| Hotchkiss H35 | |
|---|---|
 Char léger modèle 1935 H modifié 39 in Latrun | |
| Type | Cavalry tank |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1936–1952 |
| Used by | France Poland Nazi Germany Bulgaria Hungary Croatia Yugoslav Partisans Chetniks Lebanon Syria Israel |
| Wars | World War II 1947–1949 Palestine war First Indochina War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Hotchkiss |
| Designed | 1933 |
| Manufacturer | Hotchkiss et Cie |
| Produced | September 1936 – June 1940 |
| No. built | ±1200 |
| Variants | Hotchkiss H35 modifié 39 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 11 metric tons |
| Length | 4.22 m (13 ft 10 in) |
| Width | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Height | 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Armour | 40 mm (turret)(45mm on 1939 version) 34 mm (hull) (45mm on 1939 version) |
Main armament | 37 mm SA 18 gun(SA 38 on 1939 version) |
Secondary armament | 7.5 mm MAC31 Reibel machine gun coaxial |
| Engine | Hotchkiss six-cylinder 3,480 cc gasoline engine 78 hp |
| Power/weight | 7.1 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | horizontal helical springs |
| Ground clearance | 0.37 m |
| Fuel capacity | 180 litres |
Operational range | 129 km (80 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 28 km/h (17 mph) |
The Hotchkiss H35 or Char léger modèle 1935 H was a French cavalry tank developed prior to World War II. Despite having been designed from 1933 as a rather slow but well-armoured light infantry support tank, the type was initially rejected by the French Infantry because steering proved difficult during cross-country use, and was instead adopted in 1936 by the French Cavalry arm.
From 1938 an improved version was produced with a more powerful engine, the Char léger modèle 1935 H modifié 39, which from 1940 was also fitted with a longer, more powerful 37 mm gun. It was intended to make this improved variant the standard light tank, with at least four thousand produced to equip new armoured divisions of both the Cavalry and the Infantry arms, but due to the defeat of France in June 1940, total production of both subtypes was limited to about 1200 vehicles.
For the remainder of the war Germany and its allies used captured Hotchkiss tanks in several modifications.