SAV-5

The SAV-5, officially designated the '''Standard Armored Vehicle, Mk. 5''', was a Urcean light tank designed and used during the early Great War. Though it was not the first tank in use by the Royal and Imperial Army, it was the first produced in large numbers and it was the first tank of native design. The SAV-5 was the main tank used in dedicated armored divisions of the Royal and Imperial Army. It was primarily designed based on observations of trench warfare in eastern Burgundie in the first two years of the Great War. The mass production and deployment of the SAV-5 allowed for the Royal and Imperial Army to end the stalemate in the Kingdom of Dericania in the period 1930-1933, ending the two years of trench warfare and demonstrating the value of armored warfare to the Levantine powers. It was largely obsolete by the late 1930s, but the focus on Urcean medium tank development - which produced the SAV-6, Urcea's first medium tank - allowed updated versions of the SAV-5 to remain in service until 1940, when it was supplanted by the SAV-7.

History
The early phase of the Great War included an invasion of eastern Burgundie by Derian nationalists in 1927 which was stopped by layers of trenches buttressed with interlocking fire from machine guns. This new defense tactic stopped the nearly entirely infantry-based nationalist Legion. Artillery barrages proved unable to break the trenches, and Derian forces soon emulated them, leading to opposing networks of trenches. Observers from the Royal and Imperial Army hypothesized that a heavily armored vehicle used in a massed advance could break the lines. While Urcea has several models of licensed armored vehicles and tanks from overseas, none of them were satisfactory for use against Derian trenches. Consequently, the Army provided specifications for a new armored vehicle and began a design competition to provide the best new domestic-designed tank for use in Dericania. The design that would become the SAV-5 won the competition and subsequently began production in 1929. SAV-5's were instrumental in the Royal and Imperial Army's advances in 1931, executing a flanking operation around Corcra, restoring the Imperial capital to Urcean control. The tanks suffered a number of design problems relating to its reliability, and most deployed units suffered major breakdowns in 1931-1932 during the wet season in Dericania. The SAV-5 was evalutated by the Yonderian Armed Forces in early 1933 but was ultimately turned down in favor of the AMG-34. The SAV-5 remained Urcea's primary armored vehicle through 1937, when it was gradually phased out or sent for duty in the Audonian theater of the Great War. Military advisers and reconnaissance in Sarpedon through 1935 revealed the need for a heavier, better-armed tank, as the Imperial Legion already had tanks similar to the the SAV-5. As the Royal and Imperial Army deployed to Sarpedon in 1938, it retained a number of SAV-5's to fill the need for armor until more SAV-6 units were delivered. The SAV-5 continued to serve admirably as a light infantry support tank in Veltorina, but its design shortfalls and reliability issues remained consistent. SAV-5's were gradually taken off the front and replaced with the SAV-7 by 1940.