Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Flak Traktor

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The Flak Traktor is an former Voshkod Anti-Air vehicle used by the Aristocracy of Encantadia. This unit is planned to be voiced by

History
"Flak them down!"

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To the Voshkod tank commander stationed near the front lines of the GVAW, the 88mm cannon and its larger siblings, the 105mm and the 128mm (or even the occasional 150 or 170mm) in either field towed or mounted versions of Allied tanks, were the most feared Allied development in existence alongside after the Longbow helicopter and Aquila's appearances of new AFVs of course. Initially told that no conventional anti-tank weapon could penetrate the thick frontal armor of the Ursa or older EG heavy tanks, the Voshkod were in for a surprise when tungsten-cored 105mm and 128mm anti-tank rounds did just that against weak points or in the 128mm's case; when just loaded with APDS rounds, with the 88mm being a threat to weak points on the flanks and rear of the Ursa. Though efforts were made to produce a Voshkod equivalent, it became moot when a weapon was successfully captured in working order and reproduced wholesale. Though production lines were not set up in time to capitalize on the development after the war Cherdenko ordered that a machine be built to employ the weapons. However, the tungsten-cored anti-tank shells that the Ironforge's infamous anti-tank guns used to achieve its penetrative effects were never duplicated; instead, lead shells were fashioned that, at the high velocities used by the weapon, would flatten and shatter rather than penetrate armor. Disappointed by the results, the weapon was initially discarded.

During the Cold War, however, the Katsuragi Protectorate (pre-1979 V.C.) exposed a gap in Voshkod military doctrine when their Type 61s and Type 74s outmaneuvered the superior T-62 and T-64 Tanks and scored dozens of kills with flanking shots. Realizing the need for a light tank, a reduced velocity 105mm cannon that would strike a balance between the 88mm's higher rate of fire and greater shell capacity but reduced striking power and range and the 128mm's opposite virtues, with a high-speed autoloader, was strapped to a supercharged agricultural tractor. Propelled by the massive wheels, it proved to be much more maneuverable than the average Voshkod tank, giving it ample ability to intercept enemy light armor. The design was heavily refined and dubbed the Traktor. Initially unsure of how to employ the new weapon, the Traktor was deployed in detachments to tank divisions patrolling the disputed land in one of the Proxy conflicts.

It was here that one such unit, running as scouts for the 37th Tank Division, was ambushed by a group of Valyrian Fiat G.91s firing in ground configuration from ambush positions. When the Traktors returned fire, they effortlessly followed them, wiping the squadron out. The secret was the flexible mounts the guns were mounted on, which allowed the 105mm a full range of motion simply by removing an inhibiting cog intended to keep the gun from accidentally traversing away from their intended elevation limit. As the inhibitor slowed the up-down traverse of the guns, disgruntled troopers ripped them from their positions early in the deployment, and unwittingly turned their vehicles into potent anti-aircraft weapons. Issued airburst shells and new targeting sights, the Traktor became the Flak Traktor, the flexible multipurpose vehicle that makes up the vast majority of the support units within Voshkod tank divisions for the duration of the war.

But, by 1988 V.C., the Traktor began to show its age, and the Voshkod had already made a superior replacement in the Proleterian and Tigr. Thus all remaining Traktors were sent to Encantadia alongside the blueprints, which the Encantadians used to further improve on it.