D.373

D.373

D.371

C.R.714

D.373

D.371

C.R.714

France

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:Free

Purchase:Free

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This page is about the French reserve fighter D.373. For other versions, see D.371 and D.371 H.S.9.

Description

The D.373 is a rank I reserve French fighter with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.73 "Vive la France".

The D.373 is the third production aircraft of the D.37 series, which is available as a follow on aircraft for all pilots advancing in the French tech tree. The D.373 (along with its older siblings D.371 and D.371 D.S.9) is unique compared to other early 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 Darne 1933 Mle 33 7.5 mm machine guns and wheel brakes. On the other hand, the D.371 also features an open cockpit and no armour protection like many early aircraft. The key difference between the D.373 and the D.371 other than the type of machine guns utilised is that the D.373 is a version specially modified to fly for the French Navy and has an added tail-hook for snagging arrestor cables on aircraft carrier flight decks.

This aircraft is the second of the D.37 series featured in the game along with its older sibling the D.371. As a single-engine monoplane, it 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 Mle 33 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.

Due to the D.373 being a lower rank I 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.373 will have a manoeuvrability advantage and if the pilot can pull the higher rank enemy into a turn-fight, the D.373 may be able to turn the tables and score a win. Don't count the D.373 out of the fight until the pilot bails out of the plane, if still flying, it can fight!

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
397	380	9500	16.9	17.8	11.7	11.7	150
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
427	411	9500	15.4	16.0	22.5	15.7	150

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		520	~11	~4

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 300	< 220	< 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 of armoured protection as many of the aircraft 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.

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.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The D.373 is armed with:

• 4 x 7.5 mm Mle 33 machine guns, wing-mounted (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 together 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 up close. Convergence set between 150 and 300 meters (wherever 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 the 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 battles

Maintaining speed with this aircraft is a must as a slow D.373 is an easy target. Initial spawning into a map should lead a D.373 pilot to climb and gain altitude. This will give you an advantage over most other pilots upon reaching the combat area as you can 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
Controllable	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

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

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 aircraft
• Open cockpit (easy to be pilot sniped)
• Fixed-extended landing gear
• Fuel tank is not self-sealing
• Machine guns have a low fire rate compared to Russian ShKaS
• Low ammunition compared to other aircraft such as the I-15

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.373 was the third variation version of this aircraft line which is a navalised version of the D.371, also powered by a Gnome Rhône 14Kfs radial engine. The only real change between this aircraft and a D.371 is the addition of a tail-hook for carrier landings. Four Mle 33 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

Myśliwiec D.373 RB flight (Polish)

Becoming a French Fighter Ace

See also

• D.371
• D.371 H.S.9

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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