| Cuirassier | |
| |
| Faction |  Order of the Talon
|
| Unit Type | Armoured Car |
| Designation | Anti-Infantry/Transport |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Secondary Ability | Evacuate Passengers |
| Cost | Unknown |
| Production Time | Unknown |
| Veterancy Upgrade(s) | • Smoke launchers (vet) • Uncrushable, Crash Safety (elt) • Heavy armour, increased HP (her) |
| Dev. Status | Conceptual |
| Country of Origin |  United States of America
|
| Forged by | Ford Motor Company, Detroit |
| Key Features | » Browning .50 cal heavy machine gun (dashboard mount) » License plate stash (14 different nations) » Cloth hood cap » Dashboard radio (set to Christian gospel music station) » Seating for four |
"Mind the speed limits, boys. Wouldn't do to blow our cover by getting pulled over by the American bobbies."
"You do realise you're driving on the wrong side of the road, right?"
- - Albin Canavan and Harold Moore, on deployment in the United States
Tactical Analysis
- A Dime A Dozen: Cuirsassiers are very inexpensive light scout cars armed with a machine gun on a fixed dashboard mount. While not intended for real combat, they are among the most expendable units in the Order's arsenal.
- Passenger Space: The Cuirassier comes with room for two passengers. Given that this is Order of the Talon, the passengers probably have heavier armour than their ride.
- Under The Radar: Civilian cars are typically of little concern to military forces, so if the gunner pulls the cloth dashboard cover (which tends to blow off at any speed but a complete stop) up over the machine gun, no one will look twice at the vehicle unless the local commander is extremely paranoid. When not moving or attacking, the Cuirassier appears to the enemy as an innocuous car prop, although the enemy commander can still forcibly attack.
- Personal Ride: Some Cuirassiers have been fitted with various "extras"; these typically include smoke launchers that can be popped off the event of detection, Talon Steel frames that make it impossible for other vehicles to crush the Cuirassier and almost gurantee the survival of the passengers in a crash, and Talon Steel armour plates that greatly increase the resistance of the Cuirassier to small arms and autocannon fire.
Operational History
Cheyenne Mountain Observation Report
Fact: Facility is highly secure and the only known entrance is heavily guarded by barbed wire, fences, guard posts, and other mundane measures.
Fact: American flag flies from staff outside entrance and is plastered on guard posts and 85% of vehicles entering and leaving facility.
Hypothesis: Cheyenne Mountain facility is a military--or intelligence-related facility of the United States government.
Fact: 62% of facility traffic consists of Ranger-type scout vehicles.
Detailed Observation: 90% of Ranger-type traffic is 2N model.
Fact: GPMV-2N model known as Cuirassier.
Fact: 2N model unremarkable in performance compared to other models.
Fact: 2N model still in production.
Hypothesis: 2N model still in production to service needs of branch of United States government that operates Cheyenne Mountain facility.
Fact: If prior hypothesis is correct, hypothetical branch possesses substantial resources.
Fact: No information is available in known Allied sources on Cheyenne Mountain facility.
Hypothesis: Unusual degree of secrecy for Allied Nations involved in operation of Cheyenne Mountain facility.
Hypothesis: Cheyenne Mountain facility built for sensitive purposes.
Conclusion: High priority to be attach-
Warning: 2N model approaching locus.
PRIORITY WARNING: Observation locus has been detected.
ALERT: UNIT UNDER ATTACK.
PRIORITY ALERT: UNIT SUFFERING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. FAILURE IMMINENT.
PRIORITY ACTION: TRANSMITTING FINAL OBSERVA-
The transmission broke off in a burst of static, and Specialist Fujiwara shook his head. Damn. Another spy drone lost. This new wave hadn't gone well. Between jumpy Allies shooting at unidentified transmissions and impetuous Confederates stealing or breaking anything more sophisticated than a slide rule, eighty percent of the semi-sentient spy drones had been destroyed within two weeks of entering the United States. Still, Fujiwara checked the final transmissions. Video footage, bland and uninteresting--a Ranger with a dashboard gun firing up a storm. Wait. What was that symbol on the hood? Fujiwara checked and re-checked the database. The silhouette of a bird of prey swooping in for the kill, painted in gold. Not a symbol in use by any known military power. Fujiwara thought about uploading the sighting and flagging it for review by intelligence for a minute before shaking his head. The American insignia was an eagle, wasn't it? Just an agency or department using a new form of the symbol, then. Unfortunate, but nothing out of the ordinary.
