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Le Grande Madness: proves to the world that rails are for weaklings.
France has created many iconic armored vehicles in its history, from the Renault FT of the First World War to the modern Leclerc main battle tank. However, there are almost forgotten projects among the French developments. One of the most unusual remained at the drawing level. We are talking about a concept called Train d'Assaut ("assault train"), an armored vehicle project that looks more like a mechanical centipede than a classic tank.
The idea appeared in the last years of World War II, during the liberation of France, when engineers and military designers were reviewing the very principles of using armored vehicles. Today, Train d'Assaut is known mainly for the French patent FR907544. The car was never built, but the very description in the documents shows the scale and boldness of the idea.
The project was based not on a single tracked platform, but on a composite multi-section scheme. Jacquet proposed to create a modular armored system from several interconnected blocks. In fact, it is a chain of autonomous armor modules connected by hydraulic pivots.
Little is known about the creator Victor-Barthelemy Jacques. Unlike figures like Louis Renault or Jean Etienne, he did not become a public figure in the history of military technology. Most of his patents filed between the 1920s and 1940s have been preserved. Judging by the nature of the developments, he was an engineer with an unconventional mindset, prone to experimentation and loosely bound by the framework of official military doctrine. It is assumed that he could have been a veteran of the First World War, and by the time of the Second World War he was already working as an independent designer, outside of major government programs.
This approach is clearly visible in the Train d'Assaut project.
According to the patent, the machine should consist of three armored tracked sections interconnected by hydraulic hinges. The front part, the "head", is the smallest and narrowest, with a pointed nose. She should be the first to encounter obstacles and terrain. The central module is the largest: it houses the engine, transmission and crew, including the driver and commander. The rear section, the "tail", performs two tasks at once: auxiliary weapons are located on it, and it works as a counterweight, keeping the entire structure in balance.
Each section has its own tracks, a separate suspension and its own turret for weapons. In the drawings, they were connected to each other by hydraulic pivots, which allowed the modules to freely move relative to each other or, if necessary, to be rigidly fixed.
Despite the complexity of the design, the total length of the machine according to the project was only 6-7 meters. For such an unusual scheme, these are quite compact dimensions. For comparison, the modern Leclerc, along with the cannon, is almost three meters longer.
The main idea is that the structure can bend both up and down and to the sides. In theory, this made it possible to climb steep ledges, climb walls, and overcome height differences comparable to the length of the entire machine. On an uneven surface, sections can adjust to the terrain, redistributing the load among themselves.
The hinges provided a rigid locking mode. In this condition, the entire structure could be used as a bridge, for example, to overcome anti-tank ditches or narrow channels. If one section lost its grip on the surface, the rest continued to pull the car forward, and the rear module worked as a movable balance beam.
At the same time, the project had very bold ideas and frankly outdated solutions. For example, the engineer used package elliptical springs as a suspension, which were considered obsolete by 1944. This was in stark contrast to the overall futurism of the entire structure.
The engine was supposed to be one, it was located in the central section. The torque from it must be mechanically transmitted back and forth to all three crawler modules. This will require long driveshafts, multiple differentials, and precise timing of the drives. The control combines classic tank techniques of the time (braking tracks and traction control) with the control of hydraulic joints between sections.
The project crew should consist of 8-10 people. The driver is positioned in the central section, probably with a fairly limited forward view. The commander simultaneously performs the functions of a gunner. The rest of the crew serviced the weapons and loading system. The weapons were distributed across all three sections.
The main caliber was a 75 mm cannon mounted in the rear module and oriented backwards. Guidance was assumed not by turning the turret, but by turning the entire machine, according to the principle of self-propelled tank destroyers of that time. Additionally, at least four machine guns were provided, as well as the possibility of installing anti-tank guns or an experimental compressed air pneumatic mortar.
The hull was planned to be made of cast steel or manganese alloy. A special emphasis was placed on the rounded shapes of the sections. In theory, such a geometry could increase protection by ricocheting and deflecting projectiles, but in practice this would mean complex production and a noticeable increase in mass.
The project was never implemented. And the reasons are quite mundane. Train d'Assaut proved to be too difficult a decision for a war that was already coming to an end. France at that moment was focused on rebuilding the country, rather than creating experimental assault platforms. In addition, such a machine would be extremely expensive, difficult to manufacture, maintain and operate for a real post-war army.
Jacquet intuitively came to the conclusion that multi-section systems are better suited to overcome extreme obstacles than simple two-module schemes. In the middle of the 20th century, this was not feasible due to the lack of electronics, digital controls and modern materials. Today, similar principles are applied in robotics, unmanned platforms, and distributed drive systems where complex mechanics are controlled by software algorithms.
Train d'Assaut has remained in the drawings, but the project itself provides a rare insight into how non-standard engineering thinking can generate ideas ahead of the capabilities of its time.
