"Ten shots?!"
They had just taken three direct hits. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult for a Steam Tank to withstand three consecutive rounds from self-propelled artillery on the battlefield.
Maybe it could if the frontal armor was hit, but if the side was struck, or a vital area like the Steam Engine was hit, then one shell was often enough to take out a vehicle outright.
Self-propelled artillery had been designed around high mobility and powerful firepower, sacrificing much of its armor in the process. It could only withstand damage from light weapons, making it little more than a glass cannon.
In other words, the War Fortress's armor thickness was in a completely different league from that of a Steam Tank, even though Steam Tanks were known for their heavy armor.
And it took ten shots to penetrate it...
"I'm only saying it's possible. The War Fortress's outer armor merely suffered slight deformation and tearing. If we keep hitting the same spot, then we really can..."
Silence fell.
"Let's withdraw," Galahad said with some difficulty. "Our mission is complete. At the very least, we've tested part of the War Fortress's capabilities. It's incredibly tough, but not entirely impossible to deal with."
That was true. Though its armor was absurdly thick, landing ten consecutive hits was not completely impossible.
Current battles still mainly consisted of masses of infantry advancing alongside small numbers of tanks and artillery. Neither side was yet capable of deploying armored forces in large numbers.
But that might not remain the case in the future.
With Castel's artillery production capacity, fielding ten guns at once would be effortless in the future. It was even possible that dozens of self-propelled artillery vehicles might advance together.
If dozens of guns bombarded it at once, they might be able to