Anti-armor warfare was created by the need to seek technology and tactics to destroy tanks and other rebel armored vehicles and their supporting infantry during the Galactic Civil War. Because tanks represent an enemy's greatest force projection, anti-tank warfare has been incorporated into the doctrine of every combat arm and service. Heavy artillery or similar large destructive fire can be produced 3 different ways in the Star Wars games.
The predominant heavy artillery weapons at the start of the Galactic Civil War were the imperial armored units, such as different walkers to confront the rebel armored vehicles face to face on the battlefield. The rebel infantry had highly destructive grenades used by their heavy troopers, which were great to demolish AT-PTs, to damage AT-STs, but were ineffective against AT-AT walkers. But the early imperial ground troops did not have any anti armor weaponry; later (according to the Battlefront games) imperial shock troopers were trained to fulfill various battlefield roles and carried a wide variety of equipment. Some, equipped with rocket launchers and thermal detonators, acted as anti-vehicle units on the battlefield. Third, and final method was to apply powerful anti-armor weapons, which can be used against tanks, armored infantry units, and also functioned as cannon, siege machinery, being able to destroy turrets, walls, or even complete structures, such as command centers, or other buildings. Heavy artillery warfare developed rapidly, particularly in the Imperial Army, the Rebel Alliance were lack of that technology.
The Empire preferred large scaled destructions, just remember their giga weapon, the Death Star. They did not retreated from face to face combat of course, since all of their classes were superior, and had not any reason to be afraid of the opposite weapon rebel classes, including the armored units, the air force, or even the infantry. But if a heavy artillery was be able to detonate a large number of enemy concentration at an area with one strike who would send the troops in combat, if you can deal with the enemy from a great distance? Also, this technology was developed to protect the marching route of the imperial armored vehicles and ground units, as a cover. So the heavy artillery can be used as a supporting arm or as an offensive tactical method of a distance attack. The solution they arrived at the attack point was difficult however, since the heavy artillery was not the best at maneuvering, since it was a bit slow, and while travelling, it was unable to defend itself. So while moving, we have to protect them from enemy ground units and also from the air!
In the game Force Commander there are two different artillery types. One of them is called mobile artillery, I have already introduced that for you. The second is the
heavy artillery platform, which is examined in the article. That is a not so fast moving antigravitation hovering platform that the mobile artillery was, but its strength is much bigger. Since it cannot quickly maneuver through enemy fire on the battlefield, it must be hovered to the best possible spot well before the battle, or has to be escorted, while it reaches the destination, from where it is able to support the other arms during an imperial military operation. After it reached the designated area, the heavy artillery lands, it expands its legs, opens its armor, releases its heavy cannon, and starts bombing hostile positions and every kinds of enemy units from the safe distance, which I think is bigger than the mobile artillery's attack range. Also, it is very good at piercing of Rebel armored vehicles. The main purpose of the heavy artillery is to deliver its deadly plasma munitions onto the target, to inflict casualties on the enemy with detonating plasma blasts, seriously damaging even heavily armored enemy units, too. The artillery has a fair line of sight and target distance, but if we play with fog of war, we can make benefit applying a scout, or artillery observer. The artillery fire may be directed by a probe droid or a speeder biker scout, who has a great line of site, detecting the enemy much earlier, and much further, so transferring the reconnaissance data with a heavy artillery can help us destroy the incoming threats from a great distance, earlier then they can even react. The only combat in which a heavy artillery is unable to take part in is the close quarters combat, and air defense. The same way, as in every strategy games, if a unit gets to close to a ranged unit, it stops firing, retreats, until it has the needed distance again to launch its projectiles, be it an arrow in Age of Empires, a plasma bolt in Galactic Battlegrounds, or a plasma blast in Force Commander. But the heavy artillery is slower than anybody else when forced to retreat in the mentioned two games, because it has to be undeployed first, (retracting its cannons, closing its armor, pulling back its legs, and ascending in the air) before being able to move. So the best way to fight against a heavy artillery, to move within its attack range, getting to is place it will stop attacking us, trying to undeploy, and retreat. But until it prepares, we will have plenty of time to destroy it from direct close. Also, attacking artilleries from the air is a good idea, since it cannot do anything against rebel airspeeders, and bombers, or even against an ewok attack glider, which can quickly tear them apart. So defending your artillery platforms is highly recommended!
Most of the armored units are very vulnerable from the bottom, since their armor is thin there, and when running on a anti armor mine, a tank, or a walker can be seriously damaged. Rebel torpedo launchers often place mines in the ground against imperial armored units, but that method is not effective against the heavy artillery, since it is hovering in the air! So the only way to get rid of them is light anti-armor weapons (heavy rebel infantry troopers' grenades), heavy anti-armor units, (rebel tanks, torpedo launchers), and air units.
When playing the Rebel missions, we will rarely meat with
heavy artilleries. The first time, we will encounter one, is at the Battle of Endor. There will be a heavy artillery in the Imperial base, guarding its left flank near some turrets. If you are smart, you can destroy it with your ewok gliders, constantly keeping them far from the nearby AA turret, which is deadly for a small ewok! Make small circles, and after several turns, the heavy artillery will start letting out smoke, then will detonate, so you won't have to fight against it when the imperial offensive will start!
The second
heavy artillery will try to keep us away from the Coruscant Palace. It is deployed on a high place, well defended with several turrets, and a nearby imperial landing platform crowded with Tie fighters and bombers! If the gamer makes the same mistake, then I did, and let the fast rebel anti air tanks pull away from the slower army units, such as the heavy proton tanks, you will be ambushed, and will find yourself in a trap! The hover tanks do not have torpedoes, so can not fire up to the heavy artillery, which starts bombing them from above with deadly plasma bolts, and till the proton tanks will arrive, there won't be anybody there, to be able to save.
The outfit of the
heavy artillery pilots reflects that they are a military arm,
such pilots, who were trained
in the ways of the artillery warfare, too. They wore a blue pilot uniform, and on their head there is a pilot helmet, which has a black visor at the face area.
Under the helmet there is very possibly a mask, which leads the oxygen to the pilot from the life support equipment, which is strapped on their chest. The microphone grill at the mouth is silvery. The blow hole at the forehead is a it higher than the helmet, and reaches ahead a bit. There are a white and a red imperial signs on the two sides of the blow hole. The soldier has an imperial E-11 blaster, in case of emergency.
Please take a look
at my Custom heavy artillery pilot figure.
Custom heavy artillery pilot figure front
Custom heavy artillery pilot figure side
Custom heavy artillery pilot figure back
Thank you for your attention, and visit CustomStarWars
frequently!
written by: Norbert
Rostas 2011. 05. 29 the figure was made years before
