In order to address the problem of self-propelled artillery the French engineer, Colonel Émile Rimailho working for the St Chamond company during 1918 developed a complex but elegant solution consisting of two tracked vehicles. The first was an ammunition and crew carrier which was powered by a gasoline engine which drove the ammunition carrier and drove an electric generator which provided power to the electrically driven gun carrier via an electric cable. While on-road the ammunition carrier could tow the gun carrier via a tow bar, while off-road the tow bar could be unhooked and the gun carrier could move independently while attached by an electric cable.
