Somua, an acronym for ''Société d'outillage mécanique et d'usinage d'artillerie'', was a French company that manufactured machinery and vehicles. A subsidiary of
Schneider-Creusot, Somua was based in
Saint-Ouen, a suburb of Paris.
Overview
In 1930 Somua introduced several models of trucks equipped with advanced diesel engines, half cabins and three axles and with payloads from 10 to 13 tonnes. Somua also produced a lighter range with five to eight tonnes payload, equipped with gasoline engines. In 1936 Somua produced a railcar for
PLM, the XS 1 to 11.
Arguably the most famous product in Somua's history was its 20-ton
World War II tank, the
Somua S35 and the
Somua S40. Furthermore, France's first tank in 1916, the
Schneider CA1
The Schneider CA 1 (originally named the Schneider CA) was the first French tank, developed during the First World War.
The Schneider was inspired by the need to overcome the stalemate of trench warfare which on the Western Front prevailed durin ...
, as well as later in 1918 some
Renault FT tanks, were manufactured by Somua in their Saint-Ouen facility during
World War I.
Somua's production of trucks practically ceased between 1943 and 1946. However, in 1944 the company developed a truck under license from the Swedish
Hesselman company. Named the JL 12 and equipped with a flex-fuel four cylinder engine, the vehicle did not impress the "Commission des plans de modernisation de l'automobile", which decided in 1946 to merge Somua with
Willème
Willème was a French truck manufacturer.
History
Willème was founded in 1923 by Louis Willeme, after working for Automobiles Grégoire.
Most were made with Deutz AG engines; some with in-house engines; some with AEC. In the 1960s, Willème a ...
and
Panhard to form a new company, the Générale française de l'automobile (GFA).
In 1946 Somua launched a new range of trucks, named JL 15, with a five-speed transmission to exploit the 130 horsepower delivered by the 8.6 liter six-cylinder diesel engine. It was available with six choices of chassis: 6.30 meters to 10.89 meters and 2 or 3 axles, supporting 11 to 16 tonnes payload. The JL 15 was available in truck or bus configuration - the models were respectively the JL 15T and JL 15LO.
In 1948 Somua built two double 1500 V DC
EMU
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...
rail engines for
SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...
. They mainly operated in the South West region of France.
Delivery began in 1950 of the Somua OP5 bus model to Paris public transport operator
RATP.
In 1955 Somua introduced the JL 19, available with two or three axles and powered by a six-cylinder diesel engine, the D615 9.3 liter engine, producing 180 hp and with a manual ten speed transmission. The JL 19 was available as a carrier or tractor, with five different chassis, and bore a payload of up to 26 tonnes. Around this time
Latil, the heavyweight vehicle division of
Renault, and Somua were merged under the LRS brand, which later became
Saviem.
In 1962, Somua introduced a new JL range, with a new cab with four headlights (which came from the Saviem group). The base JL model had a 6.8 to 12.75 tonnes payload. The JL20 tractor had a 520D6T
Henschel
Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicle ...
direct-injection six-cylinder 204 horsepower diesel engine and a 10 speed transmission and 35 tonnes gross weight.
The company was a minor manufacturer of
trolleybuses, building a total of just 55, one in 1938 and the others in the period 1947–55.
[Murray, Alan (2000). ''World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia'', pp. 23, 100, 149. Yateley, Hampshire, UK: Trolleybooks. .] Another French manufacturer,
Vétra
Vétra (or Vetra), or more formally the ,Dölling, Gerhard (1993). ''Straßenbahnatlas Schweiz 1993'', p. 12. Berlin: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Blickpunkt Straßenbahn e.V. . , supplied the "overwhelming majority"
of trolleybuses in use on French systems during the relevant period. Somua-built trolleybuses used electrical propulsion equipment from
Westinghouse.
Gallery
File:Somua MCL 5.jpg, French medium Kégresse track SOMUA MCL-5 in 1939
File:Fort de Fermont and its museum -SOMUA MCL6 heavy artillerie tractor pic1.JPG, SOMUA MCL6 heavy artillery Kégresse track tractor, Fort de Fermont museum
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-297-1701-18, Nachschub per Eisenbahn, Somua-LKW.jpg, SOMUA MCG
Somua MCG recovery in Lussinpiccolo 1943.jpg, SOMUA MCG recovery in Lussinpiccolo in 1943
File:Somua MCG with PaK 40 in north italy.jpg, SOMUA MCG Kégresse track with PaK 40 in north Italy.
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-300-1863-30, Riva-Bella, Waffenvorführung Panzerwerfer.jpg, Armoured SOMUA MCL Kégresse track modified by Alfred Becker for use by the Wehrmacht
File:140907-Marxzell-Museum-12.jpg , SOMUA Kégresse track tractor
File:Somua OP5.jpg, SOMUA OP5 Paris bus
See also
*
SOMUA MCG
*
SOMUA SM
The AMX 50 (official designation) or AMX-50 was a French heavy tank designed in the immediate post Second World War period. It was proposed as, in succession, the French medium, heavy, and main battle tank, incorporating many advanced features. I ...
*
SOMUA S35
References
* Davies, Peter J. (2003). ''L'Encyclopédie mondiale des camions''. Genève: Manise. ()
* ''L'Atlas des camions français'', éd. Atlas, éd. Glénat ()
External links
{{Authority control
Defence companies of France
Trolleybus manufacturers
Companies based in Île-de-France
Bus manufacturers of France
Truck manufacturers of France
Electric vehicle manufacturers of France
