Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: SOMUA S35 part 2

[@Gressethegreat]

The door coupola is an amazing piece of German engineering, forcing the user to perform the Nazi "heil" greeting each time he enters or leaves the vehicle.

[@Romuls753]

It's a Roman Salute, it's not German in origin

[@Gressethegreat]

@@Romuls753 While that may very well be true I believe given the context this isn't the Roman salute.

[@mbr5742]

@@Romuls753 Nope. It is a Italian Faschist thing. The Romans did NOT use it!

[@georgestephenson7158]

Haha

[@georgestephenson7158]

@@Romuls753 pedant

[@agp11001]

1:37 - at least the hatch enabled the commander to give a proper salute before entering his captured tank...

[@lostinspace013]

OMG :D Ha ha ha :D

[@radogost1536]

lmfao

[@stefanb6539]

Somua was also used by Finnish forces in the Continuation War, together with Hotchkiss and Stug 3. Rumour is, that Mannerheim had demanded 3 things from the Germans as a condition to enter the co-belligerent role that Finland played. One battalion of German state-of-the-art tanks, expressively "not polish Beute tanks", an SS-division as direct support of the Finnish Army and a batallion of Stug3s. He got the Stug 3s. The Somua and Hotchkiss were sold as the s-o-a tanks. They were not polish beute tanks, but french, and the Germans argued, that when tanks were necessary in extremely dense and swampy conditions, the Wehrmacht would deploy the frenchies, so they were kinda state of the art for the terrain. For the SS-Division the Nordland-SS was recruited on the spot from people who had failed muster to join the Wehrmacht and could now proudly strut around in Elite-SS uniforms after a shortened basic training. They provided the Finnish army mostly with moral support, as laughing stock, comic relief and source of numerous funny episodes for their special mixture of arrogance and incompetence. Still, the Finnish were very happy with the Stugs and grew quite fond of the Somuas, as they actually proved indeed quite useful in the rough terrain as semi-mobile fortifications. The Somua turrets were well armoured enough to defeat anything, that could have maneuvered to were they were positioned, and the guns were equally adequate, as they never had to shoot at anything heavier than a BT. I think someone said, that as part of the deal, the Germans had even made sure, that they all had radios, which was quite valuable in itself. Admittedly, this are all rumours, stuff, that some Finnish Jaeger veterans told after a few beers, especially the deal-making between Mannerheim and the axis forces, that officially never happened.

[@AKUJIVALDO]

Well, if nobody found any proof of this "deal" in 77 years, there wasn't one... After all, Allies captured Germany archives.

[@dfwai7589]

@@AKUJIVALDO and those archives still need to be sorted through

[@nanorider426]

Some parts of the Nordland-SS especially the Scandinavian soldiers were pretty good fighters. To my knowledge they didn't serve alongside the Finnish army, but they did serve in the 3 SS Panzer Corps on the eastern front. Later they were sent to the Balkans.

[@murphy7801]

the idea of a french Somua fighting a t34 amuses me even if it didnt happen

[@pault1289]

I can't recall if this is referenced in it, but the best source for operational information about the Finish wars (Winter War and Continuation War) is Finland's War of Choice by Henrik O. Lunde. Definitely worth a read.

[@andysmodelandstuff4306]

The guy in the hatch at 4:24; We saw you!

[@toonpiknimlink]

He’s a stalker

[@ECHOFOXTROT289]

Lol it’s like the third time I watch this vid and I never noticed that😂😂😂

[@jasonrusso9808]

Lol I rewound it twice to see wtf u were talking about. Looks like some teenager poking about.

[@Jarlerus]

I love the disbelief in the voice when he utters "1946" :)

[@abuseofviolence]

At that time I think it was only used in police operations or urban control in colonies - against local rebellions, insurgents without anti-tank guns or devices. France in 1946 still had a huge empire but there was already insurgencies in north africa and indochina. For this kind of missions (like protecting buildings or blocking roads) an obsolete tank can still be really usefull.

[@dfwai7589]

@@abuseofviolence useful is however a very subjective term. This thing just screams fire box and I cannot imagine the hell the would erupt inside once a couple of molotovs hit it.

