Mammoth Tank

JS-2 "Mammoth" Superheavy Tank
File:IconVCMammoth.png
One Tank to rule them all!
Minor Faction	Vietcong
Other Faction(s)	None
Unit Type	Superheavy Tank
Designation	Anti-Tank/Anti Aircraft
Production Building	Unknown
Secondary Ability	Burrow/Unburrow File:AbilityVCMammoth.pngFile:AbilityVCMammoth2.png
Cost	2500
Production Time	0:30
Heroic Upgrade	Autoloaders
Dev. Status	In-game

Country of Origin	Russian SFSR
Produced by/ Recovered from	The Vietnamese Jungle
Key Features	» 152mm cannon (x2)  » "Tusk" rocket pods  » Periscope (for seeing above ground)  » Dirt and foliage camouflage  » 4 ft wide tracks

"You've got to be kidding me..."

- Allied Reservist Defender, upon seeing a Mammoth in Vietcong colours

Tactical Analysis

• One tank to rule them all: While it remains a mystery how the Vietcong gained Mammoth Tanks, they are known to still be frighteningly good at battle. Two large bore cannons reduce tanks to scrap, while a pair of rocket pods can be used to deal with lesser targets like light vehicles and aircraft.

• Nothing can stop us: In addition to this, Mammoths are also equipped with specialised burrowing equipment that allows them to burrow and tunnel underground. With this, Mammoths can disappear into the ground without a trace.

• Am I rusting? Nah...: Drawbacks of the Mammoth are its slow speed and turn rate, which means a dedicated anti-armour flanker could rip it apart without fear of retaliation. The high maintenance cost also means it is difficult to field one. Then again, a Mammoth can simply roll over other tanks once they have caught up to them.

• Drown them in lead: It is believed that the Vietcong may have repaired and even upgraded the autoloaders on one of the Mammoths, boosting its rate of fire. If this is true, then it is likely that it will be an even more terrifying opponent than the others.

Background

The Soviet JS-1 Elephant was an excellent proof of concept in WWII, but was highly limited in combat. Without a turret, it was vulnerable to being outflanked and disabled by lighter vehicles, so Stalin demanded that research into superheavy tanks continue. This resulted in the JS-2 tank, the iconic Mammoth, the definitive iteration of the Soviet superheavy tank. With a large turret containing two 152mm guns and two flexible rocket pods capable of engaging air and ground targets, the 250 ton tank was much more manageable and capable than its predecessor, and Stalin ordered it into mass production. The tank also benefitted from a smaller crew due to the inclusion of autoloaders; a mere 8 men.

Documents from the late 1940s indicated he intended the JS-2 to become the primary battle tank of the Soviet Union, but thankfully for the Allied Nations, this never became the case; the massive vehicle was very difficult and expensive to produce. Despite this, over five thousand of them were produced; rumours spread like wildfires, and a wide-spread impression of the superiority of Soviet armour that was never quite shaken became widespread amongst Allied armour divisions.

When the NVA launched the Tet Offensive, they did so with the backing of the Soviet Union, which provided them with many surplus vehicles, including three Mammoth tanks. Each vehicle a veteran of the Second World War, the 250 ton superheavy tanks were, for practical purposes, unstoppable by the ARVN. It was only when the Allies arrived and the tide turned that they were able to best these machines; one destroyed by a platoon of Javelin Troopers; another brought down by the Assault Destroyer ANV Brahe and a flight of Longbow Liberators. The final one, however, disappeared into the jungle; unconfirmed reports indicated it sunk into the ground and was lost during a raid by a Hawker squadron, after absorbing more than a dozen missiles.

Ever since, however, rumours have spread throughout ARVN and Allied posts that the missing Mammoth is in fact still in operation, though under different owners. According to these rumours, the Vietcong managed to save the tank, and now drive it through their massive tunnel network to battlefields across Vietnam. Of course, this is complete nonsense; it is far more likely that the missing Mammoth, and the wreck of the second that went missing during transport, are simply being used as underground command centres.

Behind the Scenes

• Veterans from Red Alert 1 will love this unit.

Just the Stats

Mammoth Tank
Unstoppable
Superheavy Tank
Cost	3000
Build Time	0:30
Health	500
Speed	30
Armour Type	Superheavy Armour

152mm Cannons
Intimidating(50), Reloads(2/4s), Move and Fire
Cannon
Range	350
RPS	1
Damage	95
Suppression	25
DPS	95

Rocket Pods (Surface)
Indirect, Reloads(2/.5s), Splash(60), Move and Fire
Burst
Range	350
RPS	1/4
Damage	25
Suppression	20
DPS	6.3

Rocket Pods (AA)
Reloads(2/2s), Move and Fire
Flak
Range	350
RPS	1/3
Damage	25
Suppression	N/A
DPS	8.3