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Description
  From the cratered wastelands of 1912 to the rubbled streets of 2012, the Panzer Type 6 “Kriegsmesser” is an enduring icon of the World War and a timeless symbol of Gothia and his people’s ingenuity.

The Kriegsmesser’s story begins in 1908, during the endgame of the World War. The Type V was still viable at the time (in numbers), but the Generalstab was deeply concerned about the age and capabilities of this decade-old design, especially in the long term; in a war where weapons can be and often were rendered obsolete mere weeks after adoption, the V was being pushed to its limits. Hyperborea already countered it with the T2, but the introduction of the vastly superior T7 threatened to give the west the lead in the tank arms race. Thus, in the spring of 1906, the army announced a design contest for the next Gothic panzer. After two years of designing and testing, a final examination was held at Kummersdorf. The contract was awarded to NürWabrik (Nürnberger Wagenfabrik), but it’d take years to iron out design flaws that were concealed during testing and another to set up the supply, production, and distribution lines while training and retraining crews.

  The first iteration of the Type 6 was already revolutionary for its time: With improved engine technology, removal of the hull machine gunner, and efficient use of armor, the new design was not only able to increase armor thickness to 100mm, but also fit a heavy 98mm gun as well, all without reaching the excessive weights of contemporary heavy tanks. While the Empire classified it as a medium tank, modern military historians consider the Type VI the world’s first Main Battle Tank, combining the armor and firepower of a heavy tank with the speed of a medium tank.

  The Kriegsmesser debuted in the Second Battle of Austerlitz, becoming a deciding factor in the Empire’s victory. Managing to smash apart the T7s with few casualties of its own, the Hyperboreans scrambled to counter the new Imperial tank in the ever-intensifying arms race between the two nations’ armored forces. It would come with the T8, but by then it was too late: The Kriegsmesser was already manufactured in the tens of thousands and counting. The Type 6 would become Gothia’s standard medium tank for the rest of the war, with one tank famously crashing through the gates to the ruins of the National Assembly Building. At the end of the war, over 60,000 were manufactured.

  The immediate post-war period saw the Kriegsmesser frantically deployed across Europa to contain unrest and put down a select few holdouts of enemy resistance. It was also during this time that, without having to worry about slowing production, NürWaBrik began upgrading their flagship product, starting with minor tweaks (such as removing the shot trap on the turret rear) before moving onto more extensive improvements (most notably the addition of composite and reactive armor on the Ausf. E). Eventually, though, it became clear that the Type 6 was reaching its limit. Not only that, but combat against the warlords in Siberia revealed serious shortcomings fundamental to the design, chief among them the suspension and height. The government thus, in 1927, put out a new contract that Daimler-Benz would win, resulting with the Type 7 “Breitschwert,” featuring a lower silhouette, 105mm gun, and modern torsion-bar suspension.

  But the Kriegsmesser, that ever-numerous iron beast, refused to fade away. By the time production finally stopped in 1942, 93,122 units were produced. With a new, superior model to replace the Type 6, the Empire divvied up the remaining stock between the naval infantry (who’d receive the upgraded, modernized tanks), the reserve and rear-line troops (who’d receive the bog-standard units) and export. In fact, during its last years of production, NürWabrik developed what they called an “export model” of the Kriegsmesser: Thinner armor made of weaker materials coupled with seriously downgraded optics and controls. But still, it was useful against forces equipped with even less and, most importantly, it was quick and cheap to build, making it an excellent source of currency for the Empire.

  Released from its service to its creator, the Krigsmesser was free to travel the world, see new places, and blow new enemies to bits. It’s often said that the Type 6 is the only known tank to have been in all 7 continents of the world. There were, surprisingly enough, countries that couldn’t even afford the export model, but it didn’t stop them from simply pirating the design and building their own variants; nowadays, a Kriegsmesser-like tank on the 21st century battlefield is more likely to be an Arab Zulfaqir than a genuine Gothic original.

  The Panzer Type 6 is an old design, and the newest models simply have to blow on it to defeat it. But it is still tough as nails, it carries the legacy and legends of the greatest war humanity has ever known and, most importantly, even almost 60 years after manufacturing ended, there’s still more than enough to go around.

By the numbers: The Type 6, Model F (final production model)
Dimensions
6.5 meters (9 with gun) long
3.37 meters wide
2.7 meters tall
Crew - 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armament
1 x 98mm Krupp Pwk. 4-136
1 x MG 14 in the turret
1 x MG 29 mounted on the commander's hatch
Suspension - Torsion bar
Maximum speed - 55 km/h (34 mph)
The image above depicts the vehicle of tank ace Maria "The Bloody Diamond" von Thulenburg, painted in the standard "Birch" woodland camoflauge pattern. Here, The Bloody Diamond is about to take part in the Third Battle of Hürtgen Forest in 1914.
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Author's note: The image used for this deviation belongs to Lazurez . He has helped me design this tank. I do not claim this as my own.