[@catfish552]

1:32... that face is like 20% of the reason I watch these videos. The resigned disappointment at bad tank design.

[@wilkatis]

No “Oh my good the tank’s on fire!” through the cupola? :D

[@williamsager805]

Remember the M-60A3s cupola on top of it's machine gun turret. Back in 1983 I was driving a M-60A3 on fall night when a cold front caught us by surprise and we had our heaters cranked. Then I heard a explosion to my left and pulled the tank to a rapid stop. Not having any ammo, it took me a second to realize it was our fire extinguisher bottles exploding from the heat from my vent. But I quickly realized as the second one went off there was no danger. Meanwhile back in the turret, they heard the explosions and rushed to get out of the tank. More specifically the gunner reacted and got a black eye from the gunners sight, before trying to stand up. Bear in mind he doesn't have a hatch, so he thought he'd go through the Commanders hatch. The problem was the Commander was trying to crawl out of the hatch and due to the height of the .50 cal. turret and the gunner trying to crawl up his ass, was having a devil of a time. Hence the gunner switched to the loader and shoved him the rest of the way out of his hatch before crawling out.

[@lakepanzer5190]

@@williamsager805 wow

[@aslamnurfikri7640]

No need to. The tank crew are supposed to surrender asap

[@King.Leonidas]

well the gunner/commander has the back door, so it probably be easier that way

[@The_Crimson_Fucker]

@@King.Leonidas "Oh mon Dieu, Pierre! Ze tank is on fire! Quick, slowly cranck ze back hatch open!" Maybe if it had some sort of emergency release lever but just cranking that shit open would probably result in someone trying to flee out of the half-open hatch, get stuck and get his ass roasted.

[@Danspy501st]

Radio man: "Sir! We lost contact to our platoon!" Commander: "How? Arent they beside that 20 meter wide dense forest?" Radio man: "Yes, but our radio can pen through that forest!"

[@MaxSluiman]

You make good video's about tanks. You know what you are talking about. (No wonder, a former tanker) And you do so in a pleasant way. Thanks! I enjoy your video's.

[@Woodninja099]

Another great Chieftain's hatch!

[@TheEphemeris]

8:38 "not eye-deal"... hahaha

[@MrGeorocks]

The slide they have by the main hatch is a nice touch, would make getting in and out a little easier...unless you're prone to slipping on it :) Also I like your pin.

[@MrMarinus18]

One tank that I'm really surprised hasn't come up yet is the Panzer IV which is one of the most common tanks of WW2.

[@Masada1911]

They did them now 😅

[@fundamentos3439]

Thorough & witty . Thank you for sharing .

[@namelessentity5851]

The fire suppression system sounds like it was a pretty good idea.

[@dradmiral5224]

I’m curious which tank he’ll do next, I hope it’s the AMX 50 or the ARL 44

[@guerrillaentrepreneur5999]

Hope your Xmas was a good one. Health, happiness and prosperity to you, your family and all the gamers out there! Keep up the good work Battle On!

[@VanPelt01]

Given the reputation as being one of the best tanks in the world at the time, I'm surprised Nic didn't go more into that and give his opinion on how good it would've been back then.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

After I recorded it, you are right, I realized the same thing, but I think you can draw your own conclusions from what you see in the video. Far and away the best French tank, but I have since recorded better early-War tanks,

[@steelscooter]

VanPelt01 a one man turret is always going to be a problem no matter how good the mechanics.

[@VanPelt01]

SteelScooter obviously it is going to have massive drawbacks. Most literature I've read though has said the Somua was one of, if not the best tank at the time. Watching the video, I was very underwhelmed at the design and was surprised Nic didn't go more into the nitty gritty of comparisons.

[@tonglianheng]

@@VanPelt01 It does have very good stats. The front of the tank was practically immune to all German tank guns of the period, while its own gun could penetrate them all. The German reports indicated that they were only able to overwhelm the S35s by superior numbers, and these tanks performed well tactically. Battles could have turned out very different had the French been more coordinated at a strategic level. It has good mobility and reliability, and it was unfortunate to the French that they were retreating and playing catch up all the time, and this means they could not recover any broken down tanks which otherwise can easily return to service. So the losses can appear higher. Apart from the one men turret: something more to do with French doctrine and men shortage at the time, and radio (or lack of): something that is relatively easy to fix/upgrade had the French stayed in the war longer, and got better ones from the British or Americans, it was a pretty good design in its era.

