1965 Tank Biathlon

[Markus Wilding]

OOC: Event thread for the 1965 Tank Biathlon. Niobium can fill in with fluff detail as he wants, but the basis of the competition is as follows: Players can send two crews and one tank to compete in a timed race combined with a shooting element. Targets will simulate enemy units as decided by Niobium. An obstacle course component will also be included, to be determined by Niobium. It is assumed that, even if at war with one another, nations will not shoot at the competition with their vehicles.

In your post, detail the following:

- What tank you are using
- Anything that could give your tank and crewmembers an avantage, such as recent combat experience, prior intensive training, higher maneuverability, etc.
- Name at least one crewmember and provide a short background

Once enough participants have joined, I will begin rolling. Use the time in between to interact with other nations and their tanks.

[Markus Wilding]

The Carpathians were a beautiful place - indeed, it was hard to imagine that this had been the scene of a war just four years ago. Any remnants of Fascist influence or even the scars of raging combat were long gone, aside from pockmarks that dotted the mountains showing old artillery and air strikes. Thus, the new face of Romania, the hard-fought democratic side that desperately sought any sort of legitimacy, showed itself to the world. The advancements of Romanian armor technology and a deviously devised course awaited foreign teams today.

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The first lap will be a simple timed lap, where tanks will primarily face steep slopes as their obstacles.
Lap two will consist of engaging targets at 500, 700, and 1,000 meters on the slopes.
Lap three has tank crews heading to flat ground to negotiate more obstacles, including a fallen tree and a simulated broken bridge.

[Cataphrak]

"I hear the Koreans are bringing a new tank." Senior Private Li groused through his throat mic as eased the 35-tonne Type 54 Main Battle Tank off the big transport plane's exit ramp, "why couldn't we have brought a new tank?"

"This is a new tank, idiot," Senior Sergeant Yuan replied, as he peered through Hong Kong Cavalier's optics for the millionth time. "New sights, new headlamps, new electrics, new engine - what else are you going to call it?"

"Yeah but-" Li continued, even as he eased up on the gas. "-our tank still looks like the old ones. Their new tanks actually look new."

The old NCO shook his head. "Their tanks can look like the Queen of Victoria for all I care. Have you seen that course? It's designed to chew up and spit out pretty tanks. Our tank is lighter, tougher, more compact. Our suspension is designed for bad roads and steep inclines like the ones out there, our 20mm cannon is more accurate than any machine gun, and most importantly, all of our improvements are from things we learned the hard way, in battle. When was the last time you saw a Korean fight somewhere the air was breathable?"

For a moment, Li looked like he was about to press the matter. Instead, he only idled the engine for a moment, then turned it off. "I hope you're right, Sarge."

"Of course I am," Yuan replied idly as he began to clamber out the commander's hatch. "Now let's go see this new tank the Koreans have. Maybe it does look like the Queen of Victoria."

[Alucard Tobor]

"Did the Chinese bring the same tank?" gunner Sergeant Kettering queried the world at large, watching the vehicle in question negotiate the ramp of its transport. "Wasn't there that big hullabaloo about the joint development program? Figured they'd have started wheeling out something new for a big event."

Corporal Ryu stuck his head up from the loader's hatch of Snow Leopard, squinting at the new arrival. "Got some new equipment, I think. Looks like a Type 48 for the most part, though. Make of that what you will."

"Betcha the Yanks will be bringing one of those new Clarks." Lieutenant Gyeong, recently of one of the many Chinese-Korean training programs popping up, interjected, climbing up onto the turret of the 2M65, handing mugs of tea to his subordinates. "Word has it they've got an automatic loader or somesuch. Jury's out on how it performs next to a lad slinging shells manually, though."

"I'm just curious if the Romanians are going to try and put the moves on with a T-60 again." Ryu noted, amusement plain on his face. "I can't even be mad about that one."

