AMX 38

AMX 38

France | Light Tank | Tier III

Battle Tier

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Overview
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Well, the ones further down, of course.

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[Client Values; Actual values in

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Specifically, the mismatch in crew values caused by commander's 10% crew skill bonus. Outside of a crew of 1 commander only, 100% crew is a fiction. The client values, given for 100% crew, will normally be taken into battle with 110% crew skill members aside from specific functions, causing their actual performance to deviate from the expected client value. These differences are taken into account in tooltip boxes.

]

41,000   Cost

39078 HP Hit Points

15.96/166.55/18 t Weight Limit

Crew

1. Commander (Radio Operator, Gunner, Loader)
2. Driver

Mobility

150160 hp Engine Power

25/10 km/h Speed Limit

3032 deg/s Traverse

9.424.43 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio

NoNo Pivot

Armor

// mm Hull Armor

60/40/4060/40/40 mm Turret Armor

Armament

{{#ifeq:ARMOR_PIERCING_CR|ARMOR_PIERCING|| {{#ifeq:HIGH_EXPLOSIVE|ARMOR_PIERCING|| AP/APCR/HE {{#ifeq:ARMOR_PIERCING_CR|ARMOR_PIERCING|| {{#ifeq:HIGH_EXPLOSIVE|ARMOR_PIERCING|| AP/APCR/HE Shells

14/800/10 20/1200/13 Shell Cost

40/40/4555/55/70 HP Damage

34/67/2445/79/24 mm Penetration

| |}} | |}} 25 r/m  ▲ Standard Gun Reload Times Nominal: 2.4 s 50% Crew: 3.05 s 75% Crew: 2.69 s 100% Crew: 2.4 s Rammer: 2.16 s Vents: 2.35 s Both: 2.11 s Both and BiA: 2.07 s Both and Max Crew %: 1.99 s See Crew, Consumables, or Equipment for more information. | |}} | |}} 18.75 r/m  ▲ Standard Gun Reload Times Nominal: 3.2 s 50% Crew: 4.07 s 75% Crew: 3.58 s 100% Crew: 3.2 s Rammer: 2.88 s Vents: 3.13 s Both: 2.81 s Both and BiA: 2.76 s Both and Max Crew %: 2.65 s See Crew, Consumables, or Equipment for more information. Rate of Fire

| |}} | |}} 1000 ▲ Standard Gun Using Shell Type 1 (40 Damage): Theoretical Damage Per Minute Nominal DPM: 1000 50% Crew: 785.6 75% Crew: 892.8 100% Crew: 1000 100% Crew Vents: 1023.6 Rammer: 1111.2 Both: 1137.2 Both and BiA: 1158.8 Both and Max Crew %: 1208.8 Advantageous Damage Per Minute First-shot DPM: 1040 50% Crew: 825.6 75% Crew: 932.8 100% Crew: 1040 100% Crew Rammer: 1151.2 Vents: 1063.6 Both: 1177.2 Both and BiA: 1198.8 Both and Max Crew %: 1248.8 See here, here, or here for more information. ▼ Standard Gun Using Shell Type 2 (40 Damage): Theoretical Damage Per Minute Nominal DPM: 1000 50% Crew: 785.6 75% Crew: 892.8 100% Crew: 1000 100% Crew Vents: 1023.6 Rammer: 1111.2 Both: 1137.2 Both and BiA: 1158.8 Both and Max Crew %: 1208.8 Advantageous Damage Per Minute First-shot DPM: 1040 50% Crew: 825.6 75% Crew: 932.8 100% Crew: 1040 100% Crew Rammer: 1151.2 Vents: 1063.6 Both: 1177.2 Both and BiA: 1198.8 Both and Max Crew %: 1248.8 See here, here, or here for more information. ▲ Standard Gun Using Shell Type 3 (45 Damage): With wholly penetrating hits Theoretical Damage Per Minute Nominal DPM: 1125 50% Crew: 883.8 75% Crew: 1004.4 100% Crew: 1125 100% Crew Vents: 1151.55 Rammer: 1250.1 Both: 1279.35 Both and BiA: 1303.65 Both and Max Crew %: 1359.9 Advantageous Damage Per Minute First-shot DPM: 1170 50% Crew: 928.8 75% Crew: 1049.4 100% Crew: 1170 100% Crew Rammer: 1295.1 Vents: 1196.55 Both: 1324.35 Both and BiA: 1348.65 Both and Max Crew %: 1404.9 See here, here, or here for more information. | |}} | |}} 1031.25 ▲ Standard Gun Using Shell Type 1 (55 Damage): Theoretical Damage Per Minute Nominal DPM: 1031.25 50% Crew: 810.15 75% Crew: 920.7 100% Crew: 1031.25 100% Crew Vents: 1055.45 Rammer: 1145.65 Both: 1172.6 Both and BiA: 1195.15 Both and Max Crew %: 1246.3 Advantageous Damage Per Minute First-shot DPM: 1086.25 50% Crew: 865.15 75% Crew: 975.7 100% Crew: 1086.25 100% Crew Rammer: 1200.65 Vents: 1110.45 Both: 1227.6 Both and BiA: 1250.15 Both and Max Crew %: 1301.3 See here, here, or here for more information. ▼ Standard Gun Using Shell Type 2 (55 Damage): Theoretical Damage Per Minute Nominal DPM: 1031.25 50% Crew: 810.15 75% Crew: 920.7 100% Crew: 1031.25 100% Crew Vents: 1055.45 Rammer: 1145.65 Both: 1172.6 Both and BiA: 1195.15 Both and Max Crew %: 1246.3 Advantageous Damage Per Minute First-shot DPM: 1086.25 50% Crew: 865.15 75% Crew: 975.7 100% Crew: 1086.25 100% Crew Rammer: 1200.65 Vents: 1110.45 Both: 1227.6 Both and BiA: 1250.15 Both and Max Crew %: 1301.3 See here, here, or here for more information. ▲ Standard Gun Using Shell Type 3 (70 Damage): With wholly penetrating hits Theoretical Damage Per Minute Nominal DPM: 1312.5 50% Crew: 1031.1 75% Crew: 1171.8 100% Crew: 1312.5 100% Crew Vents: 1343.3 Rammer: 1458.1 Both: 1492.4 Both and BiA: 1521.1 Both and Max Crew %: 1586.2 Advantageous Damage Per Minute First-shot DPM: 1382.5 50% Crew: 1101.1 75% Crew: 1241.8 100% Crew: 1382.5 100% Crew Rammer: 1528.1 Vents: 1413.3 Both: 1562.4 Both and BiA: 1591.1 Both and Max Crew %: 1656.2 See here, here, or here for more information. Damage Per Minute