[@justforever96]

I think the independent MG is brilliant. I assume the setup is the same in the Char B1bis, although i don't remember it being pointed out that it could be locked in as a coax gun. That gives you the benefit of stable fire for precise targets, and a free pivoting gun that can be used while moving and at area targets. Since neither tank has a bow gun and that was one of the main reasons they kept those so long, it makes sense that they would make the turret MG work in either role. And it's also a lot faster if there are smaller fleeting targets, it's a lie faster to swing a flexible MG over a bit to cut down a running enemy than to be stuck rotating the turret. And in this case you can still rotate the turret to any arc you want to fire into, unlike a bow gun. Only drawback i see is that i wonder how well the gun returns to zero when you lock it into place again. Although it doesn't need to be super close for most purposes.

[@ToyCarCase]

Thank you for these videos!

[@justforever96]

I think that the sloped hinges on the hatch would also keep it from swinging shut suddenly when the tank is moving. I would be nervous driving it with the hatch hanging open, it might hit something. Unless it opens all the way to lie flat? But if they want ventilation it might be worth it. And even stationary, if the hinge was a conventional hinge, it would be poised ready to swing down really hard if someone bumped into it, which would suck for anyone with a body part in the way. This way you have to really work to close it. Although i can't imagine that's very easy from inside the hull. I guess that's why you have strapping young men do these jobs.

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

I wince everytime i watch one of these pre modern tabk videos. Everything seems designed to hurt, slam, drop, bang, graze and strain the human body... I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who actually went to war in such machines.

[@ghostinthebox]

Tanks are designed to hurt people. Thy don't care who, enemy or crew. I believe LtCol Moran said that one on his M1 Abrams video

[@martinprince7728]

ELC AMX Review Please please please! (you don't even have to move: it is in Saumur)

[@krpajda]

Imagine him trying to fit into that thing

[@MrGeorocks]

Yes, yes I can

[@johnludmon7419]

I would like to see a walk round of a t35 or t28 if there are any left . I know both of them were not that good as fighting vehicles but it would be interesting to see what the crews had to put up with.

[@Poprollable]

The s-35 and b1 had episcopes which provided a decent visibility and protection. They're just missing on the Saumur models you toured.

[@romantoppel2330]

Excellent video, thank you!

[@bumblebeebob]

How do you break a tank?! Give it to a tanker. lol

[@woff1959]

Thankee, Chieftain! Me ole da' was the last commander of the two Hungarian SOMUAs. Ah well, maybe one day I'll get a peek at it!

[@alantorres7916]

Make a video on the cromwell Please

[@TheGreyhoundGames]

Wonder if Chief will ever be able to get around to the AMX ELC bis or the Luchs eventually.

[@mudcrab3420]

4:25 - independent co-ax? I have a memory of reading somewhere back in the day that the French wanted to use the machine gun for AA defence. Maybe this was the intended function. On the topic I remember a website done by a man who had been with North Irish Horse in Tunisia. They were a Churchill regiment and were on occasion straffed by Jabos when in laager. The tactic was to close hatches and shoot back with the co-axials, a method that apparently was effective enough to actually shoot down a couple of the attacking 109s. Apparently. :D

[@briarus1000]

how much better does the sherman feel now? :}

[@aslamnurfikri7640]

T-34 is roomy compared to that

[@wibo3218]

Aslamnur Fikri sherman has more room. It was the most comfy tank of ww2

[@smogdanoff7053]

You guys should do a inside/outside the hatch on the amx-50 and/or ARL-44

[@livincincy4498]

The Average ( mean value ) of US Troops in WW2 was 5’7” tall. For every 6’ tall troop there was (1) 5’2” tall troop to net an average with (2) people. Millions of troops would be included into the 5’7” average. Troops were sorted out based on height into occupations. Submarine crews were small men. Tankers were also smaller men. So when a man about a foot taller than the height of Frenchman in the 1920’s intended for tank crews tries to fit in a tank of that era it is by design. They were not designing vehicles that men could not fit into. So it looks like they designed clown cars but they did not.

