User blog:SPARTAN 119/Deadliest War Machine: Da Vinci's "Tank" vs Helepolis

The tank-like vehicle designed by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 1500s, 400 years before the first tanks saw the battlefield

VS

The Helipolis, the gigantic siege tower known as "The Taker of Cities".

Only one can be the DEADLIEST WAR MACHINE!! =Combatants=

Da Vinci's Tank
Among the many designs found in 15th-century artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks was a combat vehicle similar to a modern tank. The vehicle was armed with a battery of cannon mounted along the side of the vehicles circular body, and had a top "sighting turret for aiming the guns and steering the "tank". The vehicle moved on four wheels powered by a human-powered crank system. Interestingly, the design in Da Vinci's notebook is mechanically flawed- the crank system is such that the gears would rotate against each other, making movement impossible. It is widely believed that Da Vinci intentionally sabotaged his design, as he was a pacifist at heart. The vehicle was armored with steel plates

Helepolis
The Helepolis was a massive siege tower designed by Polyidus of Thessaly in the 300s BC. The seige tower was 130 feet wide and 60 feet tall, clad in iron plates, with an armament of several catapults, most firing 30 kg projectiles, though there was one four 60 kg catapults and two 180 kg catapults on the lower floors. The tower also had four light ballistae on top. The tower was powered by 200 men operating a crank and over 3000 men pushing from behind. The vehicle was capable of forward, reverse, and sideways movement, but could not "steer". The Helepolis met its downfall when it got stuck in a patch of mud at the Siege of Rhodes in 305 BC. The Rhodians won the siege and sold the iron plates and catapults in the Helepolis off after the battle and used the profits the construct the Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue that was later listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. =Weapons=

Cannon Battery (Da Vinci's "Tank")
Cannon of Da Vinci's era would have been mostly muzzle loading weapons, meaning in ships, or in the case of Da Vinci's tank, they would have to be retracted back into the vehicle to reload. Da Vinci's tank carried a battery of guns that ran all around the vehicle, so it could fire in any direction. For the purposes of this match, the weapon will have a range of about 500 meters

Catapult Battery (Helepolis)
The Helepolis had a battery of catapults on the weapon, firing out of ports. The weapons were likely large ballistae or onagers (torsion catapults), firing stones with a range of, for the purposes of this match, 500 meters for the lighter 30 kg ballistae and 250 meters for the heavy 60 and 120 kg catapults. The weapons were located in fixed positions in the front of the tower, with the heavy catapults the lower levels and the lighter ones on the upper levels.

119's Edge
Da Vinci's tank's Cannon for their 360-degree firing arc and because the ballistae on the upper levels would probably fire over the "tank", effecitively eliminating some of the Helepolis' firepower.

Matchlock Musket (Da Vinci Tank)
The matchlock musket is an early firearm fired using a slow-burning cord or "match" the was placed against a touchhole using a spring loaded mechanism activated by a simple trigger. The matchlock was most effective when fired in volleys at relatively close ranges, where it proved effective at piercing even plate armor. The weapon had a maximum range of about 50 yard against a single human target, and about 75 yards against a group of targets. At least for the purpose of this match, it will be possible to fire a matchlock out of the observation ports on the "tank".

Light Ballista (Helepolis)
The Helepolis carried a four light ballistae firing spear-like bolts on movable mounts on top of the vehicle, capable of being aimed accurately at defenders on the walls. The weapons will have, for the purpose of this match, a range of about 250 meters.

119's Edge
The Helopolis' Light Ballista for its superior range and accuracy. =X-Factors=