"If they beat out all this lot, they deserve the win." Kettering agreed, eyeing the Chinese tank, now clear of its transport and negotiating the parking area.

[Markus Wilding]

Despite active combat ongoing in Montana, the SRA did manage to spare an M65 Clark from front-line operations to dispatch it, her crew, and a horde of mechanics and grim-looking men that refused to let anyone who wasn't an American get a good look inside the hatches. Lieutenant Hank Morrison didn't much mind them - besides, he was excited to have the chance to show off the advancements of the SRA's tank development to the world.

"Holy shit", his gunner, Sergeant Walker, said. His dreary, half-closed eyes stared at the Chinese tank as they rolled up to the assembly area. "What the fuck is that?"

"Looks like the old Pattons we used to roll around in," Morrison commented, running a hand through his blond hair. He had taken off his cloth helmet for the time being, taking in the cool Romanian air. He knelt down in the turret, kicking his driver in the side. "Hey! Braunschweig! When we park, make sure you button Hellhound up nice and tight, got it?! I don't want these intel spooks getting jumpy and shooting us!"

[Markus Wilding]

The Romanian team sends out a T-7 tank (SK-105 copy).

The Soviet team sends a T-62.

Germany sends their newest tank to the affair (M60A2 prototype).

Mexico again sends a tank that looks suspiciously like an IS-3 copy.

The PRC sends their latest Type 59 MBT.

The Kingdom of Ukraine sends their latest T-65 (Panzer 38(t)).

[Markus Wilding]

OOC: Lap 1 results.

The Republic of China's Type 54 slips several times attempting to maneuver up the slopes. Mechanics suspect an improperly maintained transmission is to blame.

Korea's 2M65 takes extraordinarily long climbing a particularly steep slope, ending with an abysmal time.

The SRA's M65 Clark struggles up the slopes, only barely beating the Korean and Chinese time.

The Romanian T-7 performs better than most other tanks, however the time is only average at best.

The Soviet T-62 sets the pace.

Germany's VT-1 finishes the lap with a modest time.

Mexico's IS-3 somehow performs far better than the Chinese, Korean and American tanks.

The People'ss Republic of China's Type 59 sets an average time.

Ukraine's T-65, despite all odds, manages to perform well and sets a time just ahead of Mexico and Germany.

[Cataphrak]

"So, what happened?"

"Looks like the Belleville washers started sticking," Junior Sergeant Leung replied as he peered through Hong Kong Cavalier's suspension. "Probably because of the rapid temperature changes in transit. No shock absorption, so the whole thing started shaking the gearbox apart."

Senior Sergeant Yuan frowned as he stroked his chin. "Can you fix it?"

"The washers?" Leung gave that a moment of thought. "Yeah, it's a five minute job to swap out spares."

"And the gearbox?"

"Another half an hour, probably."

Yuan nodded. "Get it done, then send the notes back to the prototype board. Any problem we figure out now won't bite anyone else in the ass sixty kilometres across the Anhui border."

[Markus Wilding]

Lt. Morrison strolled over to the Republic of China's tank, watching their mechanics work it over. To him, looked like an overengineered and complicated hell of machinery, but then again, a lot of the old guard had said the same thing about the new T22E4 Automatic Loading Device installed on the M65. "Y'all having a spot of trouble with your tank there?" he asked, tilting his helmet up. "I'd offer to help you guys out, but I don't think my CIA shadows would much like it if I left Hellhound alone."

[Cataphrak]

"Don't worry sir," Yuan called back. "These things are designed to be easy to repair."

Leung looked up as he slid the cover over the transmission. "Sure makes our lives a lot easier, that's for sure."

The senior sergeant shook his head with a look of mock disgust. "It's the design engineers. They're conspiring with the mechanics to make their jobs easier. Before long, our tanks will be repairing themselves, and the techs will just get paid to sit on their ass, watch Korean children's cartoons, and drink er guo tou."