Lorraine 37L

Description

During WWII, France armoured forces were decimated, suffering heavy losses against German units and especially against their tanks. One of the attempts made to overcome this issue was the conversion of a Lorraine 37L tractor into a tank destroyer, fitted with a 47 mm SA37 anti-tank gun. Even though construction of the prototype was finished quickly, by the time it was ready for production France had already capitulated.

It was introduced in Update "New Power". Considering the characteristics of this vehicle, mobility of a tractor and no armour at all, the Lorraine 37L is best used in sniping positions, behind hills or bushes. It does have a small size, so in hidden positions it is hard to observe, especially when surrounded by foliage and vegetation. The tank features an SA37 anti-tank gun, with very good penetration values for its BR, and as such, this tank should be played passively, it is a good anti-tank complement for any French rank I line-up.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, gun shield)
• Cast homogeneous armour (transmission carter, gun mount base)

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and bogies are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
• The gun breech is 150 mm thick.

Mobility

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition

The armour-piercing capped round Mle 1936 has a high penetration power for the battle rating but lacks the post-penetration damage with the absence of an explosive filler. The lack of base tracer also makes it difficult to correct your targeting at long distance as you can't properly visualize the trajectory of your shell.

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Lorraine 37L

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• It is recommended to go into battle with a full rack as the ammo capacity is already limited.

Usage in battles

Combat tactics

Virtually unarmoured, the Lorraine 37L is better used to snipe or ambush the enemy. Its gun has a good rate of fire, but many other guns at this rank will reload as fast as yours. The gun is extremely powerful for its rank, which means you will penetrate almost any target, so there is no need to throw yourself in front of the enemy: position yourself at a safe distance from the frontline action. An open-backed SPG should never be flanked: put at least 500 m between you and your target and watch your sides for sneaking foes. While the gun can be sufficient to destroy most enemies in a single shot, more heavily armoured enemies will need several well-aimed shots to be fully disabled. The gun's ballistics are somewhat tricky without a base tracer and the ammo count is limited, so aim carefully and accurately. At the start of the match, use your good mobility to get to a location overlooking enemy movement routes or a sniping spot to engage advancing enemy vehicles. Make sure to change your position every few shots to prevent enemies from tracking you down and targeting you with either artillery strikes or close air support attacks. Even light machine gun fire is a big threat as most of your crew members sit in the open: planes are very dangerous with the Lorraine 37L having no anti-aircraft armament to counter them. Therefore, it is best to remain hidden or behind cover.

Notable enemies

With its thin armour, any enemy can knock out the Lorraine 37L with prolonged light MG fire. But some stand out by the danger they pose:

• Tanks and tank destroyers firing HEAT shells: LVT(A)(4), M8 Scott, Pz.IV C, Nb.Fz., 15cm sIG 33 B Sfl, Sd.Kfz. 234/3, Ho-Ro, Chi-Ha Short Gun, M8 HMC (China) and Spj fm/43-44.
• Fast-firing light tanks which can shower you continuously with bullets: M2A2, Pz.II C, Pz.II C (DAK), Pz.II F, Sd.Kfz.234/1, T-60, AB 41, L3/33 CC, L6/40, AMD.35 and AMR.35 ZT3.
• Fast-firing SPAA vehicles which can shower you continuously with bullets: M13 MGMC, Flakpanzer I, GAZ-AAA (DShK), GAZ-AAA (4M), Light AA Mk I, Type 94, Ta-Se, AS42, P7T AA and Pvlvv fm/42.

How to defeat a Lorraine 37L

• Do not attack the tank destroyer frontally as it will most likely hit you first.
• If alone, flanking the Lorraine 37L undetected and immobilizing it with your first shot remains your best chance to destroy it. But it is difficult because it will position very far from the frontline.
• Initiate a pincer move on it together with a teammate. As a turretless tank destroyer with weak armour, this will force it to retreat and relocate or face the risk of being destroyed.
• If you have no other option than to attack the Lorraine 37L frontally, blind it with smoke before closing the gap or force it out of position with indirect fire (artillery strikes).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very good penetration for a 47 mm at this rank
• Excellent post-penetration damage even without HE filler, much improved over the 47 mm SA35 common to other French tanks
• Fast firing cannon
• Very good gun depression and traverse arc
• The projectile does not have any tracer component in its rounds; enemy players cannot deduce your position from the round's trajectory

Cons:

• The side and rear of the vehicle have very little armour, leaving three of the four crew members with almost no protection from artillery and incoming fire
• Mid and long-range shots difficult to correct without any tracer component in the round to visually track the round's trajectory

History

Devblog

During the German invasion of France in mid 1940, the French army suffered heavy losses, especially when it came to its armoured vehicles. As a result, several urgent attempts were made to create improvised combat vehicles from resources available to French engineers in order to bolster the strength of the army, which faced a seemingly unstoppable invasion.

One of these projects was the conversion of the Lorraine 37L tractor into a tank destroyer by fitting it with a 47 mm SA37 anti-tank gun. The conversion took little time, with the prototype being ready in just a few weeks, however by the time construction was completed, France had already fallen. As a result, the prototype never saw combat action and was instead captured by German forces following the occupation.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Lorraine 37L from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• Lorraine 37L Devblog Images
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Videos

See also

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Panzerjäger I
• SU-5-1

External links

• [Devblog] Lorraine 37L Antichar: Anti tank tractor
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Lorraine 37L