H.39

H.39

S.35

H.39

S.35

France

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Light tank

Research:Free

Purchase:Free

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Description

The Char léger modèle 1935 H modifié 39 (Hotchkiss light tank model 1935 modified 1939) is a reserve rank I French light tank with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance" and replaced the H.35 as one of France's two reserve vehicles in Update 1.85 "Supersonic". Compared to its predecessor, the H.39 features a serviceable gun, thicker armour, and a significantly more powerful engine, which makes it, when fully upgraded, surprisingly speedy on flat ground for low level French tanks.

Nevertheless, this vehicle's gun and mobility are below average compared its peers from other nations. While it is mobile in a straight line, it maneuvers slowly and its narrow tracks slow it down substantially cross-country. The H.39 should be played as a close support tank, best utilized in urban maps and following its teammates while waiting for a good shot opportunity.

With a rather constant 45-50 mm effective thickness from all sides, this tank can be a hard nut to crack if spotted at a good distance (500+ m), and can take a good beating up close if care is taken to properly angle and avoid tanks with especially potent guns. However, its armour should not be relied upon; most reserve tank guns are capable of penetrating its raw armour thickness and have faster reloads, so hard cover should be utilized generously. With only 2 crewmen, any penetrating shot could be your last.

The 37 mm SA38 has significantly better penetration and post-penetration damage than its predecessor, but has a longer reload rate than its peers. Know your enemies' insides well, target their gunners first or immobilize them by shooting at the engine, and take care to make every shot count. Avoid exchanging shots at long distances as your gun's penetration values decrease heavily.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	40 mm (8-87°) Front plate 22 mm (75-85°), 40 mm (31°) Front glacis 40 mm (30°) Lower glacis	40 mm (1-33°) 40 mm (1-2°)	40 mm (24-30°) Top 40 mm (9-32°) Bottom	22 mm
Turret	45 + 25 mm (5°) Turret front 45 mm (28-30°) Left side 25 mm (10-19°) Gun mantlet	40 mm (1-27°)	40 mm (8-63°)	25 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	40 mm	40 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are all 15 mm thick.
• Turret ring is 35 mm thick with a 5 mm protective collar.
• Trench-crossing tail at the hull rear is 5 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
12.1	N/A	41 (AB)
		36 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	130	160
Realistic/Simulator	106	120
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	10.74	13.22
Realistic/Simulator	8.76	9.92

Armaments

Main armament

37 mm SA38 L/33
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
76			-13°/+20°	±180°	Vertical
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	14.95	20.69	_.__	_.__	29.55
Realistic	9.34	10.99	_.__	_.__	15.7
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
5.2	_.__	_.__	4.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
Mle1938	APC	48	45	32	21	14	9

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
Mle1938	APC	705	0.7	N/A	N/A	N/A	°	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the H.39.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
76	75 (+1)	10 (+66)	1 (+75)	Yes

Machine guns

7.5 mm MAC 31
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
2,400 (150)				1,350	N/A	N/A

Usage in the battles

Use the same tactics as with other French rank 1 vehicles; follow the pack and take shots whenever the opportunity shows. Use your decent mobility to assist in flanking manoeuvres (i.e. in urban maps) and put shots into your enemies' weak sides. Find hard cover that can't be shot through, angle strongly, and poke in and out between your shots, as your reload can't match that of your opponents.

On maps with hilly terrain, stick with your teammates near the capture point, go hull-down, and wait for anything to fall in your sights. Try to immobilize your target on your first shot. Get back into cover between reloads and pop out a few meters away from your last spot.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Tiny tank with tiny profile
• -13° of gun depression
• Has a gun stabilizer mechanic, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics easier and faster
• MAC 31 is an excellent coaxial MG
• Thick all-around armour that can be very strongly angled
• Moderately powerful engine that can keep it at its 41 km/h top speed on flat ground
• Decent reverse speed of -7 km/h
• Arguably the best French rank 1 tank

Cons:

• Only 2 crew members
• Only one choice of ammunition, which has no explosive filler
• Sub-par penetration
• Long reload
• Driver's hatch is almost completely vertical
• Narrow tracks means poor ground flotation

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

ETC.

Sources

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• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.