D.371

D.371

D.373

D.371

D.373

France

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Fighter

Research:Free

Purchase:Free

Show in game

This page is about the French reserve fighter D.371. For other uses, see D.37 (family).

Description

The D.371 is a rank I French fighter with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). This aircraft was introduced in Update 1.73 "Vive la France".

The D.371 is the first production aircraft of the D.37 series which is available as a reserve aircraft for all pilots starting out in the French tech tree. The D.371 (along with its siblings D.371 H.S.9 and D.373) are unique compared to other reserve aircraft in the game as it is a mono-plane with a parasol wing as opposed to other low-wing mono-planes and biplanes. Key features of this aeroplane include 4 x MAC 1934 7.5 mm machine guns and wheel breaks.

This aircraft is the first of the D.37 series featured in the game along with its older sibling the D.373. As a single engine mono-plane is is agile and quick and while it can be a formidable turn-fighter, maintaining speed in this aircraft is crucial or else it becomes a slow easy target for other aircraft. The MAC 1934 machine guns are not that powerful, however having four of them will enable the pilot to sling quite a bit of lead at the target aircraft. To take advantage of the machine guns, the pilot will need to work on close quarters fighting and strive to use a 200 to 250 m convergence with the guns and attempt to attack the target within those ranges. Any closer or any farther, the pilot risks bullets missing the target, however attacking within the convergence range fill the enemy plane with holes and potentially hit a critical target such as the engine, oil cooler or the pilot. Fuel fires are another potential outcome for early aircraft when the fuel tanks are hit.

The D.371 features an open cockpit and no armour protection like many early aircraft. The key to survival is to keep moving (avoid flying in straight lines and always be looking around) along with being aware of your surroundings, if you start hearing bullets or see tracer fire whizzing by, it may be too late and the pilot will need to take evasive action to avoid being shot down.

Due to the D.371 being a reserve aircraft, it is not uncommon for it to be pitted against higher rank I aircraft and even some lower rank II planes too. While slower than many of the higher aircraft it may face, not all is lost. The D.371 will have a manoeuvrability advantage and if the pilot can pull the higher rank enemy into a turn-fight, the .371 may be able to turn the tables and score a win. Don’t count the D.371 out of the fight until the pilot bails out of the plane, if still flying, it can fight!

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 3,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
374	361	9000	13.9	14.4	9.7	9.7	232
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 3,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
412	393	9000	12.7	13.0	27.4	14.2	232

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	X	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
560	560	X	~12	~6

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 280	< 360	< 260	> 210

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
3,825 m	880 hp	1,023 hp

Survivability and armour

Early aircraft did not feature much in the way armoured protection as many of the aircraft were at this point were transitioning from the wood frame and cloth skin to the wood frame and metal skinned aircraft. Due to the balancing of the aircraft, much of the critical equipment was positioned towards the front of the aircraft, where the engine, fuel tanks, oil pumps, control linkages and the pilot were clustered around each other. With this tight grouping and no armour protection, when fired upon, chances were high to hit a critical component in the aircraft.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The D.371 is armed with:

• 4 x 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns (300 RPG = 1,200 total)

Each of the four machine guns is bundled into groups of two and mounted to the underside of the upper wing. Each machine gun is outfitted with the same amount of ammunition, which means that all guns will fire with each other until empty. Due to the mounting locations on the wings (outside of the propeller arc) and the calibre of the machine guns, convergence in this aircraft is important. Most of the fighting with this aircraft will be in close quarters to exploit the power of the machine guns in close. Convergence set between 150 and 300 meters (where ever you are most comfortable) will work best to put the most bullets into the enemy aircraft as possible and hit a critical component. Many pilots in World War I and II would set their weapon's convergence to 200 to 250 meters and would wait until being in that range before firing to ensure best chances for shooting down the enemy. Shots from too far away could "spook" the enemy into evasive manoeuvres or just waste ammunition in a "spray and pray" manoeuvre. Practice and skill will allow the pilot to close within 250 m of the enemy and take them out with controlled bursts and then move onto the next victim.

Usage in the battles

Maintaining speed with this aircraft is a must as a slow D.371 is an easy target. Initial spawning into a map should lead a D.371 pilot to climb and gain altitude. Having an altitude advantage will set you up in a position of power over most other pilots upon reaching the combat area as you will select which enemy plane to dive on and attack. With a diving attack, you will gain speed which will allow you to quickly gain on the enemy aircraft fire off a burst of rounds and then climb back up for altitude. If you decide to tail an enemy plane after a dive, you will risk bleeding off your energy. When attacking an enemy plane, attempt to attack when you see the greatest surface area of the fuselage and wings. If tailing a fighter, wait for them to turn or pull-up to expose the most surface area. When turn fighting or looping, utilise your rudder to sharpen your turning ability.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Automatic pitch	Controllable	Not controllable	Combined	Controllable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 7mm MGs
III	Wings Repair	Engine
IV		Engine Injection	Cover

Recommendation:
Upgrading the machine guns will unlock more ammunition options increasing the lethality of this aircraft. Focusing on engine and engine component upgrades will increase speed and climb rate giving you an advantage over slower or stock aircraft. Survivability upgrades will increase the toughness of your aircraft allowing it to absorb more damage before being critically damaged usually.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very manoeuvrable
• Difficult to stall
• Fast for an early high-wing monoplane
• Multi-role: turn fighter, energy fighter, Boom & Zoom

Cons:

• Weak construction, vital equipment clustered on the plane
• Open cockpit (easy to be pilot sniped)
• Fixed-extended landing gear
• Fuel tank situated between engine and pilot
• Fuel tank is not self-sealing

History

In the early 1930s, SAF-Avions Dewoitine, a French aircraft manufacturing company developed the D.37 aircraft, a single-seat aeroplane with a parasol wing, radial engine, fixed landing gear and a tail-skid; however, the actual manufacturing of the aircraft was transferred to Lioré et Olivier. The cockpit did not have an enclosed canopy; just a windshield forward of the pilot.

The D.371 was the first production version of this aircraft line which was first flown in 1934 powered by a Gnome Rhône 14Kfs radial engine and also featured wheel breaks. Four MAC 1934 7.5 mm machine guns were installed, two in each wing and positioned outside of the propeller arch which eliminated the need to synchronize the guns to the propeller spin.

Media

War Thunder - The History of the D.371

D.371 Dewoitine im RB (German)

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 aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

ETC.

Sources

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• topic on the official game forum;
• page on aircraft encyclopedia;
• other literature.