The FCM-36 had a 37mm gun that was not very effective against the German tanks of that time. A curious and astute detail was that commander’s tanks carried the radio antenna inside the hull to avoid attracting enemy fire.On May 10, 1940, the FCM-36 tanks were assigned to Sedan’s tank battalions numbers 4 and 7. On May 14, and after only 3 hours of fighting against General Guderian’s tanks, 29 from the 45 tanks of the 7th BCC had been destroyed.The FCM-36 was the first French tank to have a diesel engine that allowed a good range. Many of the damaged tanks, could be repaired in the rearguard, but were finally captured by the Germans after the armistice of June 1940.