| |}} 0.48 m  ▲ With 50% Crew: 0.611 m With 75% Crew: 0.538 m With 100% Crew: 0.48 m With BiA: 0.469 m With BiA and Vents: 0.46 m Maximum possible: 0.441 m For more details, see Crew | |}} 0.47 m  ▲ With 50% Crew: 0.598 m With 75% Crew: 0.526 m With 100% Crew: 0.47 m With BiA: 0.459 m With BiA and Vents: 0.451 m Maximum possible: 0.432 m For more details, see Crew Accuracy

| |}} 2 s  ▲ With 50% Crew: 2.546 s With 75% Crew: 2.24 s With 100% Crew: 2 s With GLD: 1.818 s With BiA: 1.954 s With BiA and Vents: 1.918 s With both and GLD: 1.743 s Maximum possible: 1.671 s For more details, see Crew or Equipment | |}} 2.5 s  ▲ With 50% Crew: 3.182 s With 75% Crew: 2.8 s With 100% Crew: 2.5 s With GLD: 2.273 s With BiA: 2.443 s With BiA and Vents: 2.397 s With both and GLD: 2.179 s Maximum possible: 2.089 s For more details, see Crew or Equipment Aim time

2828 deg/s Turret Traverse

360° Gun Arc

-6°/+17°-6°/+20° Elevation Arc

325210 rounds Ammo Capacity

General

1515 % Chance of Fire

310 m  ▲ With 50% Crew: 243.6 m With 75% Crew: 276.8 m With 100% Crew: 310 m With Recon and Situational Awareness: 325.7 m With Coated Optics: 341 m With Binocular Telescope: 387.5 m Maximum possible: 443.8 m For more details, see Skills or Equipment 310 m  ▲ With 50% Crew: 243.6 m With 75% Crew: 276.8 m With 100% Crew: 310 m With Recon and Situational Awareness: 325.7 m With Coated Optics: 341 m With Binocular Telescope: 387.5 m Maximum possible: 443.8 m For more details, see Skills or Equipment View Range

| |}} 300 m  ▲ With 50% Crew: 235.7 m With 75% Crew: 267.9 m With 100% Crew: 300 m With 100% Signal Boost: 360 m When affected by 100% Relaying: 330 m Maximum possible: 431.7 m For more details, see Skills or Equipment | |}} 360 m  ▲ With 50% Crew: 282.8 m With 75% Crew: 321.5 m With 100% Crew: 360 m With 100% Signal Boost: 432 m When affected by 100% Relaying: 396 m Maximum possible: 518 m For more details, see Skills or Equipment Signal Range

Values are Stock - click for TopValues are Top - click for Stock

FCM 36

AMX 38

AMX 40

III

41000

The AMX 38 is a French tier 3 light tank.

