Renault D2 Supply France 1940

January 23, 2021

Or one of the reasons for creating the ATS

SEA history-diorama
"Never again! ". According to oral tradition, this is what Colonel de Gaulle said when he had to halt the advance of his armored vehicles at the battle of Montcornet, due to a lack of fuel, while a few kilometers away a full train of gasoline chartered by the Service des poudres was waiting to be distributed by the Services de l'artillerie.
This problem was solved "in the nick of time", as on November 25, 1940 (under the Vichy regime) all responsibilities were entrusted to a single organization.
This new department was given the name Service des Essences des Armées (SEA), a name it would bear until September 2020, when it became the Service de l'Energie Opérationnelle (SEO).
The SEO is a joint service of the French Army, reporting to the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
Model-tank-Renault-D2-1/48e
Model 1/48 Gaso.line Renault tank by Eric Deluy

The Renault D2 tank

The Renault "Char D2", developed in 1931, is the successor to the Renault D1 medium tank. The D2 is taller, more massive and features a new turret.
It was adopted by the French Army in 1933, and 100 examples were built in 2 series. The D2 is armed with a 47 SA turret with up to 40 mm of armor, and weighs 20 tons.
Diorma-char-D2-Renaults-supply
In 1937, Colonel de Gaulle spent two years commanding the 507th RCC, equipped with Renault D2 tanks.
With the outbreak of war, Charles de Gaulle was called to higher command, but he didn't forget his former regiment, and when it came time for battle in May 1940, they were the first tanks to join his 4th battleship division for offensive operations at Montcornet.
mock-up-shield-transport-1/48
Shielded transport, perhaps the forerunner of CaRaPACE
The Lorraine 37L, or as it is officially known in the French army, Tracteur de ravitaillement pour tanks 1937 L (TRC 37L), is a tracked vehicle developed by Lorraine-Dietrich during the interwar period, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. It was developed in response to an order from the French army in April 1936 for a fully armored fuel and ammunition transport vehicle, designed to supply tank units on the front line.
model-tank-Renault-D2-1/48e

A bit of ATS history

It was during the First World War, with the widespread use of mechanized means, that the need arose to set up a new "fuel" supply chain. This consisted of the quartermaster's department, which supplied and stored fuel, and the automotive department, which transported it. At the same time, a gasoline, petroleum and oil department was set up at headquarters. After the war, on July 12 1920, the powder department took over from the quartermaster's office, with the artillery acting as distributor.
Diorama-tank-Renault-D2-Fueling
Texts partly taken from Wikipedia and the French Ministry of Defence
https://www.defense.gouv.fr/energie
Models of the Gaso.line range from www.promodels.eu