D1
D1
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[Client Values; Actual values in
3,800  Cost |
| 32568 HP Hit Points |
| 11.34/12.193.16/14.25 t Weight Limit |
- Commander (Gunner, Loader)
- Driver
- Radio Operator
| 6574 hp Engine Power |
| 28/12 km/h Speed Limit |
| 3234 deg/s Traverse |
| 5.7323.42 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| NoNo Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 22/22/1640/40/40 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
1/400
10/800/13 Shell Cost |
| 8/8/50/50/62 HP Damage |
| 23/36/25/46/24 mm Penetration |
|
131.96 r/m ▲
24 r/m Magazine-fed Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
52.4 ▲
Magazine-fed Gun
▼
1200 Magazine-fed Gun
▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.54 m ▲
0.53 m With 50% Crew: 0.687 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.675 m |
| 1.7 s 1.7 s Aim time |
| 2424 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -10°/+20°-18°/+20° Elevation Arc |
| 975225 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2020 % Chance of Fire |
| 280 m 300 m View Range |
| 300 m 300 m Signal Range |
II
3800
The D1 is a French tier 2 light tank.
Development was started in 1929. Mass production was launched in 1930, with 160 vehicles manufactured by 1935. A total of 152 tanks fought in France. Eighteen vehicles were captured by the German Army and used for training purposes.
The D1 has better armor than the Renault FT, but is heavier and has a weaker engine so it has much worse mobility. With the exception of the 47mm SA 34 the D1 retains the same gun selection as the FT. Physically it's much larger than the FT.
The D1 marks the end of its French light line.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Guns
| Tier | Gun | Penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Rate of fire (rounds/minute) |
Dispersion (m/100m) |
Aiming time (s) |
Weight (kg) |
Price (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| II | 47 mm SA34 | 25/46/24 | 50/50/62 | 24 | 0.53 | 1.7 | 90 | 2400 | |
| II | 25 mm Canon Raccourci mle. 1934 | 46/68 | 27/27 | 40 | 0.43 | 1.3 | 71 | 2320 | |
| I | 13.2 mm Hotchkiss mle. 1930 | 23/36 | 8/8 | 129.81 | 0.54 | 1.5 | 70 | 1500 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Renault S4 | 65 | 20 | 266 | 310 | |
| I | Renault S4F | 74 | 20 | 266 | 350 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | D1 | 12.19 | 32 | B/2 | 1200 | 340 | |
| II | D1 bis | 14.25 | 34 | B/2 | 1200 | 620 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| II | ER 52 | 300 | 100 | 0 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- 18 degrees of gun depression, the highest in the game!
- Quick aim time and very high rate of fire
- Decent armor -- almost as good as an H35 -- and high hit points
Cons:
- Poor accuracy
- Both top guns have serious problems: low range and damage-per-shot for the 25mm, low pen and shell velocity for the 47mm
- Poor mobility and turret traverse speed
- Low signal range
Performance
Designed long before World War II the D1 was designed as an infantry support tank. As such it has pretty decent armor but it is incredibly slow and considerably under-gunned. All of its guns, except the 47mm SA34, are carried over from the Renault FT starter tank, which basically forces the D1 to choose between relatively high damage but abysmal-pen guns such as the 13.2mm Hotchkiss mle. 1930 heavy machine gun, the 37mm APX SA18, and the 47mm SA34, or the high-penetration but low damage 25mm Canon Raccourci mle. 1934. The 47mm SA34, in particular, has the worst penetration of any single-shot tank gun in the game.
If armed with the any of the low-pen the D1 will have a very hard time dealing with other D1's, the Hotchkiss H35 or its German equivalent the Pz.Kpfw. 38H 735 (f), the T18 frontally, and most Tier III tanks. The 25mm is generally the better option but it should be noted that it has a maximum effective range of 400m, beyond which it will not penetrate even the weakest of armor. The 47mm SA34 has the lowest penetrating single-shot gun in the game and is nearly useless. However its HE round has only 1mm average penetration less than the AP round but deals considerably more damage, making an all-HE loadout somewhat viable. It can reliably penetrate only the most thinly armored tanks (e.g. Vickers Medium Mk. II).
