T.13 B2 - An Upgrade for the Chasseurs Ardennais: Both an Artillery tractor and a tank destroyer at once!

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Hello all, this is the upgrade of the T.13 B artillery tractor used by the Chasseurs Ardennais to T.13 B2 tank Destroyer standards.

TL;DR: The Belgian T. 13 B2, a fully domestic produced Tank-Destroyer armed with a 47mm gun


History

History

The Belgian T.13 self-propelled gun/tank destroyer is a vehicle that is little known to the general public. However, with around 200 examples produced between 1934 and 1940, it was the most widespread tracked armoured vehicle in the Belgian arsenal in May 1940. The T.13 B2 was a special upgrade plan for the tracked artillery tractors of the Chasseurs Ardennais in 1938.

In 1932, the Minister of National Defense introduced the doctrine of integral territorial defense, a strategy focused on protecting the country from its borders. In March 1936, following a heated debate that culminated in the tumultuous departure of the Chief of the General Staff, this defense doctrine became more deeply rooted. It was particularly shaped by the sense of abandonment felt by the populations of Liège and Luxembourg, who feared they would once again endure the horrors of invasion in the event of a German attack.

To execute this strategy, it was essential to have mobile troops capable of swiftly moving to the eastern border. This led to the creation of mobile units, such as the Chasseurs Ardennais. Established by a Royal Decree on March 10, 1933, these units spurred the development of specialized motorized artillery. It was during this period that Belgium’s first tank hunters and self-propelled guns were created, including the C.47 on the Mark VI chassis and, a little later, the T.13 Type I, which will be known as the T.13 B1.

This type of vehicle, while capable of destroying enemy armored vehicles, is a relatively inexpensive weapon system to produce. Furthermore, the Belgian army possessed the two key elements needed to rapidly develop such a weapon: a high-quality anti-tank gun manufactured domestically and a tracked chassis that could also be produced by Belgian forces. In the case of the B2, this tracked chassis was already in service with the Chasseurs Ardennais as the T.13 B artillery tractor which were still originally used to tow artillery around.

The companies involved in the production of the T.13 B2 included the SA des Ateliers de Construction de la Meuse in Sclessin (which modified the T.13 artillery tractors into B2), Cockerill (which manufactured the 47mm gun parts) and F.N. Herstal, which supplied the Browning machine guns. Additionally, a variety of smaller companies benefited from the production of the T.13 B2 by supplying essential components such as optical instruments, metals, and other materials to the larger factories.

Due to the weight and design of the tractor, the gun had to be positioned at the rear, facing backwards. To protect the driver and gun crew, a set of folding armoured panels was used, creating an open-top configuration. The frontal panel included a left vision slit for the driver.

t13b1

T.13 B2 ‘1155’ in a hastly set-up ambush, one sideplate folded down

As a result, the gun had a limited traverse with full protection (120°). To achieve a 360° range of motion, the three forward panels had to be folded down, leaving the crew unprotected. However, the gun crew still had some partial cover from the gun shield. The weapon used was the 47mm (1.45 in) FRC M32 anti-tank gun, derived from the infantry version. On the right side of the turret, an additional fixed machine-gun port was installed, housing a Belgian-built F.N. model 30, a BAR automatic rifle. The T.13 passed all tests successfully.

The T.13 B2 series would all recieve an 11 designation on their license plates, which is the easiest way to see the difference between the B1 and B2 series. The large artillery tractor tow hook and the different mud guards on the B2 variant also make it easier in identifying these variants.


