AMG-34

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Revision as of 17:53, 27 April 2023 by Kistan (talk | contribs) (Created page with "The '''AMG-34''', also commonly known as the '''Type 34 'Whitegill'''', was a tank designed in Yonderre and operated by the Yonderian Armed Forces and National Army of Faneria for the majority of the Second Great War. The AMG-34 was designed and produced by the Atelier de Mechanique de Gabion as part of a contract by the Fhainnin government to provide a large variant of the Cíochbhratach tankette to circumvent n...")
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The AMG-34, also commonly known as the Type 34 'Whitegill', was a tank designed in Yonderre and operated by the Yonderian Armed Forces and National Army of Faneria for the majority of the Second Great War. The AMG-34 was designed and produced by the Atelier de Mechanique de Gabion as part of a contract by the Fhainnin government to provide a large variant of the Cíochbhratach tankette to circumvent native medium tank development at the time, which was still suffering significant setbacks, particularly with track designs unsuited to both handle the weight of a larger vehicle and manage a high speed simultaneously. In response, AMG designed the AMG-34, which was accepted. This contract brought attention from Yonderre's own Army Procurement Command, who sought a light tank to replace the CdC mle 1930 in the role of armoured recon and deep operations.

The AMG-34 project fielded an operating prototype in 1933, and competed in trials against the Department of Tank Designs' bid, DCC-2, as well as the Urcean SAV-5. The DCC-2 was discarded early on in the trials, citing the one-man turret as a major deficiency and the tank's tendency to throw its track when halting suddenly. Despite some noted concerns about its reliability the SAV-5 performed admirably in testing. Ultimately the choice fell on the AMG bid despite some kinks in the prototype, the conclusion of the final report on the light tank adoption program citing uncertainty about the ability to procure sufficient numbers of the SAV-5 from the Urceans, as well as the AMG vehicle's thicker armor and better overall maneuverability.

Following further development the tank was adopted by Faneria in March of 1934 as the Type 34 and Yonderre in May as the AMG-34. The vehicle was received well by its crews from both nations, with Yonderine crews stating that although it was a bit slower than its predecessor, the addition of thicker armor and a cannon was a welcome one.

Fhainnin production grants allowed for separate production lines to be constructed, resolving diplomating issues related to fighting over procurement numbers between the two countries. In addition, Faneria paid a large, undisclosed sum to both the Yonderine government and AMG to purchase finished schematics. Deliveries of the Type 34 were supplemented by production in Faneria, with AMG specialists overseeing setup and production until 1939. Exports from Yonderre made up the large majority of Fhainnin Type 34 tanks until 1938, and Faneria would go on to independently create a variant with a heavier cannon and additional armor, the Type 34t, in 1937 to act as a tank destroyer variant.

During the early Second Great War, the Type 34 was the best tank in Fhainnin service, with most of its armor being markedly slower and the native-production light tanks available being unable to combat heavier armor imported from Urcea and Burgundie. As a result, Yonderre faced significant diplomatic pressure to cut supply of the Type 34 to Faneria, and Faneria was forced to maintain a constant blockade of the Kestrel Isles throughout the war to protect shipping despite Yonderine flagging. AMG eventually ceased building the tank in 1939 as it became outdated, opting to collect royalties from the 34t production line until the Treaty of Loughlin ended Faneria's participation in the war in 1942.