[@justforever96]

Yeah, he keeps exaggerating that aspect, I assume for humor, but people actually listen to whatever they are told. He says "you can't fit into this with all your limbs intact!" I'm like "well, thousands of men did, so it can definitely be done.

[@alekseev4715]

This tank is sooo neat in nuances!)

[@yeetosyeeterofyeet1825]

Please cover the Tiger II in Samuar. PLEASE CHIEFTAIN!

[@omega7b948]

You should do an inside the hatch on kv2, also maybe sturmtiger and jagdtiger

[@lordDenis16]

Chieftain will you ever visit Poland and do episodes on the TKS and 7TP?

[@crissieallan9294]

does anyone else like the "bloopers" just as much as the actual video

[@haideribrahim7261]

i would really like to see you examine the king tiger next time ♥

[@kimbannister458]

Please, a review of the misbegotten M551 Sheridan!

[@neogoterra]

Hey major think your ever get around to doing a inside the hatch of a Pz IV? Done videos on its contemporaries the M4 and the T-34 would be interesting to see.

[@DIVeltro]

Is there a chance of doing a video on the AMX30?

[@23GreyFox]

The S35 wasn't a bad tank in Blitzkrieg 1 Allied Campaign. I had a lot of fun with the game.

[@mariebcfhs9491]

lol you can just extend the clutch pedal by simply weld in 2 metal bars pointed to the left and somua you go

[@JessYoutubeAccount]

4:22 Looks like you have a secret admirer! Lol

[@Rammelmaier99]

Are you going to do an inside the hatch on the tiger II

[@archon9093]

I love this tank, I have over 200 battles in it with a 2000+ wn8, but seeing how cramped it is... it scares me. Lets say the tank was on fire... it is so hard to get out.

[@2adamast]

Nevertheless compared to people under fire in the maginot line, a bomber or a battle ship and the supporting infantry next to you you're in an excellent place

[@parrot849]

Nick, your channel rocks man! As a diehard tread-head, I can’t get enough of your videos. Can I make one suggestion; and I have no idea if anyone else feels this way, but please, please lose that brain-melting background electronic music. Or at least consider getting some new music. Other than that, everything else is awesome!!

[@ThomasTheLukeEngine]

How TF did De Gaul fit in this?

[@donjones4719]

The side hatch design with the door sliding down on an angled piece of the hinge is very clever - but I'll bet it wasn't invented for the tank. Looks like a good design for a heavy iron door in a fortress, and France had plenty of those. It could have been invented 200 years before the tank.

[@ruzsicsL]

Nice Christmas Gift! :)

[@gabutman6144]

Hey chieftain can you make video about the inside of M551 sheridan light tank

[@wayneschuster4772]

Great video. But I got a severe case of claustrophobia watching you in that small cupola. Seriously. I thought the Somua was large, Photos are deceiving. Thanks for letting me know how to pronounce 'Somua'.

[@m2hmghb]

Why do I get the feeling there were several points in this video where you were thinking "I'm getting too old for this crap" ? I hope you're doing well Chieftain, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.

[@wallerdog]

Happy New Year!

[@Wallyworld30]

Merry Christmas

[@colbeausabre8842]

The coax was the MAC mle 31 "Reibel" in 7.5mm developed for La Ligne Maginot and dragooned into use as a coax and the side mounted pan magazine looks truly awkward. Maybe it was OK in a fortress, but a one man tank turret... not so much en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reibel_machine_gun

[@MaosSpudFarm]

Wonder if he’s ever going to do a japanese built tank

[@isuzu6851]

He would like to, but it looks like finding a intact complete example is a bit of a challenge.

[@builder396]

There is still an intact example of the Chi-Nu iirc.

[@Senbei01]

Bovington has a Ha-Go.

[@isuzu6851]

its a outside exibit. I'm curious what is left of the interior. And its located on a military base. I dont know if that is a issue.

[@isuzu6851]

It seems the bovington Ha Go has a issue then? maybe the asbestos panels are still in the tank and that is a health and safety issue. or the interior is gone.

