2C bis

This page is about the French heavy tank 2C bis. For the other version, see 2C.

2C bis

2C bis

France

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.7	1.7	1.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Heavy tank

Purchase:2 100

Show in game

Description

The Char 2C bis is an experimentally modified Char 2C that primarily differs in its main armament. Following a decision made in December 1922, a standard Char 2C was modified at La Seyne from 1923 to 1926 and designated Char 2C bis, an experimental super-heavy tank with a 155 mm Schneider 155 C howitzer in a rounded cast steel turret. The main armament had a muzzle velocity of 200 m/s. The three separate machine gun positions were removed and more powerful Sautter-Harlé engines were installed. The tank weighed around 74 tonnes in this configuration. The modification was only temporary, as this experimental super-heavy tank was returned to its original state after 1934.

Introduced in Update "Apex Predators", the Char 2C bis has a playstyle comparable to the Char 2C. However, since the reload time is substantially longer than most adversaries it will face during combat, players need always make every shot count in this experimental super-heavy tank. Despite being a super-heavy tank, its armour is not thick enough to stop the majority of tank rounds fired at it. Staying behind the frontlines and acting as artillery is a feasible strategy, but due to the low velocity of the ammunition, this is extremely challenging for inexperienced players. Always be aware of your surroundings and stay close to allies to prevent being isolated and overwhelmed by enemies.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull45 / 22 / 22

Turret35 / 35 / 35

Crew12 people

Visibility750 %

Being comprised of large, flat, vertical armour plates, the 2C bis does not have a revolutionary armour scheme. Many dedicated anti-tank guns such as the Soviet 45 mm 45-K, the US 37 mm M5/M6 guns, and the British 40 mm 2-pounder can penetrate this tank frontally from medium to short range without any problem. Larger cannons will have no issue dealing with the 2C bis. Autocannons can also be a threat, especially from the thinly armoured sides. The lower hull sides are composed of 22 mm plates, meaning that a skilled M2A2 or T-60 player can penetrate the sides with ease. However, some slight angling can somewhat mitigate this issue. The large tracks of the 2C bis can obscure the front plate and make it harder to penetrate. In addition, there are some fuel tanks and extra 22 mm plates surrounding said fuel tanks, making for a nearly 50 mm effective thickness.

The 2C bis' true survivability lies in its crew count. 12 crew members are placed throughout the vehicle, meaning that even if the crew up front is entirely knocked out with an APHE shell, there are a number of aft-facing members ready to replace them. This can give the 2C bis a near comical amount of survivability as it can be continuously penetrated, seemingly disabled, and suddenly it can return to battle.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, side, side skirts, roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (turret, 155 mm gun mantlet, cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	49 mm (0°) Front plate 22 mm (69°) Front glacis 15 mm (73°) Lower glacis	22 mm (0°)	15 mm (62°) Top 22 mm (0°) Bottom	13 mm (0°)
Turret	35 mm Turret front 35 mm Gun mantlet	35 mm	35 mm	35 mm
Cupola	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Reverse gearbox

Forward and backward movement is possible at the same maximum speed

Speedforward / back

AB16 / 16 km/h

RB and SB16 / 16 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

5 back

Weight70.0 t

Engine power

AB954 hp

RB and SB500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB13.6 hp/t

RB and SB7.1 hp/t

The 2C bis utilizes a diesel-electric hybrid drive system. Two Sautter-Harlé inline 6 diesel engines power electric generators which then engage with electric motors at the rear sprocket. Like the Pz.Bef.Wg.VI P, this means that the 2C bis can neutral steer and theoretically go just as fast in reverse.

The 2C bis accelerates to its top speed quickly, regardless of the terrain it drives on, but this is only 15 km/h. The 2C bis will certainly be the last tank to the fight, but on the other hand the quick reverse acceleration can prove helpful in close quarters.

Its hull traverse speed is quite average, so given the long hull length it takes a bit of time before turning at full speed. Therefore, the 2C bis will respond pretty clumsily when adjusting hull position against close-up foes, so always keep yourself at a reasonable distance from danger zone (at least 100 m).

Lastly, given the tall position of the idler wheel, the 2C bis is excellent at driving over larger obstacles that would have stuck conventional tanks; its long hull also allows it to cross over larger trenches or gaps on the ground with ease, giving it a small advantage in certain terrains.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	16	16	70	_,___	954	__.__	13.63
Realistic	16	16		_,___	500	__.__	7.14

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB2 086

RB328

SB406

Crew training1 400

Experts9 000

Aces75

Research Aces270 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 30 / 30 / 40 %

2 × 106 / 106 / 106 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Adjustment of Fire Elevation Mechanism

Armaments

Main armament

155 mm Schneider 155 C howitzer

Ammunition24 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

22.4 → 17.2 s

Vertical guidance-15° / 20°

Horizontal guidance-100° / 100°

The 2C bis has a 155 mm Schneider howitzer in its two man cast turret. Its velocity is extremely low and its reload rate is abysmal. The armament takes time and practice to utilize effectively, especially with its limited elevation and depression angles. However, with 7.7 kg of explosive filler, the Mle1915 shell will obliterate whatever it touches at the BR of the 2C bis. As long as the shell makes contact anywhere, it is almost guaranteed to knock a vehicle out. Open-topped vehicles can even be knocked out by splash damage, as this is basically an artillery piece on tracks.

