Bombard

Astra Militarum Portal

An Imperial Guard Bombard

The Bombard is one of the heaviest and most ancient artillery pieces in common use by the Imperial Guard, reserved for campaigns for when it's super-heavy siege cannon is required to penetrate enemy fortifications.^[1][2]

Overview

The Bombard's sole weapon is its Heavy Siege Mortar, a massive weapon so heavy it must be mounted on a modified Leman Russ chassis rather than the more common Chimera chassis.^[1] While not having the same range as an Earthshaker Cannon the mortar makes up for it in sheer firepower, launching high explosive concussion shells which use their detonation shockwave to flatten buildings and crush enemy infantry and tanks. It is also capable of firing fuel-air explosive shells, specialised promethium shells which seed the air with fuel prior to impact, creating a devastating airburst that crushs bones, shatters rocks and even sucks the air out of one's lungs.^[2]

Even with its chassis heavily modified to account for the weapon's weight the Bombard is among the slowest of the Imperial Guard's vehicles. In fact it is technically not a true self-propelled artillery vehicle as it cannot fire on the move, instead requiring a lengthy set-up process in order to fire including setting up the large recoil spade which digs into the ground, absorbing the immense recoil forces generated by firing the mortar. The Bombard also has a slow rate of fire, requiring an attached crane to load each shell into the weapon's breech as each one is too heavy for a many to carry. For these reasons Bombard are normally not deployed on the front lines, instead reserved for the destruction of static targets during a siege, remaining in place as they reduce enemy walls and fortifications to rubble. When on the move a single driver mans the Bombard while the rest of the crew follows behind in transport vehicles; indeed a small army accompanies each Bombard battery, manning Trojans and Sentinel Powerlifters to supply the ammunition, Atlases for emergency towing, and Salamander Scouts for forward observation.^[1]

Some Bombard crews will modify their vehicle to carry a pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter and/or a Hunter-Killer Missile, while other common upgrades include Camo Netting, Extra Armour, Rough Terrain Modification, Track Guards, a Searchlight and Smoke Launchers.^[1]

Vehicle Name:	Bombard Heavy Siege Mortar[1]	Main Armament:	Heavy Siege Mortar
Forge World of Origin:	Stygies VIII	Secondary Armament:	N/A
Known Patterns:	II-XVII	Traverse:	0°
Crew:	Driver	Elevation:	From +10° to +70°
Powerplant:	HL270 V12 Multi-Fuel	Main Ammunition:	Carried Separately
Weight:	71 Tonnes	Secondary Ammunition:	N/A
Length:	7.7M
Width:	4.8M	Armour
Height:	4.7M
Ground Clearance:	0.45M	Superstructure:	100MM
Fording Depth:	{{{Fording Depth}}}	Hull:	150MM
Max Speed - on road	24KPH	Gun Mantlet	N/A
Max Speed - off road:	12KPH	Vehicle Designation:	0427-941-0349-B061
Transport Capacity:	N/A	Firing Ports:	N/A
Access Points:	N/A	Turret:	N/A

Canon Conflicts

There is some confusion over what chassis the Bombard is based on. The Forge World model for Warhammer 40,000 is clearly based on the Leman Russ, and is described as such in Imperial Armour Volume Three, however, some previous Epic Scale miniatures show a Chimera chassis as the base. It is quite possible that the Bombard mortar can be mounted on either hull or that they are simply different variants of the same tank, produced on different Forge Worlds.

See also

• Dominus Triple Bombard

Sources

• 1: Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pgs. 229-231
• 2: Epic Armageddon, pg. 96