Working as a team it can try to absorb hits while other team members provide the firepower. That's not to say it's invincible by any means. There are guns available in Tier II and especially Tier III that can punch right through this tank's armor. The turret front and hull front are also riddled with weak spots in the form of vision ports, that can be easily penetrated. Expect to see a stark contrast between surviving countless hits from some enemies and only a few from others. Angling, side-scraping techniques, and taking advantage of the D1's great gun depression can dramatically increase its survivability in battle. Since the commander is also the gunner and loader, having him knocked out will cripple the D1 immensely.
The D1's crew layout -- Commander (Gunner, Loader), Driver, Radio Operator -- doesn't match the setup of any premium French light (the Commander's skill set being unique in the game), but perhaps the EBR 75 FL 10 comes closest for having a separate Driver and Radio Operator; a Gunner will have to be supplied from some other tank, and the Commander's Gunner and Loader skills go to waste here.
The D1 is incredibly slow and would usually do well to avoid climbing hills; when stock it's as slow as the T95. Be sure to pick the correct path to take at the beginning of the game, as the D1 is not capable of relocating quickly at all. Upgrading the turret and gun before the engine slows this tank down considerably.
Early Research
- The 13.2 mm Hotchkiss mle. 1930 and the 25 mm Canon Raccourci Mle. 1934 guns carry over from the FT, and are available immediately.
- The engine is a good place to start researching for an additional 9 horsepower with no additional weight.
- It is a good idea to upgrade the suspension next.
- Now research the D1b turret and the 47 mm SA34 gun.
- Be sure to research the ER 53 radio before moving on.
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
As the ST1 turret type had been rejected, a new one had to be developed. Until it was ready all 160 Char D vehicles were temporarily fitted with existing Renault FT turrets, taken from the Renault FT matériel reserve. Two new turret designs were proposed by Schneider. The ST3 was a modification of the ST1. To solve the balance problem, this type had an armoured extension at the back, with a large square opening. The hatch in the back of the main armour could be opened through the square hole of the extension, providing more room for the commander, who, when operating the gun, would still enjoy some protection against small arms fire, without the weight penalty of a larger turret. The matériel commission judged this system, though ingenious, to be hugely impractical — it made the turret more vulnerable in precisely those situations where it was most likely to be hit: when fighting the enemy — and decided to accept the weight penalty, choosing the alternative ST2 that was simply a larger turret that had more room at the back, weighing three metric tonnes. Nevertheless a single pre-series vehicle was fitted with the ST3 for trials and afterwards used in this configuration by the driver school.
This ST2 turret had a very complex geometry with many shot traps. This was partly caused by the large protruding diascopes at the sides, but also a result of forcing the commander to operate in three height levels: he had to stretch himself to observe his surroundings via the cupola, had a forward observation hatch that he could look through while standing in a normal position and had to crouch to operate the 47 mm SA34 gun to the right of him and the coaxial 7.5 mm machine gun to the left. The lower level had its own extension, where extra room had been found in the front of the turret to bring the machine gun forward, while retracting the main gun, thus improving balance even further. Needless to say, the army was very critical of this general arrangement, but it could not be rejected as deliveries were already greatly delayed: the first replacement turrets were fitted only in early 1936.
The ST2, weighing 1788 kg, brought the total weight to fourteen metric tons and, costing 100,000 FF per piece, the total vehicle price to 475,000 FF. The Char D1 was thus neither particularly light nor cheap, causing the Hotchkiss company to propose a design better conforming to the role of mass produced light infantry tank, which proposal would eventually result in no less than three production types: the Hotchkiss H35, Renault R35 and FCM 36. However, even in 1926 the project had been seen as more of a cheaper alternative to the Char B than as a pure light infantry tank; the political situation of the early thirties would force the Char D1 completely into the role of Char de Bataille or "battle tank".
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