The Char Schneider C.A.1 was intended to be the standard French heavy tank and an order was placed for 400 of them on 25 February 1916. However, the French Government department responsible for war inventions, gave authority for the firm Forges et Aciéries de la Marine et d'Homé-court, at Saint Chamond near Lyon, to design another tank, larger and better­armed. The design took as a starting-point a lengthened Holt Caterpillar chassis. The prototype vehicle of Saint­Chamond design was completed by September 1916, and it was in its essentials a larger version of the Schneider; the much larger hull led to a considerable overhang at front and rear which resulted in poor cross­country performance.

In addition to the handling faults, the Saint-Chamond was found to have further defects when in action for the first time on 5 May 1917. Facilities for crew exit in emergency were poor, vision arrangements were inadequate and the recoil cylinder of the 75-mm. gun was found to be vulnerable to enemy fire. The Saint-Chamond had an electric transmission which among other things simplified steering but it was complicated and delicate and, unfortunately, unreliable.

In an effort to correct at least some of these faults, modifications were introduced. After the first 165 tanks were built, the 75mm. Saint-Chamond T.R. gun was replaced by the standard 75mm Model 1897 field gun. The flat roof with two circular cupolas of the early tanks was modified to a new pattern higher at the front to give more head­room to the crew. The tracks were replaced with wider ones. Other features of the Char Saint­Chamond were the four Hotchkiss machine-guns (one each side, one at the front, one at the back with 8488 rounds carried) in addition to the main weapon (for which 106 rounds were supplied) mounted in the front plate; its crew of nine men, and its weight a hefty 24 tons.

The S:t Chamond was first used in action on May 5 1917. The major flaw in the construction - the small drive train and the big front overhang - at once revealed itself: of the 16 S:t Chamond tanks that participated in the assault, 15 got firmly stuck when they attempted to cross the German trenches. The production of this disappointing  tank was curtailed after some 400 were built. Under 1918 these vehicles participated in some 375 different actions, and at the end of the war only 72 were still left in service.

For more info on the S:t Chamond, including detail photos of the Worlds only surviving specimen, click here!