- For the Steel Division: Normandy 44 unit see SD:Panzer B2(f)
Panzer B2 is a German Tank unit in Steel Division II.
Background[ | ]
The most powerful French tank in 1940, the 32-ton B1-bis was armed with a hull-mounted SA 35 75mm howitzer for use against fortifications, a turret-mounted SA 35 47mm gun, and a MAC 31 7.5mm machinegun. Its design philosophy was rooted in World War I experiences, with the specifications that eventually culminated in the B1 dating back to 1919. However, the tank put in production in 1935 was a surprisingly advanced design, including self-sealing petrol tanks, a fireproof bulkhead, a gyroscopic compass, an electric starter and a floor escape hatch doubling as chute for the disposal of empty cases. It proved itself largely invulnerable to German tanks during the Fall of France, defeated by logistical problems and strategic mistakes rather than direct combat.
With 365 built before the defeat of France, many Char B1s were captured in serviceable condition and pressed into German service as Panzerkampfwagen B-2 740(f). Most were utilized as tanks, primarily for occupation duties, but a number were modified for special purposes: Sixteen were converted into self-propelled artillery, mounted with a 10.5 cm leFH 18 light howitzer in an open-top casemate. Another sixty were modified by replacing the hull howitzer with a flamethrower, creating the Flammwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen B-2(f).