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Description
The
Storch
is the first combat tripod fielded by the Imperial
German Army. As such it has served as a test-bed
for technology and tactics. The Germans have begun
fielding larger tripods based upon the lessons
learned from this model.
The
Storch
is relatively slow at only 18 km/hr. However, it can
maintain this speed regardless of the terrain. A
moderate 15mm of armor can stop nearly all small
arms fire, though it is ineffective against
heavier weapons. The Storch dispenses with a
turret as the vehicle is essentially one big
turret able to revolve one clock position (30Ί)
per turn.
The coal
used for these vehicles is finely-ground and is
fed to the furnace by the driver using a
gravity-fed valve. The consistency of the coal
increased the possibility of coal-dust explosions
so designers added thin "blow-out" panels on top
of the coal bunker. This proved a liability in the
urban combat of the invasion of New York (1901) as
American snipers firing from the roofs of taller
buildings were able to disable a number of
Storchs by targeting these panels.
Typical
deployment is three Storch per kompanie,
though some experiments are being done with other
unit configurations. Besides the crew of two, each
tripod also has a dedicated engineer, who remains
in the rear with the unit's support troops when
the tripods go into action.
The tripod
design would be far too advanced for modern
engineering, were it not for the fortuitous
discovery of an ancient Martian tripod in the
desert city of Dioscuria, a model which itself was
based on an even more ancient design dating from
the time of the Vulcanians.
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