Help. Renault Char B1 bis. What does "bis" mean?

[Steam Flunky]

The french early war Renault Char B1 tank was improved as the "B1 bis" and later to the "B1 ter". Anyone know what bis and ter mean? Wikipedia and  nternet translation dont give any results.

[Sir Dryden]

"Bis" means "second" or "twice", "ter" means "third" or "three times" ("thrice"?). Both aren't much used outside of annotations on sheet music. I never understood why it wasused in a tank's name or designation. The closest English equivalent would be "Mark 1", "Mark 2", etc.

[Westfalia Chris]

The "bis" denotes the production model manufactured from 1937 to 1940. This was an improved variant of the initial series of the "Char B1", built from 1935 to 1937 after a long development period.

Its German designation equivalent is the Ausf. notation, e.g. PzKpfw IV Ausf. A-J.

Note that in British parlance, the "Mark" notation denoted both production variants or lots of a single type as well as more or less fundamentally different vehicles, e.g. Crusader Mk. I to III (three subsequently modified variants of a single design) vs. Light Tank Mk. IV thru VI and, preceding the Crusader, the various marks of Cruiser Tanks (which shared common design principles, such as the Horstmann suspension for the Light tanks, but differed quite markedly in various design elements and outward appearance).

When applied to German tanks, AFAIK it denoted the basic type, as in the "Mk III", which referred to the PzKpfw. III (Sd Kfz 141); "Mark III Special" was used for any Panzer III variant with a long-barrel 50mm gun (Ausf. J, L and M).

[Arrigo]

they are Latin words, meaning second iteration (bis), or third iteration (ter). They were used both in France and Italy in technical writings of the time.

[Steam Flunky]

Thanks Dryden, Chris and Arrigo.
Now i know what they mean and have googled them in the right context i have found them.
For a Weird War game where the french are still fighting in 1943 i am building an upgraded  B1 which needed a name. Now i assume after the B1 bis and B1 ter it would be the B1 quater followed by the B1 quinquies. That sound correct?

[Hammers]

Interesting.

[Arlequín]

The British equivalent for an 'alternate' would be *, as in Mk V*, or Mk V**.

Now i assume after the B1 bis and B1 ter it would be the B1 quater followed by the B1 quinquies. That sound correct?

You are correct, although quinquien would also be correct. I don't know if they might be abbreviated in service though, qui/qua etc.

[lou passejaire]

the successors of Char B1/B1bis was the Char G1 ... 

[Arlequín]

I suspect that models of that are pretty thin on the ground.