Specifications

Dimensions: L/W/H: 3,65 m 2,05 m 1,97 m (2,23 m when turret top shield raised)
Weight: 4,6 tons
Engine: Meadows E.T.P. at 55 hp (2800 rpm)
Speed: 48 km/h:
||6 km/h |1st gear || 12 km/h | 2nd gear || 22 km/h | 3rd gear || 36 km/h | 4th gear || 48 km/h | 5th gear||

Crew: 3 (Driver, Loader, Gunner/Commander)
Armour:
Turret: 7 mm
Movable plates: 8 mm
Fuel tank shield: 5 mm

Armament 1x 47 mm C47 mod.31/32 and 1x 7.65 mm Fusil-mitrailleur 1930 machine gun
Munition types see below for description: APBC and HE
Ammunition 34
Elevation & Traverse manual
Fire suppression none
Fire Control modes Manual with telescopic sight

Place of production: Buizingen
Years of production: 1938
Producer: SA des Ateliers de Construction de la Meuse in Sclessin
Production number: 21

Belgian munition types for the C.47 F.R.C. Mod.31 gun
Designation Gun Caliber Type Velocity Weight Penetration Notes Fire rate
O.E.A. C.47 F.R.C. Mod.31 47 mm HE 450 m/s 1,665 kg n/a TNT filler, Obus Explosif en Acier (O.E.A.)
O.R.A.Tr. CC.47 F.R.C. Mod.31 47 mm APBC 675 m/s 1,578 kg 63mm at 0 meters, 0° Obus de Rupture en Acier Traçant (O.R.A.Tr.)

The upper mud flaps, large leaf spring for the heavy artillery tractor hook and upper license plate placement for the T.13 B2, all which differ externally from the T.13 B1 variant

Specifications on the Fusil-mitrailleur 1930 (Fm 30) Browning
Fusil-mitrailleur 1930 (Fm 30) Browning Technical Data
Country of Origin: Belgium
Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale, Herstal (Belgium)
Role: Light machine gun
Caliber/cartridge 7.65 mm
Type of feed 20 rounds clip
Weight 9,300 kg
Overall length 119.4 cm (47 in)
Length of barrel 61.1 cm (24.07 in)
Muzzle velocity 850 m/sec (2650 fps)
Rate of fire (cyclic) 600 rpm or 350 rpm
Effective range 550 m

Place in War Thunder

The T.13 B2 variant would be the perfect representation of the only surviving vehicle of the T.13 family.

Regarding nations

BeNeLux

As the BeNeLux subtree for France has now been confirmed, France has the highest chance of recieving Belgian equipment. However an independent BeNeLux would also be very possible. For further info please go to: BeNeLux (Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg) Ground Forces.


Pictures

On the field

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Sources

Sources
  • Bernard Vanden Bloock, Belgian Fortifications, May 1940; Appendix B: Weapons, World War II Online - Technical Publications, 2003.
  • Laurent Halleux, Franck vernier, Le V.C.L. T.13 B: Un nouveau type de véhicule au service des chausseurs Ardennais; Du tracteur d’artillerie au canon automoteur, Patrimoine Militaire, n.d.
  • Pierre Muller, Les chasseurs de chars T.13 : des armes défensives pour un pays neutre (1934-1940) , Journal of Belgian History, XLIX, 2019, 1, pp. 64-80.
  • Nevington War Museum, Belgium Tanks. Belgium Tanks - Nevington War Museum
  • Jane’s - World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles - The Complete Guide, 2002 pp. 214-215.
  • The Chieftain. (2024, April 20). Inside the Chieftain’s Hatch: T-13 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCLqwhz5YKE
  • All pictures of the Museum piece ‘1139’ were taken by me and @mr_boo at the Royal Military Museum in Brussels: https://klm-mra.be/en

This photo is so good that I even had to use it as my most recent discord server picture : )

le photo

And we should maybe get T.13 B2 №1139 as premium… Like all those starting premium tanks for all nations, since it’s so unique and has such good decals… I’m sorry for mentioning them so often but the Demon Loader looks too cool to ignore it already

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I love vehicles that are essentially “gun on tracks”. Just barebones firepower that can move around, that’s it.

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It will be a nice, wonky, starting vehicle for the BeNeLux line-up. The gun’s performance is not great, but will do just fine around 1.0 - 2.0 battle rating (could say even a bit stronger than what we had already in-game for ~1.0).

Definitely stronger than almost every French 1.0 gun. It will fit in quite fine where you suggested I imagine.

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The Border patrols on an exercise

The T.13 B2 can be seen around the 30 second mark in the video.