- Yes
- No
- Benelux
- France
- Other / Don’t know
- I said no
The ACG.1 was the Belgian and industrial designation for the AMC 35 as it was known in French service.
The Belgian army had ordered 25 AMC 34 hulls in 1935, an order which would evolve to concern the second series of the AMC 34, which would later be designated as the AMC 35.
However, strikes and other problems arose at the Renault factory which was to be restructured into the new AMX factory and the deliveries were delayed several times.
As such, in order to carry on the tests, the Belgian army had demanded the prototype ACG.1 to be delivered in 1937, and the prototype would count as the first of the 18 tanks that were to be delivered, as the order was reduced due to poor climb performance following the tests.
(Only 12 were ultimately delivered)
The ACG.1 in Belgian service was a standard AMC 35 only with a slightly modified APX2B turret, and an almost identical 47 mm FRC cannon, the same cannon present on the T.13 tank destroyers.
It was a lightly armored medium cavalry tank with average speed and average firepower
Specifications - ACG.1
Armament:
-
C.47 F.R.C. Mod.31 47 mm cannon - Practically the same cannon as the French SA35 L/32 (Ammo: 100)
-
APC: Penetration at 0m and 0°: 62 mm
-
HE: 180 g TNT (~5 mm pen.)
-
Reloading rate: 3.9 → 3.0 s
- Hotchkiss 13.2 mm heavy machine gun
- AP: Penetration at 0m and 0°: 28 mm
or
- Hotchkiss 7.65 mm machine gun
Armor:
25 mm RHA on the front and the turret
20 mm RHA on the hull sides
Mobility:
Renault 4-cylinder engine (180 hp)
Max. speed: 42 km/h
4-speed transmission
Power to weight ratio: 12.4 hp per ton
Crew:
3 (Driver, Commander-Gunner, Loader)
Dimensions:
Mass: 14.5 t
Length: 4.572 m
Width: 2.237 m
Height: 2.336 m
Differences between the French and Belgian version
The Belgian ACG.1 used the APX2B turret which differed in some ways:
Several sources say that the Belgians used a Hotchkiss 13.2 mm heavy machine gun since they were trying to test out the 13.2 mm caliber on a wide array of vehicles, here causing the left episcope to be moved a bit back and the machine gun sleeve to be a bit beefier.
That would actually make for a pretty significant improvement over the base AMC 35, as the 28 mm of penetration it provides would almost make it a secondary cannon at this low BR.
Other than that, it would play just like the AMC 35 in the French tree!
Sources
https://www.chars-francais.net/2015/index.php/engins-blindes/automitrailleuses?task=view&id=691
