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 The construction of the first French tank, the Schneider CA 1, annoyed S.T.A., the department in the French Army that had the official responsability for quiring such
vehicles, and they decided to quickly develop a tank of their own.
The result was the Char S:t Chamond - S:t Chamond being the location of the firm that made the
vehicle.
Like the CA 1 it used
the Holt Tractor suspension, albeit somewhat lengthened. And like the CA 1 the superstructure took the form of an armoured box. It had a more powerful
gun, mounted in the front, and also 4 MG:s.
The construction had some good points, beside the better armament, including an electric transmission, and a special position for a crew member driving the vehicle backwards. It was also a bit faster than the CA 1. But in order to accomodate all the wanted armament they had to make the
hull much longer than that of the Schneider CA 1, providing a long and bulky overhang at the front, and this was the biggest flaw of the construction. The drive train was quite simply too small and too
weak for such a large vehicle. It was soon described as "an elephant on the legs of a
gazelle". | 
