Taros Campaign - 12th Armoured Regiment’s Advance: On the right flank, the 12th Armoured regiment was experiencing similar problems. The Hammerheads and XV88 Broadside Battlesuits, with their Rail Weapons and mobility, excelled in these conditions. Unbroken fields of fire allowed them to target the Leman Russ first, before manoeuvring to avoid return fire. Once the tanks were destroyed, the Chimeras carrying infantry support were powerless to respond. Crews had to rely upon the weight of the Leman Russ armour for survival, but against the fearsome Railguns it was not always enough. The ominous whip-crack of Railguns became a sound each Imperial Guardsman learned to hate and fear. The Tau's weaponry seemed to slice through armour at any range. The magnetically-driven hyper-sonic passage of each round heated the air so that it seemed to fizz and crackle. The speed was such that infantry men who stood too close would find the air sucked from their lungs as it passed overhead. The slipstream of each round would raise the sand, forming a speeding, swirling trail of dust which cut across the desert faster than the eye could track. Without cover to hide from the Railguns, the desert war was costly in equipment. After five days advancing, the 12th Armoured regiment had lost 50% of its tank strength amongst the forward deployed companies. They had inflicted some damage on the enemy, but it was an uneven exchange. Replacement tanks could be found, but not enough to compensate for the losses. The regimental commander, Colonel Ahsa-Bilad, recognising that his tank companies needed the extra support, deployed the Basilisks of his first Artillery regiment forward, to act as assault guns rather than conventional artillery. His artillery was proving ineffective against a very mobile enemy, and it was a shrewd move. By utilising their Earthshaker Cannons’ longer range, the artillery helped level the playing field. But the regiment was already falling behind its twenty kilometres a day timetable, and Basilisks, like Leman Russes, were vulnerable.In those first days of the desert war, a typical tank engagement would run something like this: the lead infantry platoons would be advancing in line abreast, directly supported by a Leman Russ. Lying in wait for them would a single small Tau Pathfinder team, well hidden amongst the rocks. They would target the Leman Russ with their Marker Lights, and far to their rear a volley of Seeker Missiles would be launched, locking onto the target tank. The first the Imperial Guard would know about the attack would be the sudden destruction of the tank under multiple missile impacts. Other tanks would move to reinforce, only to come under long-range fire from Railguns as Hammerheads skimmed forwards into range. A long-range exchange of fire would then take place between the armoured vehicles whilst the Imperial Guard infantry pressed forwards. The infantry would be counter-attacked by Fire Warrior units racing forwards in Devilfish transports, dismounting and again engaging at long range with their Pulse Rifles. The Imperial Guardsmen would be outgunned in the infantry firefight, although their squad snipers would achieve some kills with their longer ranged weapons. As the Guardsmen pressed forwards, casualties mounting, they might be able to bring their Heavy Weapon Squads, Mortar batteries or, if a forward observer was present, their heavy artillery to bear. As the Tallarn fire built, the Tau would board their transport vehicles and withdraw rapidly, followed by their Hammerheads. The battlefield would be left in the Imperial Guard’s possession, but at a large cost in tanks and men.