[@carebear8762]

The "oh my God the tank is on fire" test makes me very glads I was in Recon. We had our own risks, but we seldom risked burning to death.

[@2adamast]

Nevertheless tanks were unsurprisingly the safest place of the front.

[@tonglianheng]

Of a Recon is hit by a shell, you don't get the chance to say "oh my God the tank is on fire", you are gone already, there will be nothing to climb out of.

[@Riceball01]

As I mentioned in the recent Lindybeige video, the new WW II colab effort being put together really needs to recruit you as their tank expert. No offense to the Beige one but you'd be a far better tank expert than him, assuming that's what they're recruiting him for.

[@a.rogers1403]

Its certainly something that crossed my mind as well. It would certainly be a big commitment though. In the end, I suspect the WW II colab would probably end up working with The Tank Museum a lot, since The Great War guys already have. For those who are curious, the WW II colab thing is basically the people behind The Great War youtube channel ( kzbin.info ) trying to do the same thing for WW 2 ( kzbin.info ); ie a week by week recap of the war done in pretty much real time. Since WW2 is such a larger conflict however, they're getting a whole bunch of youtube channels together to all talk about different subjects of the war.

[@SkankHandsPA]

I unsubscribed from Lindy, I was very put off by the tone of his content for some reason. Am not looking forward to his contributions

[@Wallyworld30]

@@a.rogers1403 Most of the collaborators dropped out. Damn shame Indy dropped the ball on having gun Jesus himself work with him. I love the new WW2 channel but it could be so much more.

[@Wallyworld30]

@@SkankHandsPA I did the same. Lindy is a bit to off the cuff and poorly reaserched and maybe biased for my liking. I used to enjoy him but now youtube just has so many great options to get my history fix from.

[@begines7787]

Wondering when the next vídeo :3

[@jamessmythe3873]

Hi Nick, I’d like to ask a question: Just watched a video about the perceived poor performance of the leopard 2 of the Turkish Army, against the ATGM’s in Syria. Would love to hear what you think? Is there an issue or is it a case of ‘Old tanks against modern technology’ ? Cheers.

[@ThroneOfBhaal]

What ah... what happens... if you get stuck in the hatch? How do we get you out?

[@WildBillCox13]

Nick: what's your take on the Width versus Height thing? I read that the S35 was prone to toppling on hillsides. What does your Tankee Sense tell you about it?

[@ZodZulu]

Compared with the other pre war French tanks this one seems rather modern .

[@nicolaspaz2598]

4:30 their is a random person in the driver's view port

[@ninjaturtlesmurfrobot4250]

Chieftain please do a video on M60, or at least M48...

[@gabrielmalaguti5512]

Idk if I'll get an answer or not, but where can I find (the brand of) those boots you've got on here?

[@Axquirix]

Have the captured German version of this tank in game, for training my Panzer III and IV crews. Which makes me wonder how on earth if fits a full crew of five... Edit: my bad, I have this and a five-man Czech vehicle.

[@Theduckwebcomics]

Sounds like getting of that tank really took it out of you 😁

[@interdictr3657]

Am I remembering it incorrectly or has it changed to "The_Chieftain" from "The Chieftain"?

[@jaaksootak318]

You mean the channels name? It used to be TheChieftainWot.

[@interdictr3657]

ahh, I was sure it looked different

[@Marc83Aus]

Wot?

[@Riceball01]

MarcAFK I imagine that the WOT stands for World of Tanks.

[@fulcrum2951]

Wot?

[@Twirlyhead]

.... but that turret design ! Why !!!

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

And they make fun if British WWII armor.

[@Electronzap]

I bet you sound like Rush Limbaugh to those people passing by the tank lol.

[@videocomentaror322]

Make inside The Chieftain s hatch AMX ELC bis

[@The_Cookie_Crumbles]

Oh my god the tank is on fire

[@gatorbait51]

I have always wondered why the French used that stupid dome. Having met me,you know I’d be screwed in this thing.

[@gwiazdapioun2127]

1:39 When the replacement hatch is so German that you must make a Nazi salute in order to get in or out.

