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 Self-Propelled Artillery Battery
Total Strength: 68 (4 Officers, 64 OR) plus 15 Vehicles
Armored Company HQ Platoon:
(2 officers, 6 OR)
1 Commander, 1 Deputy Commander (and Political Officer), a Vox operator,
company standard bearer, medic and runner mounted in a Chimera APC (with 2 crew)
2 x Grenadier Squad (1 officer, 11 OR)
1 subaltern, 1 binomial rocket launcher team, 1 Plasma Infantry (melta) Gunner,
1 Vox operator, 5 troopers with Hellguns in carapace armor mounted in a Chimera
APC (2 crew)
3 x Basilisk Self-Propelled Artillery Vehichle (4 OR, 1 Vehicle each)
3 x Griffon Self-Propelled Artillery Vehicle (4 OR, 1 Vehicle Each)
3 x Medusa Self-Propelled Artillery Vehicle (4 OR, 1 Vehicle Each)
Vehicle Descriptions
M30 Chimera
 The
Chimera APC is one of the work-horses of the Imperial Guard, it has six firing
ports for the embarked troops, a turrent mounted Multi-Laser (sometimes upgraded
to an Autocannon or Heavy Flamer) and a hull mouted Heavy Bolter.
The Chimera is also amphibious and is able to cross most inland water
obstacles with relative ease - it is also capable of amphibious landings if seas
aren't too rough.
M292 Basilisk Self-Propelled Artillery
The Basilisk is a mobile
artillery platform based on the ubiquitous Chimera chassis, and which mounts the
deadly Earthshaker cannon. Of all the Imperial Guard artillery, the Basilisk is
the most numerous and well known. It is fully mobile, easily able to keep pace
with the main infantry advance, and can be deployed ready for battle with in a
matter of moments. It is most effective when deployed en masse in a barrage of
many hundreds of guns6, where its primary role is to sit behind the battlefront
and use its massive range to hurl shells onto enemy positions from a position of
safety. However, the Earthshaker can also be used as an assault gun, depressing
its barrel to fire over open sights directly at fortifications or enemy squads
and vehicles that have broken through the Imperial Guard lines.
The Earthshaker fires shells of
such awesome proportions that a target hit by one can literally shake itself
apart. The huge shells not only cause considerable damage from the shell’s high
explosives, but also send powerful percussive shockwaves through the target.
Even if the vehicle’s armor is not penetrated by the shell, great shards of its
inner armor are torn away, rivets and loose equipment are sent ricocheting
through the target’s interior at the speed of a bullet, killing crewmen and
destroying machinery and vital controls.
It can be upgraded to be allowed to fire from behind cover, blindly
destroying targets before the other forces arrive, while keeping itself safe
from enemy fire. The ordnance this produces is able to break through all of the
enemies defenses and is feared, rightly so. It is susceptible to enemy fire if
caught in the open however, and will not last long against any heavy weapons.
M290 Griffon
Self-Propelled Heavy Mortar
 The
Griffon armored weapons carrier is one of the most frequently employed Chimera
variants, though it is becoming rarer thanks to a quirk in its weapon mount, the
technology of which is becoming harder to source when one is damaged. It is
tailored to provide close to-medium range mobile artillery support where slower,
more cumbersome weapons might not be able to reach the front lines. Its armament
is a deadly heavy mortar designed to lob shells high over the battlefield and
onto concealed enemy targets.
The heavy mortar is simply a
support version of the standard mortar used by Imperial Guard Mortar support
squads. It is simple to construct and does not malfunction as often as other
support weapons, but its massive size means that it can only be mounted on
vehicles. However, from the solid platform on a Griffon, the crew can achieve a
very high rate of fire. The main advantage of the heavy mortar is the variety of
shells it can fire. These have been developed from existing shell types and take
advantage of the larger caliber of the heavy mortar to make much more
destructive versions. Of these shell types, two are unique to the Griffon and
warrant particular mention:
Melta shells –
Upon impact, a melta
shell undergoes a sub-atomic reaction, which releases a blast of intense
heat. The shell is capable of melting away vehicles and buildings, while
living targets are instantly reduced to molten meat and bone. This shell is
especially useful for attacking troops huddled together in defensive
positions.
Inferno shells –
This type of shell
contains a small explosive charge, surrounded by a highly volatile
concoction of phosphorous and synthesized compounds distilled from
promethium. The explosive charge detonates on impact, spreading the
compounds and phosphorous over a wide area, which then ignites on contact
with the air to create a conflagration that melts through armor and clings
to exposed flesh. The chemicals continue to burn and eat away flesh long
after the initial explosion, leaving the victims screaming in agony; as is
the fate of all enemies of the Imperium!
M572 Medusa Self-Propelled Siege Gun
 The
Medusa is a self-propelled gun like the Basilisk and also built on the Chimera
chassis, but with a larger-bore and shorter-barrelled gun. Functioning as an
assault gun rather than long-range artillery, it is also commonly deployed in
sieges.
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