Developed in 1937–1938 under the "20-ton vehicle" project and was intended to replace the D2 tank. The project included two turret variants: with a 37-mm or a 47-mm gun. By 1938, two vehicles were built for trials. Never saw mass production.

It has excellent armor for its tier and the angular turret and hull are effective in causing shots to bounce. Like other low tier French tanks, it has a low top speed and poor gun handling characteristics. The upgraded engine only adds 10 additional horsepower and does little to mitigate the problem.

It starts with the 37 mm SA38 which has serviceable penetration and handling for a stock gun. The first "upgrade", the short-barreled 47 mm SA34, offers worse accuracy and abysmal penetration for a small increase in damage and should be avoided. It is best to upgrade to the quick firing 25 mm Raccourci or the 47 mm SA35 - the latter will be an essential module within the AMX 40's upgrade tree.

The AMX 38 leads to the AMX 40.

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	18.75	0.53	2.3		90	2400
III	47 mm SA35	45/79/24	55/55/70	18.75	0.47	2.5		100	3250
II	25 mm Canon Raccourci mle. 1934	46/68/24	27/27/45	33.33	0.45	1.7		71	2320
II	37 mm SA38	34/67/24	40/40/45	25	0.48	2		70	1890

Engines

Tier	Engine	Engine Power (hp)	Chance of Fire on Impact (%)		Weight (kg)	Price ()
II	Aster	150	15		540	750
III	Aster M	160	15		600	4500

Suspensions

Tier	Suspension	Load Limit (т)	Traverse Speed (gr/sec)	Rmin		Weight (kg)	Price ()
II	AMX 38 1er prototype	16	30	B/2		3000	500
III	AMX 38 série	18	32	B/2		3000	1850

Radios

Tier	Radio	Signal Range (m)		Weight (kg)	Price ()
II	ER 52	300		100	0
V	ER 53	360		100	3650

Compatible Equipment

            

Compatible Consumables

                   

Player Opinion

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Well armored
• Oddly shaped turret will confuse people on where to fire
• Diesel engine - has a reduced chance of engine fire
• 47 mm SA35 has decent damage per shot for the tier

Cons:

• Slow
• Poor dispersion on the move, accuracy, and penetration on all guns.
• Relatively long aiming time on the 47 mm SA35
• Extremely poor gun depression on the 25 mm Raccourci; also loses the gun mantlet with this gun
• Only two crew members who are very vulnerable, you will lose your crew a lot to HE and autocannons.

Performance

The AMX 38 performs almost exactly like its child, the AMX 40. Slow and lumbering with excellent armor and halfway decent firepower, the AMX 38 can, given the right team, in a top tier match, give you the feeling that you're playing a heavy. If you're at the top, play like a heavy, as your armor can take the hits as a general rule, and most tanks below you will most assuredly bounce their shots. Take extreme care if you're at the bottom and there are Tier 4s in the battle with you. Be mindful of attacking in uneven terrain, as the gun depression may hinder your ability to hit a target, particularly with the 25mm Raccourci. Also be mindful even in Tier 3 games of enemy tank destroyers, as most will not have any problems with your armor.

The AMX 40 will play similarly with minor upgrades to HP, armor, and armament.

Early Research

• The 25 mm Canon Raccourci mle. 1934 and ER 53 radio carry over from the Hotchkiss H35 and can both be mounted immediately.
• First, research the AMX 38 série suspension.
• Depending on whether you want more firepower or more speed, research either the 47 mm SA34 gun, followed by the 47 mm SA35 gun, or the Aster M engine.
• It is probably better to research the guns first, since the top engine only has 10 more horsepower than the stock. However, this still represents about a 7% increase to power similar to that granted by a Turbocharger.

Suggested Equipment

 

Gallery

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  AMX 38 front left view

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  AMX 38 front right view

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  AMX 38 rear left view

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  AMX 38 rear right view

Historical Info

Apart from the companies Hotchkiss, Renault and FCM, AMX too participated in the program to create the next generation light tank for the French army. Atelier de Construction d’Issy-les-Moulineaux (AMX for short) was located south of Paris – it consisted of the former Renault tank plant, nationalized in 1936 and was the last company to enter the competition. Their tank project, later recieving the designation of AMX 38, was introduced in July 1937.

The main idea behind the tank, as concieved by its designers during the project stage, was to increase the vehicle mobility, all the while keeping the light anti-shell armor (40mm) the same and the weight increase to a minimum. The first prototype weighed 13,5 tons (heavier than another project of the same program, FCM 36, by 1,15 tons) – this weight did later make some historians to in fact designate this tank as a medium vehicle.

