33M Medium Tank
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| 33M Medium Tank | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Medium tank |
| Place of origin |  Principality of Ruvelka |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1933 - 1941 |
| Used by |  Ruvelkan Imperial Army Cacertian Royal Army |
| Wars | Siduri War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1933 |
| Produced | 1933 - 1939 |
| Specifications (Cacertian Empire) | |
| Weight | 18.2 tonnes |
| Length | 5.55 m (18 ft 3 in) |
| Width | 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in) |
| Height | 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) |
| Crew | 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator) |
| Armor | 60mm (1.9 in) |
Main armament | T-40 40mm gun (40 rounds) T-75 75mm gun (28 rounds) |
Secondary armament | 2 × M1916 LMG (7.5×63mm Durante) |
| Engine | NAG Z-V8H-4 8 liter 260 hp |
| Power/weight | 14 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Leaf-spring bogie |
Operational range | 165 km (100 mi) |
| Speed | 47 km/h (29 mph) |
The 33M medium tank was a family of Ruvelkan-developed medium tanks designed for the Ruvelkan Imperial Army in the time period leading up to the Siduri War. The 33M was unique among its regional peers in that it was specifically developed to fight enemy armor instead of support infantry formations. It was the Ruvelkan military’s primary tank during the fall of Ruvelka and was noted for its superb performance when fighting its Syaran peers. Although considered a superior tank by all accounts, only 424 33Ms had been produced by the start of the war, of which only two-thirds were successfully mobilized to repel the invasion. When it was deemed likely that Ruvelka would not be able to withstand the invasion, many of the 33Ms in storage were purposefully destroyed and sabotaged so as to not fall into enemy hands.
A Ruvelkan armored company equipped with seven 33Ms managed to evacuate south to Mansuriyyah and, much like their smaller 30M light tank cousins, were transferred to the Cacertian Empire. Throughout the remainder of the war, the 33M became an icon of the Ruvelkan Army-in-Exile and a staple of the Cacertian Royal Army with additional versions mounting heavier and improved 75mm guns.