Battle Wheel M1942
The Russians showed no significant interest in wheelform vehicles until an Italian RDG Mod 2 was captured in early 1942. Stalin immediately summoned forth Sergei Voldstok, who had been banished to a Siberian gulag for his "wasteful" designs. The captured vehicle answered a few questions that Voldstok had failed to answer in his own designs. However, instead of just making a copy of the vehicle (which the Red Army would have been happy with), Voldstok instead designed a monstrous vehicle, weighing nearly 38 tons and with heavy armor. However, it was not designed to fight other tanks.
The BW M1942 was to be used (as Voldstok envisioned it) to make hit and run attacks on German encampments or infantry units on the march. Operated in groups of three in a triangle formation, the vehicles would roll through the camp or formation, firing at anything in sight. Then, on visual command from the lead vehicle, the triad would turn and go back through the camp or formation, emptying their weapons as they headed back to friendly lines.
While this idea of cutting swaths through the German invaders appealed to certain generals, so far in practice the BW M1942 has not worked as well as planned. Without a radio, it is difficult to coordinate attacks. Lacking any weapons that fire to the front or rear severely restricts it's firing arcs.
The BW M1942 has a crew of six: a driver, commander and four gunners, two per side (one fires four DT machineguns, the other two VYa-23 autocannons). The commander fires both the flamethrowers. It burns 22.5 gallons of fuel per hour at routine usage.
Subassemblies: Huge Wheelform chassis +4
P&P: 2x250-kW gasoline engine with 500-kW wheelform drivetrain,
8,000 kWs lead-acid battery and 150 gallon self-sealing fuel tank
Occ: 6 CS Cargo: 3
| Armor | F | R/L | B | T | U |
| Body | 4/350 | 4/350 | 4/350 | 4/50 | 4/50 |
Armament
4xGround LMG/DT [Body:R] (500 each).*
4xGround LMG/DT [Body:L] (500 each).*
2x23mm Long Aircraft AC/VYa-23 [Body:R] (250 each).**
2x23mm Long Aircraft AC/VYa-23 [Body:L] (250 each).**
Medium Tank Flamethrower [Body:R] (15).***
Medium Tank Flamethrower [Body:L] (15).***
* Link fires all four MGs on a side.
** Link fires both ACs on a side.
*** Link fires both flamethrowers.
Equipment
Body: Fire extinguisher..
Statistics
| Size: 23'x7'x23' | Payload: 1.89 tons | Lwt: 37.8 tons |
| Volume: 100 | Maint.: 29 hours | Price: $46,900 |
HT: 11.
HP: 2,300 [body], 460 [wheel]
| gSpeed: 58 | gAccel: 3 | gDecel: 20 | gMR: 0.25 | gSR: 1 |