TRACTEUR BLINDE TRC LORRAINE 37L (BATTLE OF FLAVION, FRANCE 1940)

The Lorraine 37L was a French multipurpose light track tractor from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were created in 1937, and serial production continued in 1939-1942, ending with the production of approx. 400-450 vehicles of this type. The car was powered by an engine Delahaye with 70 HP. Tractors of this type did not have a fixed armament. The Lorraine 37L vehicle was created in response to the French army's 1936 demand for a new tracked tractor for transporting ammunition or fuel. After successful factory and field tests, the car was incorporated into the French army in 1939. It had good off-road characteristics, good mobility and relatively low overall mechanical reliability. A considerable advantage was also the small size of the vehicle, which facilitated concealment and made it difficult to hit with anti-tank weapons. The drawback was the relatively low top speed, not exceeding 35 km / h. In the French army, Lorraine 37L tractors were used primarily in armored and mechanized units. After the fall of France in June 1940, many vehicles of this type were taken over by the Wehrmacht, which either used them in their original role or converted them into self-propelled guns - for example, the Marder I car. Serial production of the Lorraine 37L tractors continued in Vichy France from 1942.