Earthshaker (Cannon)
The Earthshaker Cannon is the standard artillery piece of the Imperial Guard.[1]
Contents
Overview
This 132mm calibre weapon has a muzzle velocity of 814 meters per second and fires a 38 kg projectile,[3] hitting targets over a 100 km,[9] 20 km[10] or 15 km away in under 19 seconds, using the standard five powder charge.[3]
Six and seven powder charges can be used to hit targets well beyond this range, however the additional wear and stress this causes on the barrel limits the number of overcharged rounds to twenty, with authorization for their use required. Only Earthshakers on static mounts can fire these charges, as vehicle mounts are considered too unstable for their use. The most common type of shell fired by Earthshakers are high explosive, but it can also launch incendiary, smoke, illumination, even diamantine-tipped armour piercing shells[2] and deuterium macro-shells.[8] The standard high explosive shells are time-fused and feature a fragmentation case, while the incendiary shells have an oxy-phosphor gel core.[11] Shells fired by Earthshakers have been known to cause craters fifteen meters in diameter and obliterate infantry in an instant.[5]
The Earthshaker is most often mounted on the Basilisk self-propelled artillery tank,[1] though it also appears in static artillery positions as well as built into fortifications.[2] It has also been observed in an anti-aircraft role.[7]
Known Patterns
- Lucius Pattern - Used by the Death Korps of Krieg.[1][4]
Regiments known to contain Earthshaker Cannons
- Krieg 31st Artillery Company - deployed during the war for Vraks[6]
Miniatures
Basilisk armed with Earthshaker Cannon
Earthshaker Cannon anti-aircraft emplacement[7]
Triplex-Phall pattern Earthshaker and carriage[12]
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex),
[Help] - 2: Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, pg. 184
- 3: Imperial Armour Volume Five - The Siege of Vraks - Part One, pg. 116
- 4: Imperial Armour - Apocalypse II, pg.14
- 5: Storm of Iron (Novel) - Iron Warriors: The Omnibus by Graham McNeill, Ch. 1, pg. 80
- 6: Imperial Armour Volume One - Second Edition: Imperial Guard, pg. 194
- 7: Warhammer Community: Flight Plan: You're Grounded (posted 10/20/2020) (last accessed 10/20/2020)
- 8: Desert Raiders (Novel) — Hammer of the Emperor (Omnibus), Chapter Eight, Part 6
- 9: Tactica Imperialis (Background Book), pg. 90
- 10: Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus, pg. 123
- 11: Inferno! 14, pg. 22 — Basilisk Self-Propelled Gun’'
- 12: Forge World (company) Resin Conversion Kit (see Earthshaker (Cannon)/Sources)
