[Review]: Lorraine 40t

 

History

The success of German and Soviet heavy tanks, like Tiger II and IS-2 (and also IS-3) excited French tank engineers and would literally not let them stay put. They were inspired, as was expected, by German and Soviet heavy tanks. The French engineers had developed several new tank models. Of course, they were neither the biggest, nor the heaviest examples, but ended up being quite spectacular armored vehicles nevertheless. It is likely that not only the glorious armor, but also firepower of the aforementioned steel monsters, being produced in Germany and USSR, became the source of the fixed idea of installing 100-mm (for starters) and then even 120-mm caliber guns. However, almost all of the produced tank projects would either, for one reason or another, had stayed in production for an indefinite amount of time or be made in limited quantities. As far as is known, almost all experimental machines used the German engine Maybach as a power source. As sad as it might be, the largest part of the French tank forces in that period was issued with “Sherman”, M-26, M-24 and also “Panther” tanks. Lorraine 40t had never left the testing phase, only two prototypes would be produced. Actually, this combat vehicle was a lighter version of the AMH-50 heavy tank, but some interesting construction solutions would distinct it from the others. Unlike it’s post-war predecessors (in this branch), the tower of this tank was installed inside of the front part of the body. Also, the tank had another characteristic – “pike nose”, like IS-3. It’s worth mentioning the rubber tires on the wheels of the running gear for added amortization.

Pros and Cons 
Pros:

•  Speedy
• Fast-firing
• Good acceleration
• Good damage
• Okay manueverability
• High top speed

Cons:

• Large
• Mediocre accuracy
• Long clip reload
• Poor armor

Play Style

The Lorraine suffers from a lack of comfort - that is, gun depression - which means that several battlefield positions that are available to autoloading support tanks like the T69 will not be viable for you, or will only be viable until you fire a shot or two. It's imperative for you to retreat behind cover after firing a shot - don't try to unload your drum all at once early on, this is a death sentence. Do not stay in one place very long early on, or something will spot you and and you will take lots of damage. Since in the late game, you want to be able to take damage from high alpha guns (remember, you can kill powerful TDs like the Object 704 with one drum - but you may need to eat a shot to get to the side armor) and live to take them out, your hit points are precious early on. Do not expose yourself for cheap shots, and only fire from excellent concealment. To some of the more seasoned players reading this, this may sound like a rehash of WoT "best practices", but the emphasis here is on playing conservatively. Don't needlessly risk your tank.

...Except during the late game. At some point in the battle, you'll want to shift gears, throw your tank into full overdrive, and activate Carry Mode. Possibly the biggest "trick" to playing the Lorraine is determining when to change your playstyle from opportunistic coward to voracious galaxy-devouring hellspawn. I typically look for four things before I make the switch:

1. Are there fewer than 8 enemies left? An oversaturated battlefield will make scrap of your Lorraine quickly. Wait until a big chunk of the enemy's guns are offline before you activate your Uber.

2. Are all the enemies accounted for? Even one tank can ruin your day if it's in the wrong place. Check to see where the enemies are before you attack.

3. Have the enemies that are left taken damage? An E-75 has 1,920 hit points. You can do 1,800 damage with one drum. If he takes even one hit from a T71, you can kill him in one drum if you're careful with your shots. The more tanks you can take out on a run, the better off your team is. Don't be afraid to spend an entire drum to take out something important, like an ensconced heavy tank, but if you can kill six tanks with <300hp left, that's better than killing one tank at 1800hp.

4. Where is the enemy? OK, so there's seven enemies left, they're all lit up, or were recently, and they're all damaged, so do you go or not? It depends where they are and what map you're on. If it's Himmelsdorf, and all enemies are spread out with good cover between them, you can kill several of them in series, then what are you waiting for? But if five TDs are dug in behind a hill on Murovanka, it is probably not a good time to die for France. Relocate and try to apply pressure somewhere else or from a different direction.
The Lorraine does well in these situations, and you can earn some serious experience by playing it properly, and by being fastidious about not exposing yourself to enemy fire.

Crew skills

 
 
Commander (Radio Operator, Loader): Sixth sense, Situational Awearness, Recon (changed for BIA when 100% and start Recon again)

Gunner (Loader): Repairs, Safe stowage, Snap shot, (changed for BIA ect)

Driver: Repairs, Clutch breaking, Smooth ride (changed for BIA ect).

Equipment

Ventilation, Gun laying drive, Vertical stabilizer