The Hotchkiss H35 was one of the two most modern French light tank designs when the war began, the other being the R35. It had initially been rejected for the infantry in favor of the R-35 but was then accepted by the cavalry. Design was typical of French tanks of the 1930s: the small one-man turret was the same as that of the S35 and was equipped with either a short-barreled 37-mm SA 38 gun or the longer-barreled SA 18 which was more commonly used. Meanwhile, the hull was of cast construction with the different sections bolted together. Maximum armor in later versions was 40mm (with the added advantage of being sloped) which was generous for a light tank but the drawback was relatively slow speed even though it was faster than the R35. At the time of the German invasion on May 1940, the H35 was the second most widely fielded French tank (after the S35) but fared poorly due to lack of radio, excess workload for the commander, and bad tactics. Like most other French tanks, it was taken over by the German Army after the surrender and adapted for numerous uses. Some were also supplied to other Axis states where they also saw combat, while a small number were sent to Israel post-war.

The H35 competed with the Renault R-35 order for a new tank for the infantry but was rejected and adopted by the cavalry instead. Modifications eventually led to the H39 with thicker armor and more powerful engines to increase speed. This resulted in a nearly flat engine deck in the H39 whereas the H35 was sloped. The H-39 could also be fitted with external fuel tanks and a detachable skid tail to improve cross-country performance. Captured units were known as PzKpfw 35H 734(f) or PzKpfw 38H 735(f) for the H35 and H39 respectively and were used mostly for occupation duty although some were used by Finland in the Eastern Front. Conversions by Alfred Becker resulted in an anti-tank model with a 7.5cm PaK 40 gun, as well as a 10.5cm leFH 18 self-propelled howitzer, both of which had an open-topped superstructure mounted on the rear.