[@titenstudios2081]

what no terminator2 thumbs up? missed opportunity chieftain.

[@gareththompson2708]

Well it certainly seems to be much better than the R35, low of a bar as that may be.

[@jean-marcfournier4904]

Les concepteurs de ces chars connaissaient-ils les conditions du combat blindé ?

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Apparently not. The flaws were identified (or confirmed) in testing, but no changes were made to the design. Possibly due to cost or time.

[@jean-marcfournier4904]

Effectivement, mais le temps perdu ne se rattrape jamais ! Bonne soirée

[@kendog84bsc]

Hey Chieftain, is it just me or did your video where you talk about US Armor history get deleted? The newest one if I remember correctly. Not the one you shot with a webcam or the TankFest Northwest 2015 one.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

I've de-listed it for a bit. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqisnaV3pNiMn68

[@kendog84bsc]

The_Chieftain Oh, so I wasn't day dreaming or something! Thank you for the info and re-listing!:)

[@SootHead]

Another bizarro tank from France! Delightfully bizarro, but a late war remember would have had a different attitude.

[@RaeSyngKane]

it seems to me that a lack of visibility is a pretty common problem in the early war tanks. France just made it worse by over working the commander

[@tonglianheng]

To be fair the French did not make this decision blind. It was a known compromise they willingly took, taken into consideration of the situation they were facing. The politicians were against having a well trained professional army, due to fear of coup de estat and getting another Napoleon born. The accepted doctrine was a large conscript army, drafted only at time of war, thus with little training. This then puts in many constraints: They lacked specialists such as radio operators, and coordination between tank crews were poor as they didn't really know each other and had little training together. Things like radio actually would not help them much, as the troops cannot make a good use of them anyway even if they had it. The conscript army was good at doing simple pre-formulated linear tasks, and at that only. This was mitigated by quantity. The idea was that even if individual tanks or infantry can only perform simple tasks, if you have enough numbers on the battlefield, you can still steamroll your enemy. It is under these considerations the French tanks were developed. Technically they were superior, they wanted as few men manning these as possible. So you have 2-men tanks, 3-men tanks, etc. with the same number of crews they can field more tanks against the enemy. They envisaged WW1 type scenario of static frontline, and localised concentrated linear offensives. In these type of battles vision and battlefield awareness isn't that important, all you need to see is the front. The commander is not overworked either, as his task is simple, advance straight ahead, and take out anything you see in front of you.

[@thijsrikkerink6333]

The thumbnail tank's gun looks very odd.

[@L.J.Kommer]

4:23 Oh hai

[@creightonleerose582]

-NO WONDER so many Frenchmen got cooked during the initial phases of the war?!.... THAT turret HATCH!... -Not so much a Man-Hatch, but a small door in which to pass the crew a hand of bananas with not much room to spare!

[@thespareace6659]

How tall are you, and what is the high restriction, and is it still in place?

[@2adamast]

6'6" and 6'1" except loopholes

[@slitor]

4:24 I see the Turret Gremlin!

[@patrickporter1864]

Amazing how like the sherman it is. Oh it came before the sherman. Did someone copy then.

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

Oh bugger the tank is on fire. This one would screw em good.

[@_datapoint]

I really enjoy your commentary on these AFVs. But the constant cuts to the title screen is annoying and dissonant.

[@Orinslayer]

S40 premium confirmed?

[@bagelgon992]

No firing pins?!

[@QbsonDWZ]

"-Its not "eye"deal...-" XD

[@gavincross2902]

The Cross of Lorraine is a nice political statement.

[@andrewgregory151]

There is a place in Prague Czech Republic that claims to have a running t-34/76, su-100, and a amx 13 that you could do an episode on. www.google.com/maps/place//@50.524087,14.248132,14z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x5a8a0f2b15fc1b1d?hl=en&gl=US

[@VasileIuga]

Very good tank, with few upgrades it could have been the best of the war by a far margin.

[@Klovaneer]

You are delusional, it's not even up to Pz3.

[@joaopaulosilva2943]

4:24 just watch that guy xD

[@woeknight852]

It looks pretty roomy actually

[@althesmith]

Tankers should be 5 foot 6, not 6 foot 5!