The Char 2C had a loaded weight of 69 tonnes, partly because of its amour - 45 mm at the front, 22 mm at the sides but much of it just because of its huge size. The amour was among the thickest of the WWI era tanks, though by modern standards this would be considered thin. Within its ample frame there was room for two fighting compartments. The first at the front, crowned by a three-man turret (the first in history) with a long 75 mm gun and the second at the back, topped by a machine gun turret. Both turrets had stroboscopic cupolas. The three independent 7.92 mm machine gun positions at the front gave protection against infantry assault.
The Char 2C is the only super-heavy tank ever to attain operational status (a super-heavy tank is not simply a tank that is very heavy but one that is much heavier than regular tanks of its period). To man the tank required a crew of twelve: driver, commander, gunner, loader, four machine gunners, mechanic, electrician, assistant-electrician/mechanic and a radio operator. Some sources report thirteen probably due to pictures of the crews that included the company commander.
