I'm gonna make me a battery of three EarthShakers, I need to have 2 of these in order to fill out the TOG of IXX Company of the 291st Death Korps Krieg. Thats a total of 6 Tubes This is going to be in aid of an experiment in an "Alpha Strike" guard list using the Krieg Siege Army List from IA: 7
As with Previous planning posts like the Bane Wolf Squadron and the Valdor Heavy Tank Destroyer, I will be looking to provide a short background and look for some context for the model. By doing this I hope to:
- give some direction to the build
- add some flavour to the model.
Like before this is done by asking three questions:
- What is an Earthshaker Cannon;
- Why does the Regiment have one?;
- When are these particular Earthshakers depicted.
As with Previous planning posts like the Bane Wolf Squadron and the Valdor Heavy Tank Destroyer, I will be looking to provide a short background and look for some context for the model. By doing this I hope to:
- give some direction to the build
- add some flavour to the model.
Like before this is done by asking three questions:
- What is an Earthshaker Cannon;
- Why does the Regiment have one?;
- When are these particular Earthshakers depicted.
What is an Earthshaker?
Well, this is both an easy one and a hard one at the same time. An Earthshaker is the name of the design of the gun itself. At the same time an Earthshaker can also be a generic description of a type of gun in the Imperial Guard covering a myriad of locally produced types and models. Calling a gun an Earthshaker is a bit like saying its a Howitzer. There are many different designs of Howitzer. Big Bertha was a Howizer; Just as the modern M777 in the US Army is a howitzer, but no-one is likely to confuse the two.
Games Workshop website is quite silent on the background of the Earthshaker artillery gun. It just says its mounted on the Basilisk Chasis as a Self Propelled Gun and used to soften up positions prior to assaults.
I will be using the static guns favoured by the Death Korps and not the SPGs from Game workshop.
Imperial Armour has quite a bit more to say:
There are many more of this type of gun carriage in use in the Imperial Guard than the Mobile mounting. They have a range of up to x and the range can be controlled by the number of charges loaded behind the shell. The Guns can be overloaded with higher charges. When this is done the barrel wears out faster, and If it is done too often the Gun becomes inaccurate and can explode. Crews who are found to misuse the guns in this manner without express orders can be shot as punishment for damaging valuable war material.
Earth shakers have a variety of different load-outs including HE; Incendiary; smoke and others.
Why an Earthshaker battery?
It's the Death Korps of Krieg! Do I need any reason? The Death Korps of Krieg specialisation is siege warfare on a grand scale. Think world war one, where networks of trenches and barbed wire, spread 10 miles wide and 500 miles long.
When the 23rd founding of the 291st Death Korps regiment left their home world, the did so founded as a Panzer-Grenadier regiment. But in the GrimDark, even the specialist Grenadiers need Artillery support, and given the preponderance of siege regiments coming out of Kreig , big guns are always in plentiful supply. So when the 291st shipped out, it did so, with several companies of dedicated artillery, and a full regimental artillery train.
When is this Battery of Earthshakers?
The Imperial world of Praxedes IV was Annexed by the Tau early in the 7th centrury of M41. It was slated for re-conquest during the Damoclese Crusade and attached in 742.M41. The Regiment was posted to the crusade late, and became part of the force left behind to continue the seige after the main Crusade forces were pulled out to deal with the Tyranid menace. After the Crusade wound down the World remained devided by continent spanning trench lines with the Tau backed government on One side and the Imperials on the Other. 19th Company spent much of its time dug in and camouflaged 5 to 10 Miles behind the front lines, supplying Artillery support to the front from well camouflaged, pre-prepared dug outs.
I hope to depict these guns each in a small diorama including:
- crew of seven to nine
- Dugout positions Open to the Rear,
- Equipment scattered around
- Camo netting covering the positions to the front and above
The Vignette will aim to depict the Guns carrying out a short three round Fire mission.
Much of Praxedes IV is semi-arid, with a High sulphur content in the soil and water, so all of the equipment will be in desert yellows, Buff or Tan colours. These are static guns so there will be little or no Disruptive pattern camouflage on the guns.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, October 27, 2011
at Thursday, October 27, 2011
and is filed under
IXX Company,
Praxedes IV,
Project Earthshaker,
Work bench
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