A Doomhammer of the Astra Militarum
The Doomhammer is a super-heavy tank of the Astra Militarum that is a variant of the Banehammer, itself a variant of the ancient Shadowsword tank. Like the Shadowsword, the Doomhammer is also intended to be used as a Titan-killer on the battlefield.
The Doomhammer was first designed as a field conversion of a Banehammer tank during the 1000 year-long siege of the Renegade Forge World of Ordana. By replacing the Banehammer's Tremor Cannon with a Magma Cannon the tank gained the ability to severely damage or outright destroy enemy Titans.
During the siege, armoured vehicle attrition rates outstripped supply and thus Imperial commanders had to use replacements for their lost Shadowswords. By removing the massive capacitors required for the Shadowsword's Volcano Cannon to fire, the Doomhammer now has the ability to transport up to 25 infantrymen in an open-topped hold behind the main weapon, with 10 being able to fire their weapons from the hold's fighting platform.
The combined actions of two score Doomhammers was the final tipping point in the Siege of Ordana, securing the Imperium's victory upon that world, and many others since.
Breath of the Emperor, Doomhammer of the Tallarn 652nd Super-heavy Armoured Regiment
With a single devastating blast the Doomhammer's Magma Cannon tears through thick ceramite plating, monstrous chitin scales and adamantium. At extremely close range, the intensity of the blast is even more destructive, unleashing the raging energy of a small star upon its target.
The first Doomhammer was not specifically designed as such by the Tech-priests of Mars. During the millennium-spanning siege of the rebel Forge World of Ordana, the Enginseers salvaged a damaged Banehammer, removed the no longer functional Tremor Cannon, and installed a Magma Cannon in its place.
The resulting vehicle was named the "Doomhammer" by its crew and both the design and the name stuck when Imperial commanders realised how effective a weapon the Enginseers had cobbled together.
Although the more dogmatic Tech-priests frown upon such field conversions, believing them to be an affront to the Machine Spirits and the Omnissiah, the more pragmatic amongst them judge the worth of a design on its results, and have accordingly standardised and started to produce Doomhammers from scratch on their Forge Worlds.
A Doomhammer super-heavy tank
On the battlefield, the Doomhammer's role is that of armour killer. The Magma Cannon is in essence a smaller version of the Volcano Cannon, which trades in its destructive power and range for a much higher rate of fire, which lessens the Doomhammer's efficiency as a Titan-killer but grants it tactical flexibilty.
Also, the Magma Cannon does not require the tank's engine to be stopped to fire, granting the Doomhammer the required mobility to bracket smaller targets and obliterate them. The Magma Cannon is powerful enough to severely damage a Titan, but does not have the power of the Volcano Cannon to first punch through its Void Shields. The Doomhammer's secondary armament of three twin-linked Heavy Bolters and two Lascannons gives the tank the tactical flexibility required to deal both with armoured targets and infantry.
In addition, since the Magma Cannon is much smaller than the Volcano Cannon, the space freed up by removing the gargantuan capacitors necessary for firing the Volcano Cannon can be converted into a hold capable of transporting a small platoon of Imperial Guardsmen, or upgraded to serve as a cramped but fully functional field headquarters, equipped with powerful Vox-casters and tactical arrays. This allows an armoured regiment's commander to both lead his troops and participate in the fighting.
For all its efficiency, the Doomhammer does suffer from some drawbacks: as with all the Shadowsword variants, the fixed main gun requires that the tank be bodily aimed at the target, and it has a poor top speed and poor manoeuvrability.
Also, the Magma Cannon is much less efficient as a Titan-killer than the Volcano Cannon. Hence, where the Shadowsword can easily operate as a lone Titan hunter, the Doomhammer must be supported by other elements of the Imperial Guard in order to bring a Titan down.
Armament[]
The Doomhammer is armed with a powerful weapon known as a Magma Cannon, which is very similar to the Volcano Cannon, just with less power and range.
The tank is also equipped with a hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolter, two sponson-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers with two additional top sponson-mounted Lascannons.
The Doomhammer can replace the sponson mounts with Extra Armour Plating for added protection from enemy fire or alternatively another two sponson mounts similar to the 2 original ones can be added.
The Doomhammer can also be equipped with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter, a Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers.
The Doomerhammer is as much mobile fortress as it is close-range Titan-killer. Housed within its enormous hull is a sizeable troop bay, allowing it to transport a number of battle-ready Astra Militarum soldiers.
Upon reaching the front line, these troops are deployed to gun down opposing enemy infantry and level focused fire at light vehicles, leaving the Doomhammer free to fulfil its primary function.
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications[]
| Vehicle Name: | Doomhammer | Main Armament: | 1 hull-mounted Magma Cannon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forge World of Origin: | Field Conversion | Secondary Armament: | 2 top sponson-mounted Lascannons, 1 set of hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters, and 2 sets of sponson-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers |
| Known Patterns: | Unknown | Traverse: | 2 degrees |
| Crew: | 1 Commander, 1 Driver, 1 Main Gunner, 1 Remote Gunner, 1 Comm-Operator, 1 Engineer | Elevation: | -2 to 12 degrees |
| Powerplant: | MR507 v18 Multi-Fuel | Main Ammunition: | Unknown |
| Weight: | 312 Tonnes | Secondary Ammunition: | 1600 to 4000 Rounds |
| Length: | 13.5 metres | Armour: | |
| Width: | 8.4 metres | ||
| Height: | 6.3 metres | Superstructure: | 220 millimetres |
| Ground Clearance: | 1.2 metres | Hull: | 210 millimetres |
| Max Speed On-Road: | 25 kilometres per hour | Gun Mantlet: | 200 millimetres |
| Max Speed Off-Road: | 18 kilometres per hour | Vehicle Designation: | Unknown |
| Transport Capacity: | 25 Infantrymen | Firing Ports: | Rear Hold Fighting Platform (Room For 10 Infantrymen to fire from) |
| Access Points: | Rear, Open-Topped | Turret: | Unknown |
Also See[]
Sources[]
- Codex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition), pg. 54
- Imperial Armour Apocalypse II, pg. 11
- Doomhammer Datasheet - Games Workshop
- Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse (6th Edition), pp. 140-141