Early Designs
Even before the opening of the Los Alamos Rift, the United States enjoyed almost unparalleled manufacturing capabilities, with vast factories converted to the production of war materiel. The United States was, therefore, incredibly well-placed to take advantage of Rift-tech, and US forces have reaped the benefits of a rapid programme of modernisation and improvement to both individual and heavy weapons.
The US was the first power to begin a serious program of weapons development utilising Rift-tech principles, with one programme in particular standing out early on. Although the reclusive polymath, Nikola Tesla, had died in 1943, he left behind an enormous collection of partially completed devices and blueprints, including that of his legendary death ray. Long believed to have been either a hoax or a work of sheer fantasy, this device was initially placed in storage while the US Army concentrated on Tesla’s revolutionary electrical power theories.
The death ray would remain in storage until mid-1944, when it was re-discovered by one Captain Elliott of the US Army. Elliott, an expert in vehicle electronics systems, recognised this death ray for what it really was – a device which projected a powerful electrical arc over several metres. Non-functional due to the unavailability of a suitable power source at its time of construction, Elliott paired the device with an experimental new Rift-tech powerplant, enlarged the discharge array, and mounted the entire assembly on a modified M1 anti-tank gun carriage.
In field testing, the weapon proved devastatingly effective, firing lethal arcs of crackling electricity over a short, but nevertheless serviceable distance. Against organic targets the effect was predictably deadly, with the unexpected ‘arcing’ of the charge between individual targets in close proximity (in the test case, an unfortunate flock of sheep) being seen as having significant anti-infantry potential, whilst armoured vehicles instantly became electrified deathtraps as they absorbed the weapon’s charge.
The US Army was keen to order the new weapon, which Elliott had named the ‘Tesla Cannon’ in honour of its inventor, into service as soon as possible, but problems arose with the weapon’s power system, which proved to be concerningly radioactive. Lead shielding was found to be effective in protecting the crew, but this made the batteries prohibitively heavy for rapid redeployment.
Into Action
While a team of Army engineers and scientists grappled with this issue, it was found that the cannon and required battery shielding could be accommodated in the turret of an M4 Sherman if the loader’s position was eliminated. Although this made operating the vehicle more difficult in combat, the increase in firepower was considered more than worthwhile, and the M4A9(T) ‘Sherman-T’ would be deployed in ever-increasing numbers from May 1945. It proved a popular and effective vehicle – even if rumours abounded that Sherman T crewmen could be identified by the fact that they glowed in the dark!
With the Sherman-T force operating effectively in Europe, work continued to perfect the technology. By August of 1945, British scientists had been read in to the Tesla project, and work began at the top-secret Finch Works in Nottinghamshire to adapt the new weapon for British use. Deployment began in late 1945 with the production of the Cromwell-T, which followed identical principles to its US Sherman counterpart and placed a Lend-Lease Tesla cannon on the ubiquitous British cruiser tank chassis. With glowing reviews from field-testing units, Cromwell-Ts would be rolled out as quickly as they could be produced or converted, replacing Sherman Fireflies as the augmenting component of Cromwell troops; commonality of parts improving maintenance and reliability levels at the front. This was a welcome boost to Allied firepower on the front lines, greatly appreciated as the Axis deployed larger walkers and greater horrors.
Field Artillery
Throughout this period, however, the demand for a crew-served Tesla cannon was becoming increasingly urgent, as even the formidable Commonwealth 17 Pounder was beginning to struggle against the very latest Axis and Soviet vehicles, whilst in the anti-infantry role, hordes of shambling undead and lightning-fast monstrosities would frequently prove too much for traditional defensive machine gun fire to deal with.
Similarly, with mass German adoption of the StG 44 and the Schwarzlicht project augmented weapons as primary infantry small arms, Allied troops often found themselves at a disadvantage in the kind of short and mid-range firefights that characterised much of the fighting during 1946. As a stop-gap measure, Sherman-T and Cromwell-T turrets were modified and emplaced on pillbox foundations to provide static defence. These were effective enough when guarding known avenues of attack, it was always clear that true field gun mobility would be needed.
With the maturation of infantry heavy armour, and further rift-tech improvements to the dangerous Tesla power sources, it was felt that the need for a Tesla cannon on a field carriage now outweighed the risks inherent in the system, and Captain Elliott’s original designs were revisited, revised, and quickly put into production as the M17 Tesla Cannon on Carriage M3. Initially, gun crews were issued with thick, lead-lined aprons and masks, but this was found to severely inhibit their ability to effectively operate their weapon.
Given that the majority of early M17s were issued to Armoured Infantry units in both American and Commonwealth service, it was decided to simply equip the crewmen with the same suits as their infantry colleagues. This had the dual advantage of providing plenty of radiation shielding, as well as significant protection from incoming fire, and allowed the Tesla cannon to operate where they were needed most – right in the thick of the action. Unarmoured crews would continue to see service as more and more conventional units received M17s, with doctrinal differences quickly emerging in how the weapons were deployed and utilised between the different formations.
