which essentially a navalised version of the M693 gun used by the French Army, and sold for...
- 20mm tarasque20mm tarasqueThe Tarasque Type 53 T2 is a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun adopted by the French Army. The Tarasque is based on the M693 F1 20 mm auto-cannon and mounted on a light two-wheeled trailer that can be towed by a jeep and brought into action in only 20 seconds...
Artillery
- Canon Court de 105 M(montagne) modele 1909 SchneiderCanon Court de 105 M(montagne) modele 1909 SchneiderThe Canon Court de 105 M modele 1909 Schneider was a French mountain gun, manufactured by Schneider et Cie. According to Kennblatter fremden Gerätz, Germany used the former French as the 10.5 cm GebH 343...
- Canon Court de 105 M(montagne) modele 1919 SchneiderCanon Court de 105 M(montagne) modèle 1919 SchneiderThe Canon Court de 105 M modèle 1919 Schneider was a French mountain gun intended to be used in conjunction with the 75 mm mle.19. The mle.19 was manufactured by Schneider et Cie. For transport, this gun could be broken down into 8 sections; the barrel could be dismantled into 2 sections...
- Canon de 105 court mle 1934 SchneiderCanon de 105 court mle 1934 SchneiderThe Canon de 105 court modèle 1934 Schneider was a French howitzer used in World War II. Captured weapons were used by the German Heer as the 10.5 cm leFH 324. It was a conservative design by Schneider Electric|Schneider et Cie intended to replace their World War I-era Canon de 105 mle 1913...
- Canon de 105 court mle 1935 BCanon de 105 court mle 1935 BThe Canon de 105 court modèle 1935 B was a French howitzer used in World War II. It was designed by the State Arsenal at Bourges to replace the World War I-era Canon de 105 court mle 1934 Schneider. Some 610 were originally ordered, although production was terminated in 1939 in favor of anti-tank...
- Canon de 105 L mle 1936 SchneiderCanon de 105 L mle 1936 SchneiderThe Canon de 105 L modèle 1936 Schneider was a field gun used by France in World War II. 159 were in service in 1939. Captured examples in World War II were placed into German service as the 10.5 cm schwere Kanone 332 where they mainly served on coast defense duties.It was built in two versions,...
- Canon de 105 mle 1913 SchneiderCanon de 105 mle 1913 SchneiderThe Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider was a French artillery piece used in World War I and World War II by many European countries.- History :In the early 1900s, the French company Schneider et Cie began a collaboration with the Russian company Putilov...
- Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 St. ChamondCanon de 155 C modèle 1915 St. ChamondThe Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 St. Chamond was a French howitzer used during World War I. Used only by France during the war it was superseded in service by the Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider, although they remained in service into the beginning of World War II...
- Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 SchneiderCanon de 155 C modèle 1917 SchneiderThe Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider, often abbreviated as the C17S, was a French howitzer designed by Schneider et Cie. It was essentially the Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 Schneider fitted with a different breech to use bagged propellant rather than the cartridge cases used by the older howitzer...
- Canon de 155mm GPFCanon de 155mm GPFThe Canon de 155 Grande Puissance Filloux mle.1917 was a 155 mm cannon used by the French Army during the first half of the 20th century.-History:The gun was designed during World War I by Colonel L.J.F...
- Canon de 194 mle GPFCanon de 194 mle GPFThe Canon de 194 mle GPF - was the first French tracked self-propelled gun . Designed at the end of World War I, it was a pioneering weapon with many modern features....
- Canon de 65 M (montagne) modele 1906
- Canon de 75 M(montagne) modele 1919 SchneiderCanon de 75 M(montagne) modele 1919 SchneiderThe Canon de 75 M modèle 1919 Schneider was a French mountain gun designed as a replacement of the 65 mm mle 1906. The mle 1919 was manufactured by Schneider et Cie and used during World War II. For transport, the gun could be broken down into seven sections. This weapon was used by Brazil,...
- Canon de 75 M(montagne) modele 1928Canon de 75 M(montagne) modele 1928The Canon de 75 M modèle 1928 was a French mountain gun. The guns were also sold to Poland. After 1940, these weapons were used by the Germans as 7.5 cm GebK 283. The French used this weapon to equip the artillery batteries of the 4th Moroccan Mountain Division during 1944 and 1945.-See...
- Canon de 75 modèle 1897Canon de 75 modèle 1897The French 75mm field gun was a quick-firing field artillery piece adopted in March 1898. Its official French designation was: Matériel de 75mm Mle 1897. It was commonly known as the French 75, simply the 75 and Soixante-Quinze .The French 75 is widely regarded as the first modern artillery piece...
- Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 SchneiderMortier de 280 modèle 1914 SchneiderThe Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider was a French siege howitzer, manufactured in small numbers by the Schneider et Cie company, used during World War I. Used primarily by France, fewer than forty were sold to Russia and took part in the fighting on the Eastern Front, the Russian Civil War and...
Armoured vehicles
Armoured cars- Panhard 178Panhard 178The Panhard 178 or "Pan-Pan" was an advanced French reconnaissance 4x4 armoured car that was designed for the French Cavalry before World War II...
- AMC Schneider P 16
Light tanks
- FCM 36FCM 36The FCM 36 or Char léger Modèle 1936 FCM, was a light infantry tank that was designed for the French Army prior to World War II. It had a crew of two and was equipped with a short 37 mm main armament and a 7.5 mm coaxial machine gun...
- Hotchkiss H35Hotchkiss H35The Hotchkiss H35 or Char léger modèle 1935 H was a French light tank developed prior to World War II.Despite having been designed from 1933 as a rather slow but well-armoured light infantry support tank, the type was initially rejected by the French Infantry because it proved difficult to steer...
, and derived variants - Renault FT-17Renault FT-17The Renault FT, frequently referred to in post-WWI literature as the "FT-17" or "FT17" , was a French light tank; it is among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history...
- Renault R-35
- Renault R-40
- Vickers Light Tank Mk VILight Tank Mk VIThe Tank, Light, Mk VI was a British light tank, produced by Vickers-Armstrongs in the late 1930s, which saw service during World War II.- Development history :...
, British supplied
Medium tanks
- Char B1Char B1The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before World War II.The Char B1 was a specialised heavy break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled gun with a 75 mm howitzer in the hull; later a 47 mm gun in a turret was added, to allow it to function also as a Char...
Cavalry tanks
- SOMUA S-35Somua S-35The SOMUA S35 was a French Cavalry tank of the Second World War. Built from 1936 until 1940 to equip the armoured divisions of the Cavalry, it was for its time a relatively agile medium-weight tank, superior in armour and armament to both its French and foreign competitors, such as the contemporary...
Armoured combat tanks
- AMC 34AMC 34The AMC 34 was a French tank built originally for the French Army cavalry units. Its production was cut short before it had hardly begun and the few vehicles produced were out of service by the time of the Battle of France in the Second World War....
- AMC 35AMC 35The AMC 35 was a French medium cavalry tank of the later Interwar era that served in the Second World War. It was developed as a result of the change of the specification that had led to the design of the AMC 34, calling for a vehicle that was not only well-armed and mobile but also well-armoured...
Heavy tanks
- Char 2CChar 2CThe Char 2C was a French super-heavy tank developed, although never deployed, during World War I. It was the largest operational tank ever.-Development:...