Topoko LV/60 TD ‘’Potting shed’’
One would not expect an armored fighting vehicle that got baptized with the nickname ‘’potting shed’’ to be anything more than a laughable failure, but the opposite was true.
The LV/60 was loosely based on the successful DP2 line, and was meant to replace the Topoko DP6 tank hunter version. Originally, the designers at the Jampaht forge envisioned another stack tank design. However, Motozambadjah was losing the war due to the successful Ottochian summer campaign in the south, and the army was pushed more and more into ambush and defense warfare then in actual open combat. As such, new designs were created to compliment defensive tactics.
The LV/60 was an ambush vehicle in all respects. It was armed with a medium ranged anti-tank cannon, the Boo.Mi 12 pounder. The cannon had a deliberately short barrel, that decreased its accuracy at long range, but its small profile tremendously aided the tank destroyers deception tactic; the entire vehicle was shaped like a small building.
The LV/60 was supplied with five different superstructures, that were all shaped like small sheds. Crews often painted roof tiles on the tank and added garden equipment to further camouflage the tank. Often operating in packs of five to seven vehicles, the LV/60 would deploy itself on the outskirts of a town. When seen from a distance, the tank was almost indistinguishable from normal buildings. The crews would wait until Ottochian vehicles reached striking range. (A dangerous tactic that required the enemy to close to very dangerous proximity). The LV/60 would then fire a radio coordinated barrage, and afterwards immediately retreated to a new firing position. The armor of the LV/60 was tremendously weak, so its crew often refrained from engaging the enemy after a successful ambush.
The tank hunter performed extremely well. The Ottochians became so paranoid from the little tank hunter that they began to preemptively shell the outskirts of any town they encountered, wasting ammunition and time; LV/60 quickly learned to anticipate this habit, and would simply deploy themselves after the bombardment and spring their trap nonetheless. The Ottochians despised the elusive and ‘’cowardice’’ tactics from the LV/60 and thus often executed captured Motozambadjanese crewmembers that drove it.
Type: Light tank hunter
Crew: 4 (Gunner, Loader, Driver, Commander)
Engine: Imported FuKu.shm Diesel Engine
Topspeed: 18 Km/H
Manufacturer: Jampaht Weapon Forge
Armament:
- Boo.MI 12 pounder anti-tank cannon
Country of Origin: Motozambadjah
Weight: 19.5 tonnes