Description
  From the cratered wastelands of 1912 to the rubbled streets of 2012, the Panzer Type 6 “Kriegsmesser” is an enduring icon of the World War and a timeless symbol of Gothia and his people’s ingenuity.

The Kriegsmesser’s story begins in 1908, during the endgame of the World War. The Type V was still viable at the time (in numbers), but the Generalstab was deeply concerned about the age and capabilities of this decade-old design, especially in the long term; in a war where weapons can be and often were rendered obsolete mere weeks after adoption, the V was being pushed to its limits. Hyperborea already countered it with the T2, but the introduction of the vastly superior T7 threatened to give the west the lead in the tank arms race. Thus, in the spring of 1906, the army announced a design contest for the next Gothic panzer. After two years of designing and testing, a final examination was held at Kummersdorf. The contract was awarded to NürWabrik (Nürnberger Wagenfabrik), but it’d take years to iron out design flaws that were concealed during testing and another to set up the supply, production, and distribution lines while training and retraining crews.

  The first iteration of the Type 6 was already revolutionary for its time: With improved engine technology, removal of the hull machine gunner, and efficient use of armor, the new design was not only able to increase armor thickness to 100mm, but also fit a heavy 98mm gun as well, all without reaching the excessive weights of contemporary heavy tanks. While the Empire classified it as a medium tank, modern military historians consider the Type VI the world’s first Main Battle Tank, combining the armor and firepower of a heavy tank with the speed of a medium tank.

  The Kriegsmesser debuted in the Second Battle of Austerlitz, becoming a deciding factor in the Empire’s victory. Managing to smash apart the T7s with few casualties of its own, the Hyperboreans scrambled to counter the new Imperial tank in the ever-intensifying arms race between the two nations’ armored forces. It would come with the T8, but by then it was too late: The Kriegsmesser was already manufactured in the tens of thousands and counting. The Type 6 would become Gothia’s standard medium tank for the rest of the war, with one tank famously crashing through the gates to the ruins of the National Assembly Building. At the end of the war, over 60,000 were manufactured.

  The immediate post-war period saw the Kriegsmesser frantically deployed across Europa to contain unrest and put down a select few holdouts of enemy resistance. It was also during this time that, without having to worry about slowing production, NürWaBrik began upgrading their flagship product, starting with minor tweaks (such as removing the shot trap on the turret rear) before moving onto more extensive improvements (most notably the addition of composite and reactive armor on the Ausf. E). Eventually, though, it became clear that the Type 6 was reaching its limit. Not only that, but combat against the warlords in Siberia revealed serious shortcomings fundamental to the design, chief among them the suspension and height. The government thus, in 1927, put out a new contract that Daimler-Benz would win, resulting with the Type 7 “Breitschwert,” featuring a lower silhouette, 105mm gun, and modern torsion-bar suspension.

  But the Kriegsmesser, that ever-numerous iron beast, refused to fade away. By the time production finally stopped in 1942, 93,122 units were produced. With a new, superior model to replace the Type 6, the Empire divvied up the remaining stock between the naval infantry (who’d receive the upgraded, modernized tanks), the reserve and rear-line troops (who’d receive the bog-standard units) and export. In fact, during its last years of production, NürWabrik developed what they called an “export model” of the Kriegsmesser: Thinner armor made of weaker materials coupled with seriously downgraded optics and controls. But still, it was useful against forces equipped with even less and, most importantly, it was quick and cheap to build, making it an excellent source of currency for the Empire.

  Released from its service to its creator, the Krigsmesser was free to travel the world, see new places, and blow new enemies to bits. It’s often said that the Type 6 is the only known tank to have been in all 7 continents of the world. There were, surprisingly enough, countries that couldn’t even afford the export model, but it didn’t stop them from simply pirating the design and building their own variants; nowadays, a Kriegsmesser-like tank on the 21st century battlefield is more likely to be an Arab Zulfaqir than a genuine Gothic original.

  The Panzer Type 6 is an old design, and the newest models simply have to blow on it to defeat it. But it is still tough as nails, it carries the legacy and legends of the greatest war humanity has ever known and, most importantly, even almost 60 years after manufacturing ended, there’s still more than enough to go around.

By the numbers: The Type 6, Model F (final production model)
Dimensions
6.5 meters (9 with gun) long
3.37 meters wide
2.7 meters tall
Crew - 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armament
1 x 98mm Krupp Pwk. 4-136
1 x MG 14 in the turret
1 x MG 29 mounted on the commander's hatch
Suspension - Torsion bar
Maximum speed - 55 km/h (34 mph)
The image above depicts the vehicle of tank ace Maria "The Bloody Diamond" von Thulenburg, painted in the standard "Birch" woodland camoflauge pattern. Here, The Bloody Diamond is about to take part in the Third Battle of Hürtgen Forest in 1914.
----------
Author's note: The image used for this deviation belongs to Lazurez . He has helped me design this tank. I do not claim this as my own.