Editing AMX-30 (section)

==Background==
Although the [[German occupation of France during World War II|occupation of France]] during [[World War II]] temporarily interrupted French development of [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s, clandestine research allowed the French to quickly recover lost ground after its [[Western Front (World War II)#Liberation of France|liberation]] in mid-1944.<ref name="Ogorkiewicz2">Ogorkiewicz, p. 2</ref> During the occupation, the French had secretly worked on an armour program that was, in 1944, taken over by the state workshop ''Atelier de Construction de Rueil'' (ARL), resulting in the design and production of the [[ARL 44]], which began production in 1946.<ref>de Mazarrasa (1990), p. 7</ref> The tank was powered by a [[Maybach]] HL-230 {{convert|575|hp|kW}} engine, and armed with a {{convert|90|mm|in|adj=on}} tank gun.<ref>de Mazarrasa (1990), pp. 7–8</ref> Although the {{convert|48|MT|ST|sp=us|adj=on}} vehicle was comparable to contemporary battle tanks in firepower and engine power, it suffered from distinct disadvantages, including an antiquated track design.<ref name="Ogorkiewicz2"/> While 600 were planned, only 60 were ultimately produced by 1950. That year, these were issued to the French Army's 503rd Tank Regiment.<ref name="Mazarrasa8">de Mazarrasa (1990), p. 8</ref> Given that the ARL 44 had been considered only a stop-gap vehicle for the French Army's armoured forces since inception, work on a new tank had begun as early as March 1945.<ref name="Ogorkiewicz2"/>

[[File:AMX-50.jpg|thumb|left|AMX 50 at the tank museum in [[Saumur]]]]

Development of the new tank was offered to five separate manufacturers: ''Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux'' (AMX), ''Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée'' (FCM), [[Renault]], ''Societe Lorraine de Dietrich'' (SLD-Lorraine) and ''Societé d'Outillage Mécanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie'' (SOMUA).<ref name="Mazarrasa8"/> The new vehicle was based on the new post-war requirement for a single battle tank.<ref name="Ogorkiewicz2"/> The new vehicle was designated the AMX 50. Its hull and suspension were similar to that of the German [[Panther tank]], which had been used by the [[French Army]] in the immediate post-war.<ref>Miller, pp. 84–85</ref> The French government's specifications for the new tank were strongly influenced by both the Panther tank and the heavier [[Tiger I]]; specifically, the French Army was looking for a tank with the protection of the former and the firepower of the latter.<ref name="Jeudy 215">Jeudy, p. 215</ref> Although the design borrowed from German tanks, including the Maybach {{convert|1000|hp|kW|sp=us}} engine, based on an earlier model, and the [[Torsion bar suspension|torsion bar]] sprung road wheels, the AMX 50 also included a number of unique features.<ref>Ogorkiewicz, pp. 2–3</ref> For example, it included an [[oscillating turret]], mounted on trunnions, which was the first of its kind. The oscillating turret consisted of two parts, one of which was mounted on the trunnions of the lower part, attached to the turret ring. The main gun was attached to the upper part, facilitating gun elevation and depression, as well as simplifying the fire control equipment and the installation of the automatic loading system.<ref name="Ogorkiewicz3">Ogorkiewicz, p. 3</ref> Of the three contractors, Renault withdrew from the program, while in early 1946 the French government selected AMX and SOMUA to continue the development.<ref name="Mazarrasa8"/> The prototypes were designated M4s, and AMX completed its prototype in 1949, while SOMUA would not be finished until 1956.<ref>de Mazarrasa (1990), pp. 8–9</ref> AMX's first prototype was armed with a {{convert|90|mm|in|sp=us|adj=on}} cannon, although a second prototype was fitted with a larger {{convert|100|mm|in|adj=on}} gun in July 1950<ref name="Ogorkiewicz3"/> Although it was intended to put the AMX 50 into production as the standard medium tank of the [[Western European Union]],<ref name="Jeudy 215"/> financial reasons and the arrival of military aid from the United States in the form of 856 M47 Patton tanks<ref>These were delivered between 1954 and 1956; Zaloga (1999), p. 13</ref> caused the original program to be abandoned.<ref name="Ogorkiewicz3"/><ref name="Miller85">Miller, p. 85</ref> In 1951 it was decided to turn the program into a [[heavy tank]] project with an even larger {{convert|120|mm|in|adj=on}} [[tank gun]]; though three prototypes were built, this too was abandoned in 1956, mainly due to a failure to design a powerful enough engine.<ref name="Jeudy 215"/>

[[File:CB2.jpg|thumb|The 1955 [[Batignolles-Chatillon Char 25T|Char Batignolles-Châtillon]]]]

