this is just nonsense, though so was the
amv that inspired it.
Liberty IV Heavy Infantry Tank
Base Tech Level: Experimental (IS)
Level Era
-------------------
Experimental 3025+
Advanced -
Standard -
Tech Rating: E/F-F-X-X
The Liberty IV has been something of an enigma for generations. Traced back to the Andurien border world of Dansur (now abandoned), very little is actually known about this heavy tank. Fragmentary records suggest it was developed under contract from the Duchy of Andurien at some point during the Second Succession War, with a contract issued to Tarvur Heavy Industries for one thousand units. Unfortunately, this was in the midst of the communications interdiction known as the Comstar War, and somewhere along the way, files detailing the Duchy's plan for the new vehicle were lost. This was made worse due to the destruction of Tarvur Industries by the Capellan Confederation, and the subsequent collapse and abandonment of Dansur. The Liberty IV was itself a completely forgotten design up to the dawn of the thirtieth century, when prospectors investigating the dead world of Dansur located and brought back parts, partially intact maintenance manuals, and one complete (though nonfunctional) tank.
Based on these artifacts, it has been concluded that the Liberty IV was intended to serve as a heavy infantry support and possibly assault vehicle, perhaps as a replacement for scarce battlemech forces. The machine is exceedingly basic in design, relying on a relatively underpowered combustion engine for motive power and eschewing a turret completely. The result is painfully slow, but also almost impossibly well protected without a large turret to armor. This armor almost assures that even a disabled vehicle will still be sufficiently intact to re-enter service later, either in the hands of its original owners or their enemies. The vehicle's weaponry is serviciable: sponsons on each side contain a heavy autocannon and a pair of machine guns, adequate for an infantry support role and able to fight in multiple directions at the same time, but not able to really focus on a single target. It makes a bit of sense given the vehicle's poor mobility, allowing the Liberty IV to fight off lighter, more maneuverable opponents from multiple directions. Finally, the Liberty IV includes a roomy infantry compartment, theoretically able to house up to forty fully armed riflemen. It is assumed this infantry contingent would fight alongside not only the tank, but additional formations of mechanized infantry troops.
Most information about how the Liberty IV was employed is purely edjucated guesswork. The historical record suggests that Tarvur Heavy Industries completed several Liberty IVs before the plant's destruction, but was unable to deliver them to Duchy forces due to a lack of available jumpships. Capellan records acquired during the brief Clan War era alliance between the League and Confederation revealed that Dansur's planetary militia pressed at least some of these vehicles into service against Capellan raids, with only limited success against the more mobile and ruthless Confederation raiders. The addition of these vehicles did nothing to stop the destruction of Dansur's industry and infrastructure, and its subsequent rapid slide into collapse. Following the planet's formal abandonment, at least one of these vehicles and their crew turned to banditry to survive, becoming a terrible legend among the small, struggling comunities that remained before eventually dying out with the rest of the population. Their vehicle, affectionately named Gerta, was the sole intact example recovered from Dansur in the early 30th century, and has since been restored and installed as an exhibit at a military museum on Andurien.
Following the vehicle's discovery, the recovered Liberty IV and associated components were carefully examined for possible replication. Though the overall design proved simple enough to be easily copied, League engineers decided there was no reason to do so, concluding that the Liberty IV offered no new capabilities valuable enough to expend resources on. It was said that the Word of Blake also took a look at the vehicle in the late 3050s, claiming that with some upgrades and refinements it could be a deadly heavy battle armor carrier, however this also led nowhere.
Weight: 100 tons
BV: 1,355
Cost: 2,492,667 C-bills
Movement: 2/3 (Tracked)
Engine: 200 ICE
Internal: 40
Armor: 390
Internal Armor
--------------------------
Front 10 100
Right 10 100
Left 10 100
Rear 10 90
Weapons Loc Heat
-----------------------------------------
AC/10 (ST) LS 3
AC/10 (ST) RS 3
Machine Gun (ST) RS 0
Machine Gun (ST) RS 0
Machine Gun (ST) LS 0
Machine Gun (ST) LS 0
Prototype Rocket Launcher 10 FR 3
Prototype Rocket Launcher 10 FR 3
Prototype Rocket Launcher 10 FR 3
Ammo Loc Shots
------------------------------
AC/10 Ammo BD 10
AC/10 Ammo BD 10
AC/10 Ammo BD 10
AC/10 Ammo BD 10
Machine Gun Ammo BD 200
Machine Gun Ammo BD 200
Equipment Loc
-------------------------------
Vehicular Sponson Turret RS
Vehicular Sponson Turret LS
Carrying Capacity
-----------------
Troops - 4.0 tons