France has created many iconic armored vehicles in its history, from the Renault FT of the First World War to the modern Leclerc main battle tank. However, there are almost forgotten projects among the French developments. One of the most unusual remained at the drawing level. We are talking about a concept called Train d'Assaut ("assault train"), an armored vehicle project that looks more like a mechanical centipede than a classic tank.
The idea appeared in the last years of World War II, during the liberation of France, when engineers and military designers were reviewing the very principles of using armored vehicles. Today, Train d'Assaut is known mainly for the French patent FR907544. The car was never built, but the very description in the documents shows the scale and boldness of the idea.
The project was based not on a single tracked platform, but on a composite multi-section scheme. Jacquet proposed to create a modular armored system from several interconnected blocks. In fact, it is a chain of autonomous armor modules connected by hydraulic pivots.
Little is known about the creator Victor-Barthelemy Jacques. Unlike figures like Louis Renault or Jean Etienne, he did not become a public figure in the history of military technology. Most of his patents filed between the 1920s and 1940s have been preserved. Judging by the nature of the developments, he was an engineer with an unconventional mindset, prone to experimentation and loosely bound by the framework of official military doctrine. It is assumed that he could have been a veteran of the First World War, and by the time of the Second World War he was already working as an independent designer, outside of major government programs.
This approach is clearly visible in the Train d'Assaut project.
According to the patent, the machine should consist of three armored tracked sections interconnected by hydraulic hinges. The front part, the "head", is the smallest and narrowest, with a pointed nose. She should be the first to encounter obstacles and terrain. The central module is the largest: it houses the engine, transmission and crew, including the driver and commander. The rear section, the "tail", performs two tasks at once: auxiliary weapons are located on it, and it works as a counterweight, keeping the entire structure in balance.
Each section has its own tracks, a separate suspension and its own turret for weapons. In the drawings, they were connected to each other by hydraulic pivots, which allowed the modules to freely move relative to each other or, if necessary, to be rigidly fixed.
Despite the complexity of the design, the total length of the machine according to the project was only 6-7 meters. For such an unusual scheme, these are quite compact dimensions. For comparison, the modern Leclerc, along with the cannon, is almost three meters longer.
The main idea is that the structure can bend both up and down and to the sides. In theory, this made it possible to climb steep ledges, climb walls, and overcome height differences comparable to the length of the entire machine. On an uneven surface, sections can adjust to the terrain, redistributing the load among themselves.
The hinges provided a rigid locking mode. In this condition, the entire structure could be used as a bridge, for example, to overcome anti-tank ditches or narrow channels. If one section lost its grip on the surface, the rest continued to pull the car forward, and the rear module worked as a movable balance beam.
At the same time, the project had very bold ideas and frankly outdated solutions. For example, the engineer used package elliptical springs as a suspension, which were considered obsolete by 1944. This was in stark contrast to the overall futurism of the entire structure.
The engine was supposed to be one, it was located in the central section. The torque from it must be mechanically transmitted back and forth to all three crawler modules. This will require long driveshafts, multiple differentials, and precise timing of the drives. The control combines classic tank techniques of the time (braking tracks and traction control) with the control of hydraulic joints between sections.
The project crew should consist of 8-10 people. The driver is positioned in the central section, probably with a fairly limited forward view. The commander simultaneously performs the functions of a gunner. The rest of the crew serviced the weapons and loading system. The weapons were distributed across all three sections.
The main caliber was a 75 mm cannon mounted in the rear module and oriented backwards. Guidance was assumed not by turning the turret, but by turning the entire machine, according to the principle of self-propelled tank destroyers of that time. Additionally, at least four machine guns were provided, as well as the possibility of installing anti-tank guns or an experimental compressed air pneumatic mortar.
The hull was planned to be made of cast steel or manganese alloy. A special emphasis was placed on the rounded shapes of the sections. In theory, such a geometry could increase protection by ricocheting and deflecting projectiles, but in practice this would mean complex production and a noticeable increase in mass.
The project was never implemented. And the reasons are quite mundane. Train d'Assaut proved to be too difficult a decision for a war that was already coming to an end. France at that moment was focused on rebuilding the country, rather than creating experimental assault platforms. In addition, such a machine would be extremely expensive, difficult to manufacture, maintain and operate for a real post-war army.
Jacquet intuitively came to the conclusion that multi-section systems are better suited to overcome extreme obstacles than simple two-module schemes. In the middle of the 20th century, this was not feasible due to the lack of electronics, digital controls and modern materials. Today, similar principles are applied in robotics, unmanned platforms, and distributed drive systems where complex mechanics are controlled by software algorithms.
Train d'Assaut has remained in the drawings, but the project itself provides a rare insight into how non-standard engineering thinking can generate ideas ahead of the capabilities of its time.
