Pincer ICV

**Key Features** | »» Twin 14.5mm PKX heavy machine guns»» Asymmetrical turret w/ rangefinder»» Large boat-shaped hull»» Medical kit w/ instruction manual»» Molded plastic seating

*"Soviet Battle Taxi at the ready!"*

- Pincer ICV

## Tactical Analysis

* **Battle Taxi:** Flexible and with upgraded armour for the modern age, the newest marks of the Pincer allow infantry to keep pace with armoured vehicles while shielded from attack by its hardened shell. Though slower and less capable on water than the Riptide, the machine is comparably more robust and fully proof against infantry weapons.

* **Double Trouble:** The twin machine gun mount on the Pincer provides ample damage and suppression to enemy infantry and a 100mm cannon can handle vehicles, and for heavier tanks an EMP rocket can shut them down, allowing it to fend off threats until its passengers disembark.

* **Field Ambulance:** Room enough for six soldiers makes the Pincer an attractive option for infantry support, particularly as soldiers sheltered within can have their wounds treated using a medical kit bolted on to the internal bulkhead.

* **Quadruple Trouble:** Experimental versions of the ICV-4 have removed the necessity of large periscope devices through the use of external cameras, freeing the turret up for the placement of an additional pair of guns and another cannon on the left side, allowing for greater coverage of firepower.

## Operational History

In terms of doctrine, many of the successes that can be attributed to the Soviet Union in warfare can be attributed to their embracing mechanisation within the Red Army. From the first day of the Second World War, Soviet infantry and armour have operated in tandem, multiplying their battlefield effect considerably. Key to this doctrine of mechanisation is the invention of the Infantry Combat Vehicle. A combination of the heavy armour and tracks of a tank, space for transporting an infantry squad, and a weapon designed to support that squad, the ICV revolutionised the way infantry moved about the battlefield. Unlike infantry in unarmed APCs, an ICV could not only drop troops off but support them once they were at the front.

The vehicle that would become the **Pincer** went through several iterations before arriving at the familiar ICV-3 and ICV-4 profiles. The first ICV, built in 1946, was armed with a pair of 50mm anti-tank guns mounted on a large turret with a full basket; the design briefing was quite literately a fusion of tank and transport. Weaknesses in this model were apparent before the war even started, though they still saw action as impromptu light tanks.

The ICV-2 was closer to the final form, with a simplified turret mounting either a single 50mm gun or a pair of 30mm guns; the machine was considerably lighter, but the only way in or out of the machine was the hydraulic rear ramp and the turret and driver hatches, which was obviously a liability in the field. In 1951, however, the ICV-3 began production.

With an even smaller turret mounting a single machine gun, a 30mm gun, and an EMP rocket making room for a roof hatch and side observation ports allowing soldiers inside to monitor the battle, the ICV-3 was produced in massive numbers and was the face of mechanised warfare throughout WW2. Often, the vehicle would be retrofitted into A and B marks, with A models carrying an autocannon and B models carrying two machine guns; this specialisation was useful on the field by allowing commanders to concentrate either weapon on a target while the other vehicles were free for other duties.

 File:VM-SovietPincer2ICV.png
Since then the Pincer has been produced constantly, in increasingly upgraded models. It's difficult to tell where the ICV-3 ends and the ICV-4 begins, but the modern model barely resembles the original. An entirely new, remotely operated turret keeps the crew from venturing above the protection of the hull and removes a considerable structural weakness from the vehicle, while the inside of the vehicle is entirely reconfigured and totally modular, allowing the machine to perform a wide variety of battlefield roles, such as casualty evacuation. Better armoured than the closest Allied analogue, the Riptide ACV, the Pincer has sacrificed speed and flexibility for this protection; it's barely capable of staying afloat on water and has no additional weapons beyond its pair of heavy machine guns.

## Behind the Scenes

The look of the Pincer II, with its offset machine-guns, was intended to be more in line with modern Soviets like the Hammer as compared to the double-barrelled look favoured by WW2 era vehicles. The vehicle also takes heavy inspiration from the real-life BMP/BMD infantry fighting vehicles.

## Just the Stats

 **Armour Type** | Heavy Armour

 **Kill Reward** | 5600

 **DPS** | 60