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While France was defeated by German advances in 1940, the Allied nation put up a valiant fight thanks to the formidable Char B1 - a legendary WWII tank.

In five days, three B1s defending the bridges at Rethel knocked out 20 German tanks, nine armored cars and 38 motor vehicles.

For the first time, the Wehrmacht had encountered a tank that completely that outmatched its own.

At least 369 B1 Bis were manufactured by Renault and four additional French companies.

The Wehrmacht encountered a tank that outmatched its own. Here's What You Need to Know: Despite its power, the B1 could not shift the overwhelming tide of events. At five o’clock in the morning on May 16, 1940 a company of the 8th Panzer Regiment lay in an ambush position along a rubble-strewn street of the French town of Stonne. The day before, the unfortunate village had changed hands several times as French troops attempted to stem the tide of German armor headed toward the English channel, threatening to trap Allied forces in Belgium. Three squadrons of Stuka dive bombers ravaged Ston...