155 mm Schneider 155 C					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	24	±10°	±100°	N/A	8.1	11.2	13.6	15.0	16.0	22.4	19.8	18.2	17.2
Realistic					6.0	7.0	8.5	9.4	10.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Mle1915	HE	63	63	63	63	63	63

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Mle1915	HE	210	43.2	0.3	0.1	11.22	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
24	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Machine guns

2 x 8 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine gun

Ammunition6 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Fire rate450 shots/min

The rear turret has decent horizontal arcs but suffers from rather poor vertical arcs and slow rotation speed, making this turret very situational. The frontal machine gun can be used to knock small obstacles out of the way as to prevent the HE shell from detonating on them.

8 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1914
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Hull	5,000 (250)	450	__°	__°
Rear	5,000 (250)	450	__°	-130°/+120°

Usage in battles

As stated before, angling the hull around 40 degrees at longer ranges can increase survivability and make the armour somewhat useful. If you are not sure about how far a target is, use the rangefinder, even at close range, since a miss will have you waiting almost half a minute to reload. The dreadful top speed will sometimes work in your favour, being that the first "wave" of enemy vehicles has already been dealt with. The 2C bis does not do well against multiple vehicles. The quick reverse acceleration can work in your favour in urban environments.

Sitting in the rear and lobbing artillery at the enemy is a possible strategy, but the low velocity and high arc of the rounds make this difficult. Eventually, a dedicated anti-tank SPG will likely disable or knock out the vehicle. The 2C bis performs better at mid-range (100-400 m) encounters where tracking targets can be easier. Surprisingly, despite its size, getting "Shadow Strikes" is possible in urban areas.

Use your machine guns to clear obstacles that may trigger the HE shell's fuse prematurely. The 2C bis doesn't have a coaxial machine gun, which can be a problem when clearing obstacles as the hull guns have limited firing arcs. Turning the entire hull to shoot down fences and trees can be quite tedious, so always do it ASAP when you arrive at a comfortable position.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Has a dozen crew members, highly survivable
• 155 mm howitzer will decimate anything even above its BR
• Neutral steering gives the tank decent reflex mobility
• Can climb over rough terrain with ease due to its World War I design

Cons:

• Extremely huge, easily spotted and targeted by any enemy
• 155 mm howitzer has long reload time and unfriendly shell trajectory
• Awfully slow top speed
• Armour is mediocre at best
• Limited turret traverse, very prone to rear attack
• Poor elevation angles

History

The FCM 2C was a French "super heavy" tank designed to conquer the "no man's land" of WW1. It was dimensionally the largest tank ever produced, and for a time the heaviest. Ready for production by February 1918, the war ended before any of the vehicles were completed, and so the order of 300 was eventually reduced to just 10, finished in 1921. The standard 2C mounted a 75 mm APX 1897 field gun, similar to the cannon which would be mounted on the M3 GMC tank destroyer. The 2C had many innovative design features for the time, including a hybrid drive, leaf spring suspension, the world's first three-man turret, and stroboscopic cupolas. All of the 2Cs were named after ancient regions of France.

One 2C, No. 99 "Champagne", was given a new two-man cast turret with a 155 mm howitzer. The commander was given his own compartment behind the turret. The side machine gun ports were also removed. This variant would be known as the 2C bis. Eventually, Champagne would be returned to its original configuration and its turret would be used as a makeshift static emplacement in the Mareth Line. Champagne would be the only 2C to survive the invasion of France, with the other nine tanks either being scuttled by their own crew to prevent capture, or breaking down.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the 2C bis from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #340 - Pages of History section at 03:35 discusses the 2C bis.

The Shooting Range #339 - Metal Beasts section at 00:24 discusses the 2C bis.

Giant Derp Land Battleship - 155mm 70 ton Monster - PhlyDaily

Trenchwarmer - Char 2C - Tank Encyclopedia

See also

Related development:

• 2C

External links

• [Devblog] Char 2bis: the Beast of Champagne
• [Tank Encyclopedia] Char 2C

Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM)
Ships
Destroyers
Aigle-class	Vautour
Le Fantasque-class	Le Malin
Battleships
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Tanks
Light tank	FCM.36
Heavy tank	2C · 2C bis

France heavy tanks
B1	B1 bis · B1 ter
2C	2C · 2C bis
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AMX-50	Somua SM · AMX-50 Surbaissé · AMX-50 Surblindé
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