On the other hand, even with the 100 horsepower CLM diesel, assumed by the initial project, the dynamics of the AMX 38 only slightly surpassed the ones of the FCM 36 (power-to-weight ratio of 7,4 hp/t, compared to FCM’s 7,36). As for the built vehicle however, that one was equipped with a 130hp Aster engine, increasing the power-to-weight ratio to 9,62 hp/t. By that increase, this perspective tank surprassed its entire competition (Renault R 35 with its 7,73, Hotchkiss H 35 with its 7,07 and Hotchkiss H 39 with its 9,3 hp/t).

The initial project counted on the installation of the 37mm SA18 gun (the same gun as FT-17, R 35, H 35 and FCM 36 had) and the first project variant (drawing 0-190 from 23.3.1939) assumed the installation of the APX-R turret. However, as early as June 1938, the turret was already replaced by a design of AMX’s own making, somewhat resembling the turret of FCM 36. The armament remained the same, as can be seen on the 0-190 drawing from 10.10.1938.

AMX 38 drawing 0-190 from 10.10.1938

AMX 38 with APX-R turret, drawing 0-190, 23.3.1939

Side view and suspension schematics, drawing 0-155, 13.6.1938.

Hull, drawing 0-250, 3.4.1939

The first prototype of the AMX 38, built by the end of 1939, differed in a lot of ways from the initial project. The vehicle with the registration number W 0231 was equipped with a 37mm SA38 gun, paired with a 7,5mm MAC Mle.1931 machinegun. Like other French light tanks, AMX 38 had a “tail” mounted on the rear side of the hull, its purpose being to help the vehicle cross infantry trenches.

The maximum speed of this vehicle was 25 km/h. This was not exactly the fastest vehicle on the battlefield, but on the other hand, it was completely sufficient for its intended role of supporting advancing infantry. In the end however, the prototype was not regarded as something that should be mass-produced. The AMX 38 was behind other contemporary French tanks both in armor and armament. As such, the AMX company continued to work further and as early as December 1939 a new vehicle began to take shape in the form of Char Leger Serie, or CLS (something like “serial (mass-produced) light tank”). It’s sometimes being called the AMX 39, but this designation is not very correct, as the vehicle continued to be developed well into the spring of 1940.

Char Leger Serie, drawing 0-326, 11.12.1939

Improved AMX 38 hull, drawing 0-395, 14.3.1940

Gun, mounted in a modernized AMX 38 turret, drawing 0-339, 27.12.1939

The first significant difference between the CLS and the AMX 38 was the installation of the 47mm SA35 gun, replacing the older 37mm. With such a gun, the tank became significantly more dangerous to its enemies, including any German tank of that period. Additionally, the frontal turret and hull armor was increased to 60mm, making the standard German 37mm PaK practically useless against this vehicle.

Of course, this reflected on the vehicle's weight, that grew to 16,5 tons. The suspension also had to be reworked and the vehicle was planned to run with a more powerful engine (also Aster) of 160 horsepower. Thanks the the new engine, the power-to-weight ratio also grew a bit to 9,69 hp/t. The ending result was a light infantry tank, roughly equal to the British Valentine – not very fast, but well armored with a gun to match. True, the old flawed concept of one man turret, where the commander is also the gunner, loader and radioman would have impaired its effectiveness. But that’s all just a speculation, as no prototype of this improved AMX 38 was ever built.

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Historical Gallery

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  The prototype AMX 38

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  AMX 38

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  AMX 38

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  AMX 38

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  AMX 38

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  AMX 38 drawing 0-190 from 10.10.1938

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  AMX 38 with APX-R turret, drawing 0-190, 23.3.1939

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  Side view and suspension schematics, drawing 0-155, 13.6.1938.

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  Hull, drawing 0-250, 3.4.1939

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  Char Leger Serie, drawing 0-326, 11.12.1939

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  Improved AMX 38 hull, drawing 0-395, 14.3.1940

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  Gun, mounted in a modernized AMX 38 turret, drawing 0-339, 27.12.1939

Historical Accuracy Errata

The following are consensus errors or inconsistencies which have been identified with the configuration of the vehicle in question and conflict with information available on the public record. The causes for these divergences in the game are normally not disclosed and may be rooted in game balance.

* The AMX 38 in-game has the model of the prototype AMX 38, while having the heavier weight, more powerful engine, stronger gun, and thicker armor of the improved CLS version of the AMX 38

• The AMX 38 was never planned to have the 47 mm SA34 or the 25 mm Canon Raccourci mle. 1934
  • The 47 mm SA35 would have required the upgraded turret of the CLS version of the AMX 38

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Sources and External Links

Sources

Jean-Pierre VALANTIN

External Links

• 1937 CHAR AMX 38 at chars-francais.net Photos, specs, and brief history in French.
• https://ftr.wot-news.com/2015/03/02/the-development-of-amx-38/
• https://yuripasholok.livejournal.com/4302315.html

France

Light Tanks

ja:Tank:F13 AMX38