Vickers Platoon

2022-08-14T00:51:11Z

2607:FB90:39B8:64F1:250E:A0FF:C001:D51: /* IRL */

The Vickers platoon is an organizational unit equipped with a Vickers Machine gun, one of the most recognizable British weapons throughout the World Wars. It was very popular among British infantrymen for its reliability and ruggedness.

==IRL==
The Vickers was actually created as an improvement to the infamous Maxim Machine gun, only the difference between the two was the Vickers was made of lighter materials and was equipped with a Muzzel booster, which the tl;dr of that means it made the recoil operation of the firearm even more reliable.

The Vickers first entered service on the eve of the First World War, and did not fully replace the Maxim gun until halfway through the conflict, once Industrial manufacturing had caught up. The Vickers was so valuable to the war effort that Vickers figured they could jack the prices way up to make more money. However, Parliament politely held up a sheet of paper that listed "War Profiteering" as a list of possible charges that could be brought against the company. Conveniently, Vickers slashed the prices on the weapon after that.

Despite the accusations of it being overpriced, what cannot be contested is the reliability of these weapons. Historian Ian V. Hogg records an instance in which the 100th company fired their [[Awesome|10 Vickers Machine guns almost nonstop for 12 hours straight]]. The only times they did stop were to reload or change out the barrel.

the Vickers was later officially designated a Heavy MG following the introduction of the Lewis Gun, and later was designated a Medium MG after the Americans decided to roll up with their absurd Browning .50 caliber machine guns. Due to the general reliability of the Vickers, the weapon was only just begining to be prepared for replacement right before World War II. While the B.E.S.A. was considered for this role, it was ultimately decided that the Vickers would stay on for the war, while the rather unwieldy B.E.S.A would stay on British tanks as a coaxial/hull mounted weapon.

The Vickers performed adequately with the British army throughout the war, and was even the Primary weapon on their aircraft in World War One and early World War Two on the Fairey Swordfish and Gloster Gladiator, though both Aircraft were rapidly obsolete or had their weapons replaced by Browning weapons. It was finally replaced in the 1960s when the Yemenis declared the Sana'a Tea Party and told the Bongs to go back to their island.

Awesomely, there was a minor line of production for Vickers MGs that were chambered for 50 caliber, though they mostly saw service on the Royal Navy ships, likely because the Navy didn't want the sheer awesomeness to be in anyone else's hands save their own.

{{Template:British Forces in Flames of War}}

25-Pounder Field Troop

2022-08-14T00:44:02Z

2607:FB90:39B8:64F1:250E:A0FF:C001:D51: /* IRL */

The 25 pounder field troop is a unit available in Flames of War. It is armed with the British QF-25 pounder Howitzer, the most common Howitzer in the Commonwealth arsenal.

==IRL==
The 25-pounder Howitzer started out as a new design post WWI for a new Howitzer. While the design had been finished, it was slow to be introduced due to a lack of funding, because peace, great depression and shit. It could fling 8.76 cm (~3+ in shells) well over 2 miles. Unique compared to most Howitzers, it had a plate strapped to the bottom of it that the wheels could be rolled onto to allow a smooth flat surface for quick rotation of the gun.

After Hitler started <s>the Great Crusade</s> World War II: electric boogaloo, the QF was organized into Field Artillery Regiments of approximately 24 guns, with each gun commanded by a Sergeant and operated by 5 junior soldiers. The British were extremely well trained in their use, and by 1944-1945 the Germans fully believed that the Bongs had developed an automatic version of the weapon.

The Aussies developed a lighter version of the weapon that could be transported by air, as well as having the advantage of being light enough to be dragged by a Jeep or manhandled up difficult terrain, all traits that made it invaluable in the jungle heavy mountains of Burma and New Guinea.

There were also experiments in mounting the weapon in a turret atop a Valentine Chassis they called the Bishop. It has all the problems of the KV-2 with none of the benefits and was quickly abandoned for the Priest.

The Weapon served as far as 1980 in training units, and even today the Pakistanis are still making ammo for the damn things, mostly because Russia doesn't like them as much as they like India.

{{Template:British Forces in Flames of War}}

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Vickers Platoon

25-Pounder Field Troop