CzL.1 | |
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Design
| |
Designer | Sofa / Braczaya Navin Motor Co. |
Role | Light Tank |
Status | In Service |
Specifications
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Theme | Pseudohistorical (Interwar - CzL.1)
(WWII, Early - CzL.1-50) |
Weight | 12Tonnes |
Armor | 40/30/20 |
Primary Armament | 37mm cannon, 50mm cannon (CzL.1-50) |
Secondary Armament | Coaxial 7.62mm machine gun, Bow 12.7mm machine gun (CzL.1-50) |
Powerplant | 5.6L I6 Diesel |
Top Speed | 30km/h (18.6mph) |
The CzL.1 is a Robanian light tank designed for infantry support, scouting, and combat against other tanks. It is the canonical first (but real-world fifth) tank in the CzL (standing for Czokka Likoy, or "Tank, Light") series
Development[]
At the time construction had begun on the CzL.1, the redone CzL.4 and CzL.5 were the sole functioning light tanks at Sofa's disposal. As opposed to the latter two's emphasis on speed, the CzL.1 was intended to be a lightweight brawler and infantry support vehicle. Originally armed with a 37mm cannon and coaxial 7.62mm machine gun, a revised variant featuring a 50mm cannon and a bow 12.7mm machine gun, in conjunction with significantly heavier armor. The CzL.1 design also spawned a line of self-propelled guns, and an infantry tank variant featuring a casemate 75mm cannon and 20mm HMG in the turret.
At present, the CzL.1-50 is Sofa's most frequently-used tank.
Characteristics[]
Not unlike most Robanian designs, the CzL.1 is especially primitive-looking. Despite being a fictitious design, "historical" and "authentic" are excuses one might hear to explain subpar armor and weaponry, not to mention clunky and cumbersome in the mobility department.
Dumb Fluff[]
With tanks still very much in their infancy, the late 510s saw the introduction of fully traversing turrets. Though is layout had yet to see action, the Robanians were quick to implement it in a replacement for the primitive BN.Cz. This began as the BN.1, but the design was proven to be outdated before it even saw production. The BN.CzL - promptly rechristened the CzL.1 upon entering production - featured a 360-degree rotating turret sporting a 37mm cannon and coaxial 7.62mm machine gun, as well as armored compartments, leaf-spring suspension, and a top offroad speed of up to 30 kilometers per hour. At this time, light tanks were built for ease of production and sheer numbers rather than speed: A lightweight design intended to spare Robania's limited steel resources combined with a more cutting-edge engine design, however, created a tank that could outrun the infantry it was intended to support.
Production began in in the fall of 525, just in time for the invasion by Chergaria. Rushed off the factory floor and thrown into the fray by a panicked high command, the CzL.1 was easily defeated by its counterparts in head-to-head engagements. As Robania began launching their counteroffensive, however, its speed proved instrumental in outflanking, outrunning, and penetrating the enemy, which would combine to form "Utradacivjet" ("Thrusting Battle") tactics (similar to real-world Blitzkrieg). The CzL.1-50 variant - which replaced the 37mm cannon and machine gun in the turret with a 50mm gun, and a 12.7mm machine gun in the hull - would become the mainstay tank for these tactics throughout the conflict, as well as those to come, and would act as a precursor to the CzR family of light tanks.