7.5cm PaK 40/1 auf Lorraine Schlepper (f)

Photo from D-Day Tank Warfare

After the Blitzkreig through the low countries and the fall of France in 1940, a large amount of British and French equipment was captured. One vehicle captured in quantity was the Tracteur Blindé 37L. A total of 387 of these tracked carriers were built by Société Lorraine between 1937 and May of 1940. Many were never issued to the troops, and after the French capitulation, over 300 of them had been stockpiled by the Germans.

Most of the conversions made to captured French equipment were initiated by Alfred Becker. He was an artillery officer who served in France in 1940. Alfred's family had several industrial contacts, and he managed to have a plethora of captured vehicles sent back to Alkett in Berlin-Spandau for conversion to self-propelled artillery and Panzerjäger.

In May of 1942, captured stocks of Soviet 76.2mm guns were being used to arm the primary Panzerjägers of the German army, so it was decided to use the German 7.5cm PaK40 on the Lorraine chassis. A total of 170 of these vehicles were converted between July and August of 1942. No major modifications were made to the hull of the vehicle. Only an armored superstructure was added to protect the crew and weapon. At the beginning of 1944, 131 were still in service in France. They became a common sight during the Allied campaign in Normandy.

Model by Thomas Hartwig

• Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War II
• D-Day Tank Warfare

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