Stock Photo - World War II - FRANCE. Tanks, Hotchkiss H-39, French cavalry tank H-39 40599. The Hotchkiss H-39 was a light cavalry tank used by the French military during World War II. It was developed from the earlier Hotchkiss H-35, and first saw service in 1940. The H-39 was lightly armoured, but had a more powerful engine, and was better armed with a better 37 mm main gun than the H-35. Around 2,100 were produced, and they served in both the French and German armies until the end of the war. One example, H-39 40599, was used as a command tank by the French 1st Armored Division in the Battle of France in 1940. It was captured by the Wehrmacht in June 1940, and was then used by panzer units in the Balkans and in Russia in Operation Barbarossa. It was eventually recovered by the French 2nd Armored Division in 1944 and put back into service in 1945.