R35 & Vanatorul

I prepare a book on the Renault R35. In this book I have a chapter on the R35 & Vanatorul in romanian army and I look from photos (for publishing) and infos. Thanks for your help !

Pascal Danjou
ed-barbotin@wanadoo.fr

Hello Pascal! Welcome on this forum. Unfortunately I do not know any new sources with photos of the R 35/R 44 in Romanian service. There is a topic called “Tank photos” on the forum, have you checked for new pictures there…?

Instead I’d like to ask for your help in a question I have raised before here: how many chances would a Renault R 35 (with its original Puteaux SA 18 short gun) have in a tank to tank battle against contemporary tanks?

In summer 1940-autumn 1941 the possible/likely opponents for a Romanian R 35 would have been Germans Pz I, II, III and IV (probably the Panzer III model armed with a 37 mm gun), Hungarian tanks (Toldi I model if I’m right, which was, as pointed out by a forum member a design similar to Panzer II, with a 20 mm main gun), Russian T-26, BT-7 (and lighter tanks), and with a lower probability Bulgarian Skodas (Skoda LT vz.35 model).

On a site dedicated to tanks and tank warfare (http://www.military.cz/panzer/) forum there was a discussion about some special anti-tank rounds the French tanks used, which allowed them to penetrate a thicker amour then normal AT rounds fired from similar guns. Do you have more details about that? Were these special shells in use of the R 35 tanks? Were they exported to Romania along with the French tanks (or their production license)?

This post has been edited by Agarici on July 06, 2005 03:20 pm

In first, my apologize for my bad english !

2) I don't search specialy "new photos" of rumanians R35 & Vanatorul, just few photo of wartime for illustrated the chapter on Rumanian armor. Of course if its unpublished photos it's great ! Anybody here can help me ? What is the address of National Museum (fax or mail) ? I see few interestings photos on these forums, but I cant publish them without permission.

3) The renault R35 for the french army is an infantry tank and he have a limited rounds af antitank shells. Don't forgott in WW1, combats tank vs tank are isolated cases.

The role of this tank is to help the infantry at her speed and to destroy the machine-guns for example, the anti-tank combat is an exception in the spirit of headquarter. At the end of 30's the french army try to armed the R35 with a 37mm sa37 gun, a long barrel with real antitank capacity, but just a little number are in service in 1940. Two bataillons of Renault R40 (or AMX40) have this gun too.

The technique of the moulded shielding is new for the time and Russian recovered Polish R35 which they tested in Kubinka in July 1940, here the result of resistance of the shielding to the impacts using a 45mm tank gun mk.1938, the standard armament of T-26:

armour/Slope of armour/Distance of shoot/ entry/ exit/ Result of shot
40mm 28 degrees 200m 50x60mm 52x60mm Through
40mm 28 degrees 200m 52x57mm 53x58mm Through
40mm 28 degrees 200m 54x56mm 54x57mm Through
40mm 28 degrees 200m 52x50mm 57x52mm Through
40mm 28 degrees 300m 56x55mm 58x57mm Through
40mm 28 degrees 300m 57x56mm 60x56mm Through
40mm 28 degrees 300m 60x55mm 60x60mm Through
40mm 28 degrees 300m 52x53mm 54x55mm Through
40mm 28 degrees 500m 60x50x24mm NONE Cavity

Pascal

Could anyone form Bucharest give Pascal the address of the National Military Museum? Apparently they don't have it on their web page... I think we should do as much as a little help, when asked and at hand…

Could anyone form Bucharest give Pascal the address of the National Military Museum? Apparently they don't have it on their web page... I think we should do as much as a little help, when asked and at hand…

I don't think they have e-mail address (in fact I don't think they have Internet access at all).

I don't know if this helps for a non Romanian speaker, but here is a phone number: 224.94.70.

Thanks Dragos! On time as usual.

Unfortunately, the new commander of the Museum is a communist and a complete ***.

This post has been edited by dragos on July 11, 2005 12:03 pm

I know what you're talking about, I had the "pleasure" to meet him too. However, avoid libels here.

Ok, sorry.

Since we are talking about it, the situation at the military museum is quite sad. Not only they do not put good use in the archiving material they have, and into which there is a great deal of interest, but they drive away the potential customers. This is inadmisible for such an institution 15 years after the fall of communism. We should make a petition or something.

Yes, let's do a petition to the Ministry of Defense. There are many nice people working in the Museum, they are also opressed by this guy. He acts like the Museum is a training camp or something.

I have emailed the museum's adress to Monsieur Danjou twice at the beginning of this month.

For those living in Romania interested in the museum adress, it is:
Str. Mircea Vulcanescu nr. 125-127, 010819 Bucuresti, Telephone: 021 637 38 39
Fax : 021 637 76 36

Maybe it would be useful to post it on our website, if that of MMN doesn't have it.

I have emailed the museum's adress to Monsieur Danjou twice at the beginning of this month.

For those living in Romania interested in the museum adress, it is:
Str. Mircea Vulcanescu nr. 125-127, 010819 Bucuresti, Telephone: 021 637 38 39
Fax : 021 637 76 36

Maybe it would be useful to post it on our website, if that of MMN doesn't have it.

I think this is a good idea, also considering what both Dragos have said about "mr. commander"/ the chief custodian.

Thanks a lot for all people try to help me !

Infortunatly the fax number don't work and my english is so bad for trying the phone number.

I go to send a letter, but by the postal way I'm affraid the delay are too long...

Just ask me If you are a question on french tank subject !

Pascal

That's a good idea. We could try explaining how much money they are missing out for the info and photos they could sell, money that can be used to publish books (as far as I know Mr. Scafes and Mr. Serbanescu have finished the work on the monography on the Romanian army in WWI for several years now), refurbish exhibits etc, etc. The Ministry of Defense has a website that is updated regularly. They could take care of MMN's site. A computer with a modem connected to a telephone line, to check emails, isn't a huge investment.