With the demise of the {{convert|100|mm|in|sp=us|adj=on}} AMX 50 program in 1951, France temporarily officially abandoned the thought of producing a medium tank.<ref name="Jeudy 252">Jeudy, p. 252</ref> It was expected that West Germany would soon be allowed to rearm, and the Germans had appeared to entertain the concept of equipping their forces with a host of low-cost light, but relatively powerfully armed tanks, their quantity compensating for a lack of full armament parity with the latest medium tanks.<ref name="Jeudy 252"/> The prospect of delivering many thousands of these to the Germans induced the French to adopt the idea and plan to create light tank "Type 67" armoured divisions, for which the [[AMX-13|AMX-13/105]] was specially designed.<ref name="Jeudy 252"/> A private enterprise design aimed at fulfilling the same requirement was the somewhat larger Char Batignolles-Châtillon. A derived medium tank prototype of the latter, made in 1955, proved that it was possible to produce a tank with a first-rate gun and frontally protected with {{convert|80|mm|in|sp=us|adj=on}} steel equivalence within a weight constraint of {{convert|30|MT|ST}}. This revived interest in the medium tank concept.<ref name="Jeudy 252"/>

In 1956, the WEU defence workgroup FINBEL (named after France, [[Italy]], [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]] and [[Luxembourg]]), founded in 1953 and consisting of representatives of the various General Staffs,<ref>Spielberger, p. 113</ref> drafted a set of specifications for a new medium tank to eventually replace their American and British tanks. That same year, Germany joined the workgroup, turning it into [[FINABEL]] (the added "A" standing for ''Allemagne'', "Germany" in French) and on 27 October 1956 at [[Colomb-Béchar]] a bilateral agreement was concluded between France and Germany to collaborate in building a tank.<ref name="Jeudy 253">Jeudy, p. 253</ref> Though the other FINABEL nations did not formally participate,<ref name="Jeudy 253"/> the type was called ''Europa-Panzer'' to indicate its common European nature, and experts from all countries were involved in the design process.<ref>Spielberger, p. 124</ref> The specifications (FINABEL 3A5)<ref name="Caiti33">Caiti, p. 33</ref> for the new tank called for a lightweight and mobile battle tank, setting the weight limit to {{convert|30|MT|ST}} and compromising the ability to heavily armour the vehicle.<ref>Ogorkiewicz, pp. 3–5</ref><ref>Hilmes, pp. 16–17</ref> French and German engineers, during a conference in [[Bonn]] on 12 February 1957, defined the requirements for the future tank. This included a maximum width of {{convert|3.15|m|ft}}, a height of {{convert|2.15|m|ft}} and a {{convert|105|mm|in|adj=on}} tank gun, to be developed by the Franco-German military research institute at [[Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin|Saint Louis]].<ref>Mercillon, p. 38</ref> The new tank would have an air-cooled, petrol engine, a torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shocks, a [[power-to-weight ratio]] of at least {{convert|30|hp|kW}}/metric ton and a road range of at least {{convert|350|km|mi}}. In May, Italy joined the project, though only nominally, without any material contribution, because after the war it had no tank design bureaus.<ref name="Jeudy 253"/> That same year, on 28 November,<ref name="Jeudy 253"/> the French and German ministries of defence in [[Paris]] agreed upon a contract which would allow both countries to produce two prototypes separately.<ref>de Mazarrasa (1990), p. 9</ref> The next year, however, the project suffered a first setback when [[Charles de Gaulle]] took power in France, creating the [[French Fifth Republic|Fifth Republic]]: the Paris treaty had as its main point developing a common [[nuclear weapon]] and on 17 June 1958 de Gaulle decided to refuse Germany and Italy the atomic bomb, to avoid antagonizing the US and United Kingdom. This made Germany lose much interest in a common tank project also.<ref name="Jeudy 253"/>

The French prototypes were developed and produced by the ''Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux'', under the direction of General Joseph Molinié of the ''Direction des Études et Fabrications d'Armements'' (DEFA, the later ''Direction Technique des Armements Terrestres'')<ref>Foss (1986), p. 21</ref> and AMX head engineer Heissler,<ref name="Jeudy 254"/> The first prototype was completed in September 1960 and tested from February 1961; the second, with an improved range finder and track was tested<!--Or was this the production date?--> in July 1961. These first vehicles had a very rounded turret, in a deliberate imitation of the Soviet [[T-54]], and Sofam petrol engines. Another seven, with an improved sleeker turret cast, were manufactured between 1961 and 1963.<ref name="Jeudy 253"/><ref name="Ogorkiewicz5">Ogorkiewicz, p. 5</ref> Work on the German prototypes was carried out by two teams, including Team A composed of [[Porsche]], [[Maschinenbau Kiel]], Luther & Jordan and Jung-Jungenthal .<ref>Jerchel, p. 3</ref> Team B was made up by Ruhrstahl, [[Hanomag|Rheinstahl-HANOMAG]] and [[Henschel & Son|Henschel]].<ref>Jerchel, pp. 3–4</ref> Wood mock-ups were completed in 1959, while the first two prototypes were finished by 1961 (completed by Team A).<ref name="Jerchel4">Jerchel, p. 4</ref>