Mk IV Steam Tank

How do we improve our tanks sir? Make it BIGGER with MORE GUNS!

This is my flammenwerfer, with which I will werf flammen

Subtlety? Son, we're fighting monsters from Mars. Subtlety is no longer part of this world

Is not related to those employed by The Empire, Ya Warhammer nerd.

With the success of the MKs II and III steam tanks against the Martians, the newly formed Tank Corps began to demand a new vehicle to improve on some of the earlier designs failings. The designers at Baldwin produced a truly monstrous vehicle that they dubbed the MK IV.

The MK IV is so large that it is impossible to transport via traditional rail. Instead, the vast machine needs to be broken down into several almost self contained sub assemblies to fit onto railways. This includes removing both track sections and the turret from the main hull, which by itself is just as wide as a MK II steamer.

Since the MK IV is such a Large target, it can be taken as almost a given that it will receive disproportionate fire. To protect the tank and the crew, the MK IV carries two inches of laminate steel and asbestos armor plating on the front slope and upper decks to dissipate the energy of the Martian heat rays. The side sponsons and turret are slightly less armored, but still provide suitable protection.

The 3 inch and 4 inch guns of the MK II and III had proved adequate when dealing with the tripods, but since the MK IV was already introducing brand new technologies, the designers decided to install a brand new 5 inch gun derived from the 5"/38 installed on warships. Similar to warships, the standard MK IV lugs several secondary weapons into battle, numbering up to 6 of the 4 inch guns and a pair of machine guns for dealing with infantry threats. A large number of Mk IVs have also been upgraded into the so called "Monitor Pattern" with an experimental 7 inch gun.

Of course the MK IV platform has proved to be very suitable for experimental weapons. The most iconic of which is the awesome "Flame tank". Conceived of as a Human equivalent to the Heat Rays of the invaders, the flame tank mounts a massive weapon which has been dubbed by the troops as the flame cannon. The flame cannon spews an inferno that burns at such an intensity that even Tripods can be roasted. The sponson guns have to be removed to make room for great tanks of fuel, but the towering vehicle has such a presence on the battlefield that it more than makes up for the drop in firepower.