Wakefield Tank (Vaelforth Tank)

Vaelforth Military History

Vaelforth has always been an independent nation of the Marthellian continent, surviving Rythian conquest, occupations from Fairholt, sieges from nations of the Hussvarian continent and Corsian Isles throughout its history, and it was the only sovereign territory of the Marthellian continent to maintain a standing army throughout its existence. Whilst the nation was a member of the Marthellian Union for a brief period between 1274AU and 1287AU, it has always maintained strong territory boundaries with its colossal border walls and signalling outposts which have been manned for centuries and providing early warning of foreign military movements through the use of mirrored lantern beacons.

Dawn of the Wakefield

As the only independent sovereign nation in Marthell, the Republic of Vaelforth has heavily invested in military technology since its secession from the Marthellian Union. One such military invention was designed and developed by Colonel Reginald Wakefield during his observations of the Vaelforth Artillery Corps during a skirmish with a new form of Fairholt militia which purposefully targeted cannon gunners and loaders. At the time, he described his invention as a “mechanised shielded cannon” with the sole purpose of defending the cannon and artillery personnel from stray volleys. The design was triple the size of a normal cannon consisting of two sections, a mounted common artillery cannon in the upper section, and a large custom designed coal-fired engine at the base which appeared to be an reversed traction engine. The machine was meant to be manned by 2 people with the cannon’s loader also acting as the gunner while the steam engine was controlled by the driver in the base through a viewing porthole and a vertical crank for steering.

Wakefield I

Wakefield’s superiors were impressed by the design and a prototype Wakefield Cannon (Wakefield I) was developed. The prototype was cramped and caught fire during cannon’s discharge which set alight the internal coal pit subsequently leading to the death of the driver. Despite this, the cannon caught the attention of many military officials which ordered its further development. In addition to the redesign of the prototype’s firing mechanism and resolving the flammable nature of the machine, the new Wakefield Cannon was required to fit a rifle squadron and their officer such that it would double as a shielded transport.

Wakefield II

The Wakefield II was substantially different to its original, tripled in size and a side mounted shielded boiler. The side mounted boiler provided additional internal space and allowed coal to be stored away from the discharging cannon. The drive mechanism connecting the two wheels was very flimsy and was only worsened by the lopsided nature of the design leading to the right wheel becoming unpowered and the vehicle turning in circles. The cooling pipe also lead to steam blocking the gunner’s vision in an unfortunate crosswind. Despite all its faults, 6 Wakefield II were used in two of Vaelforth’s border skirmishes effectively with only one vehicle requiring scrapping after a cannonball crippled the light plating on the vehicle’s weak spot, puncturing the boiler.

Wakefield Series Postponement

The Wakefield III was the the final development of the Wakefield cannons however its prototype was delayed several times, the project at one stage becoming abandoned and subsequently Reginald was unable to witness the deployment of the final Wakefield Cannon. The Vaelforth military at the time was obeying a new fighting code of conduct, heavily influenced by the great nations of the Southern and Eastern continents during diplomatic discussions concerning an alliance with the Corsian Empire. Although the alliance was not officially granted, the new Vaelforth code of conduct did not account for mechanised land transport and therefore the development of the Wakefield III was postponed.

With heavy casualties from militia skirmishes due to the military’s adopted code of conduct becoming ineffective against the fighting style of Marthellian militia forces, the code was scrapped thus paving the way for the development of the Wakefield III.

Wakefield III

The Wakefield III utilised a standard front-facing steam engine with cooling pipes directing steam to the sides and back behind the vehicle. The cannon was mounted in the centre of the top of the machine while the vehicle featured curved armor plating with pointed edges at the front and rear, shielding the operators and troops from enemy cannon fire and increasing the stability of the vehicle. All operators and troops were positioned in the rear of the vehicle, behind the boiler and firing mechanisms, allowing for additional cover and protecting the firing compounds and coal storage.