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The Tyger

The Tyger tank was first seen in the so-called “Two World War”. This conflict seems to have been notable for only featuring two planets – Terra and Venus – making it a relatively small skirmish. Like the MULE used by the Adeptus Mechanicus in days of yore, the Tyger is probably named after an animal of Old Earth, in this case, large, nine-legged insectoids from the Yndonesian Bloc, bred as beasts of war. One early tank commander, Wilhelm Swordsworth, allegedly wrote war poetry about the prowess of this vehicle, but alas only fragments remain. The Tyger was apparently a large battle tank for its time, but is several measures smaller than a Baneblade, indicating the primitive nature of early Terran technology.

The T54

While we do not know much about the T54 tank (certain records have been suppressed by the Fabricator-General for unknown reasons), we know that it was relatively rare, with only around 100,000 units manufactured. Judging by the small size of the main armament, Fabricator-adepts believe that this vehicle probably used primitive energy-projection technology akin to the lascannon, designed to support larger vehicles.

As for what T54 stands for, the answer is obvious! T54 was clearly an adept of the Mechanicum in the early days of Mars, and discovered the STC for this vehicle, much as Arkhan Land (binharic praise upon his name) discovered the STCs for the Land Raider and Land Speeder.

The Sherman

While the Sherman superficially resembles Imperial designs, it has several disadvantages compared to the Leman Russ. Sloped plating is likely to deflect small arms munitions into nearby soldiers while proving ineffective at dispersing las-fire. Attacking the enemy with a cavalry sabre from the turret hatch would be all but impossible due to its awkward position, even if the crew drove the officer very close. Similarly, field simulations suggest that the treads would quickly become clogged after running over even a smallish squad of Aeldari Guardians.

The History of the Imperium: Tanks of Old Terra