Further Developments
As part of the introduction of the crew-served M17, some advancements were made in the field of powercell miniaturisation, which allowed for smaller vehicles to carry a lighter version of the weapon, designated M21. Seen as the ideal replacement for the thoroughly obsolete 37mm guns so common in the early part of the war, the M8 armoured car and M5 Stuart light tank were chosen as ideal platforms for the new weapon, with the M8A3 ‘Tesla Scout’ entering widespread production at the end of 1946 and proving a crucial asset for US reconnaissance forces. Development of the M5 ‘Stuart-T’ was less prioritised, but modest numbers would eventually see service, particularly in the Pacific, where they would be greatly appreciated for their tactical mobility and ability to punch well above their weight.
The development of the M21 also proved to be beneficial to the US walker corps. Attempts had been made to fit the M17 Tesla cannon into the M8 Grizzly walker chassis in early 1946, following the ‘Sherman on legs’ philosophy adopted by the US Army. While a relatively simple conversion process saw the new M8A3 ‘Tesla Grizzly’ enter service in the spring of that year, issues would quickly become apparent with the Tesla battery shielding, leading to the widespread withdrawal of the type within six months for urgent corrective work and redesign. In the M21, American designers had a weapon light enough to mount on the arm of a walker, with the physical separation from the crew compartment negating the need for the reinforced shielding. This system quickly became the core of the Linebacker project, and proved hugely popular with crews and commanders alike.
While the M21 provided lightweight Tesla firepower, US scientists also foresaw a demand for a heavier, more potent version of the M17. This was anticipated to be a long-term project and so, in early 1947, the stopgap XM177 entered testing. Quite simply a pair of M17s shackled together on a single mount, trials results proved promising, and the project was approved for widespread production.
Small Arms
The final major development programme for the Tesla concept bore fruit in early 1947, with the small-scale introduction of the Anglo-American Rifle, Heavy, Tesla, M11 – a man-portable, miniaturised version working on the same basic principle as the M17. Developed by a team spearheaded by Captain Weston of the Commonwealth War Office’s Experimental Division, and extensively tested by the men of the 7th Battalion, Grenadier Guards, the weapon provided infantry squads with the lethal capabilities of the Tesla effect (albeit of a much lesser magnitude than the cannon) that could fill the same niche as the squad light machine gun. The issue of powerplant radiation was solved by the use of a two-man crew – one gunner, and a ‘loader’ carrying a very small Tesla power cell encased in a thick, lead-lined box.
While safe, this small cell allowed for only a limited number of firings between charges, but the system was well regarded by the Grenadier Guardsmen who carried out the initial field and combat trials, in which it was deemed to be a genuine upgrade over the venerable Bren gun, particularly when fielded alongside the prototype EM-2 assault rifles also under test with the battalion. The US Army was very keen to acquire these heavy Tesla rifles, but with production not yet in full swing by February of 1947, only a very few were available. These were issued to the secretive Paragon units, who like the Grenadiers, reported favourably on their capabilities, and Group Captain Weston and his team were ordered to continue working on the miniaturised Tesla weaponry program, with one-off and unique prototypes being deployed on an ad-hoc basis with various special forces units for evaluation.
Tesla on the Tabletop
Tesla weapons are powerful bits of Rift-tech, first and foremost. As such, they are (naturally) Rift weapons, and that means they come with an attendant Rift Die. This means there are three ways to use them – their ‘standard’ profile (when they have an Active Rift Die), a Rift Weapon Ability (accessed by exhausting an Active Rift Die), and a powerful Overload, which requires exhausting a Surging Rift Die.
By and large the ‘standard’ profile of Tesla weaponry is relatively straightforward – reasonable range, a single shot, and modest Pen. Where they really come into their own, however, is the Tesla Arc ability. When Exhausting an Active Rift Die, they generate a number of additional shots – for example the M17 goes from 1 shot to 4! That’s not all, though. When using Tesla Arc, Tesla weapons gain a +1 to hit against vehicles, and ignore Cover – you can’t hide from lightning!
In addition, if you’re firing Tesla Arc weapons against a single-model unit, you combine your total number of hits scored into a single hit, where the Pen value is equal to the number of hits scored. This means that the Heavy Tesla Rifle in particular can become very dangerous indeed when used in great numbers against vehicles!
If that wasn’t enough, then the Overload allows you to generate double the number of Tesla Arc shots, but this power comes at a cost. The firing unit will also suffer D6-2 Tesla Arc hits, as lightning fills the air and anything metallic becomes a potentially lethal conductor. While risky, if you absolutely, positively need to electrocute a unit and make sure it stays electrocuted, this ability turns Tesla weaponry into an incredibly potent destructive device.
