Hound Medium Tank

The Hound Medium Tank is the primary tank of the Gra Valkas Empire's Ground Forces. It was also the main assault vehicle of the 4th Armored Division. However in comparison to Japan's Main Battle Tanks, the Type-90 and the Type 10, it is considered to be totally outmatched.

Description[]

The tank is described to be similar in design as the Japanese Type-97 medium tank of World War II. It has riveted armor plating, and is armed with either a 47 mm main gun (Hound I, similar to the late model Type-97-Kai Shihōtō Chi-Ha) or a 57 mm main gun (Hound II, similar to the early model Chi-Ha), and two machine guns, one mounted on the front of the hull and one coaxially mounted on the turret. It is capable of speeds of 38 km/h and is quite effective against land dragons and medieval-level forces. It is usually supported by infantry and air cover. A standard crew includes a commander, a driver, a gunner/loader and a radio-operator, who can also act as a backup driver as well as operate one of the machine guns.

Even as a tank design from the World War II era, the Hound is quick to show its limitations. The Hound's 47mm main gun, while capable of penetrating the armor of contemporary light tanks, have difficulties taking on contemporary medium tanks due to its relatively small caliber and needs to attack their less durable side and rear armor. The 57mm gun mounted on the Hound II, on the other hand, is a low velocity gun that is meant to provide support for infantry units and to demolish fortifications, and thus has limited armor penetration capabilities. The Hound makes use of conventional HE (High Explosive) rounds and APC (Armor Piercing Capped) rounds, the former intended for lightly armored targets and the latter for armored vehicles and fortifications. Much like the Type-97 Chi-Ha, neither variants of the Hound possesses gun stabilizers, which prevents it from firing accurately while on the move or while the tank is traversing rough terrain, forcing the tank to come to a full stop just in order to land an accurate hit. The main gun's range is also inferior to the guns of heavy and main battle tanks. As a result, the Hound must get closer to its target to increase the probability of a hit. Unfortunately, this will put the tank crew in greater danger against modern tanks as the Hound will most likely be picked off by its opponent before it can get close enough to do any meaningful damage.

The armor of the Hound is also nothing to write home about, at the thickest, the Hound is protected with 25mm of armor on the front of the hull and the gun mantlet. While this provides adequate defense from small arms fire as well as shrapnel, it's notably less effective against larger caliber anti-tank weapons, heavy machinegun rounds, rockets and artillery fire. Further contributing to the problem is the fact that the Hound still makes use of riveted armor, while less specialized equipment and expertise to produce compared to cast or welded armor, but in return it provides less resistance to larger caliber projectiles and possesses a greater tendency to spall: meaning that the impact of a projectile on the outer surface of the armor causes the inner surface to crack or break, forming high velocity shrapnel that can fatally wound the crew.

The Hound is, unsurprisingly, in every way technologically inferior to the tanks used by the JGSDF. The small caliber main gun of the Hound will struggle to inflict any meaningful damage to the Japanese Type-10 or Type-90 MBT's composite armor even at point blank range, while the 120mm smoothbore cannons used on Japanese tanks can effortlessly disable Hounds from a much greater range with greater precision using HEAT or APFSDS rounds, thanks to superior optics and gun stabilization. While the Hound could theoretically damage a MBT's less armored backside, it simply doesn't possess the mobility to outmaneuver its opponent, its top speed being slightly under half of the Type-10's and Type-90's, despite the latter two being large and heavy enough to classify as heavy tanks to the Gra Valkans. Worse still, the Hound lacks the sensors, thermal weapon sights and night vision cameras that comes as standard on Japanese tanks, meaning that they will require direct visual contact to engage their targets, while also being harder to hide from said targets that are capable of outgunning and outranging them. In short, it's entirely possible for a Japanese tank to fight Hound after Hound until it runs out of ammunition and still make it back to the base unscathed as it can simply outrun the Gra Valkan tanks.

The 4th Armored Division soon found out the shortcomings of their tanks when they went up against the JGSDF and their superior tanks, aircraft, and tactics. Despite having an overwhelming numerical superiority, the 4th Armored Division was completely wiped out during their invasion of Mu, except for one tank that chose to surrender.

Specification[]

Some of the specifications are based on the former IJA's Type-97 Chi-Ha Medium Tank during WW2.

Mass: 14.3 tonnes (15.8 tons) to 15.2 tonnes (16.8 tons)
Length: 5.50 m (18 ft 1 in)
Width: 2.33 m (7 ft 8 in)
Height: 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in)
Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)
Armor: 8–25 mm (25 mm on gun mantlet)
Armaments:
- Main Gun: 47 mm (Hound I), 57 mm (Hound II)
- Secondary Gun: machine gun x 2
Operational Range: 210 km (130 mi)
Max. Speed: 38 kph

Service History[]

The tank was first used during the Empire's Invasion on Mu along with the Shafer light tank where they were be able to breakthrough the defenses of the border town Arou without much resistance from Mu. However, one of them was destroyed by Mu's 105 mm field gun.

When they passed through the Hollow Mountain Range, they were ambushed by Type-10 tanks, and due to lack of lights and terrain, that put them into disadvantage, they lost over 50% of their tanks in the ambush after the JSDF withdrew.

Eventually, reaching Kielseki Plains where the infantry supports suffers artillery barrage from MLRS and Type-99 Howitzer, forcing them to retreat before realizing their path has been cut off by hundreds of JGSDF armor. With the exception of one tank crew that surrendered, the entire 4th Armored Division was annihilated.

Trivia[]

In Vol 6, Mu is known to have taken inspiration from this tank for use in their tank design.