As early as 1918 Amadeus Varlet had proposed this articulated tracked vehicle which could be used as a breakthrough tank. This project was in itself the development of earlier research by automobiles Delahaye design bureau about articulated chassis to improve the terrain following abilities of a vehicle. Note in this respect that if the sketch only depicts two bodies linked together, the text of the project suggests that more than two bodies could be thus attached.
A few months later the final design appeared with a two-gun turret, one gun in the front module and machine guns for defense purpose. The turret guns were fixed to the turret frame and aiming was done by rotating the turret itself. The turret could be pointed from minus 2 degrees to plus 60 degrees and traversed on 360 degrees therefore according to the designer, not only tank to tank but also tank to airplane combat was possible. This was then a French Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz which was offered more than 25 years before the German version. In 1918 trench warfare was still very much a concern, hence a gadget was provided where the center of gravity of the machine can be moved rearward to help crossing a trench by moving back the turret along the frame!
1937 project.
This project is actually taken over directly from a 1918 design!
Amédée Varlet (chief designer of Delahaye) response to a 1936 call for proposal for a heavy tank.
These were the specified features:
Max length: 9 m
Max width: 2,94 m
Max height: 2,70 m
Weapons: 47mm gun in a revolving turret and a 75mm gun in a fixed position.
