The Templin Institute has never been exactly
secretive about our love for tanks. But in this economy, it’s just not practical to drive
one on your daily commute, believe us, we’ve tried. Thankfully, the sponsor of this video has
the solution. War Thunder is an online military vehicle combat game featuring an arsenal of more
than 2000 playable tanks, aircraft, helicopters and warships from 10 different nations You can
take part in enormous combined arms warfare on over 100 battlefields spanning over a century of
military development, from the 1920s all the way to the modern era. And as a stickler for realism,
I’m particularly impressed by War Thunder’s detailed and immersive damage model. There are
few feelings as immensely satisfying as putting an APHE round directly in the driver’s viewport of
some poor sucker’s tank. But the best part is, War Thunder is completely free to play: whether
on PC, Xbox Series X or S, the Playstation 5 or the previous console generation. And with cross
platform play, there’s no issue commanding a squadron of tanks, planes, or ships with your
friends and 50,000,000 other players. Which is exactly what I’ll be doing 1 hour after this
video goes live over on our Twitch channel. The Primarchs were the greatest
creations of the Emperor of Man. Twenty engineered sons, in whom each
the dream of their father was carried. They were bred to be perfect warriors,
generals, diplomats and statesmen, and each would find in the Imperium of Man a
distinct role for which they were uniquely suited. Leman Russ, the Great Wolf, would
find his calling… as an executioner. How one primarch might have fared against another
in battle has always been a captivating field of study bordering on heresy. There can be little
doubt however that Leman Russ was amongst the finest warriors to ever serve the Emperor and
his Imperium. On his ancient homeworld of Fenris, tales are told of how as a young man, he single
handedly defeated entire armies of rival kings, while the Imperium still rejoices in victories
Russ achieved during the Great Crusade. It is incontrovertible that untold numbers
of heretics, xenos and demons fell to Russ’s great weapons; “Mjalnar, the Sword of
Balenight”, the murderous “Axe of Helwinter”, or the masterly crafted bolter “Scornspitter”.
Yet even if every tale is true, and tens of millions were vanquished by Russ alone, this
grim tally is nothing, wholly insignificant, compared to the toll taken on the enemies of
mankind by the machine that now bears his name. For though the Great Wolf
vanished over ten millennia ago, the terrible work he performed as executioner
continues in the Leman Russ Main Battle Tank. The most ubiquitous armored fighting
vehicle within Imperial service, the Leman Russ can be found on nearly every
battlefield across the galaxy. It has become famed for its versatility, fulfilling a wide variety
of roles in every imaginable environment. Though primarily deployed by the Astra Militarum, and
the Planetary Defense Forces of individual worlds, it is not unheard of for Leman Russ tanks to be
operated by other Imperial institutions. Elements of the Adeptus Astartes, Adeptus Mechanicus,
Militarum Tempestus, Legio Cybernetica, Adepta Sororitas, and Adeptus Arbites have all
been known to make use of the vehicle, either in special circumstances, or as a permanent fixture
in their operating forces. The Space Wolves Chapter in particular was once known to have
once maintained a fleet of Leman Russ variants. This was a violation of the Codex Astartes
that goverenered their military structure, but one overlooked to allow the sons of Leman Russ
himself to utilize the namesake of their primarch. In a notable stain on the vehicle's honor, Leman
Russ tanks are also commonly appropriated by forces hostile to the Imperium. Its pervasiveness
across the galaxy has ensured that it is routinely seized by heretics and traitors, or xenos backed
cults that have overthrown Imperial worlds. The Tau Empire is known to make use of the
tank within its human auxiliary forces, dutifully maintaining vehicles obtained from
defecting Imperial units and planets. The Orks likewise maintain a great love for the tank,
salvaging wrecks or “liberating” Imperial vehicles whenever possible. These latter tanks are
inevitably modified with bizarre additions or alterations heavily degrading
the vehicles overall performance. Much of the success found by the Leman Russ tank
is owed to its comparatively simple design and ease of operation. 7.08 meters long, 4.86 wide,
4.42 in height and weighing roughly 60 tonnes, the vehicle is one of the smaller and more
compact designs of its type within Imperial service. It can be operated by a crew of four,
with a commander, driver, main gunner and loader. Its primary weapon is a 120mm smoothbore cannon,
with a secondary hull-mounted lascannon or heavy bolter mounted on the vehicles forward hull. Its
plasteel armor is between 100 and 200mm thick, with protection prioritized on the vehicle's
turret and front at the expense of its flanks and rear. With a properly tuned engine, a Leman
Russ can attain speeds of roughly 70km an hour, though in most cases 30km/h is
considered a more reliable top speed. In either case, it is capable of using
almost any combustible liquid or fuel, with a range of roughly 170 terran kilometers. Auspex
multi-scanners and inertial dampening technology allow the vehicle to fire accurately, even
while moving quickly across unfavorable terrain. While these specifications represent
the standard model of Leman Russ tank, it is impossible to know how many in service
have actually been built to this standard. As with all materiel produced in such
enormous numbers within the Imperium, there are significant variations in output
from world to world or even factory to factory. There is no aspect of a Leman Russ that might
not be changed to take advantage of readily available local resources, or circumvent ongoing
shortages. In the same way, the methods by which the vehicles are produced can drastically affect
their final condition and attributes. A Leman Russ tank constructed by a rudimentary factory on a
primitive Feudal World, might be unrecognizable when compared to those manufactured by designated
Forge Worlds of the Adeptus Mechicanus. As a consequence, every production line features
its own unique quirks and eccentricities. Most of these are merely cosmetic, while some can deeply
affect the performance of the vehicle itself. 33 patterns are recognized by the Adeptus
Mechanicus, but the true number is certainly far higher and potentially in the tens of
thousands. Mars-Alpha Pattern Leman Russ tanks are known to have a slightly larger chassis,
allowing for greater crew comfort and additional communications equipment. Solar Patterns by
contrast were first built for the ancient Solar Auxilia regiments of the Imperial Army, and fitted
with greater survival and exploration systems. It is the alternation of the tank’s armament
however, that has resulted in the majority of Leman Russ Variants. These are typically
designated within Imperial service by an affix applied to the Leman Russ name. Among
the most common is the Leman Russ Demolisher, replacing its standard issue 120mm cannon with a
larger-bore, but shorter ranged howitzer intended to destroy fortified positions. The Punisher is an
anti-infantry tank, with a single turret mounted gatling cannon, while the rarer Vanquisher is
equipped with a longer barreled anti-tank cannon. Leman Russ Incinerators, Huntsman, Exterminators, Eradicators, Annihilators and hundreds
of other variants are all less common, specializing in everything from tank-hunting
to the eradication of macro-predators. Other prominent variations include heavy
bolter or flamer weapon sponsons to either side of the vehicle, increasing its crew to
6 though severely limiting their ability to evacuate the tank during an emergency. Less
obvious alterations might be the addition or removal of track guards, auger arrays,
dozer blades, searchlights, minesweepers, single use hunter-killer missiles, or pintle
mounted small arms or light weapons. Furthermore, Leman Russ tanks are consistently given field
modifications by their respective crews, often forms of local camouflage
or supplementary improvised armor. The enormous number of Leman Russ variants,
the disparity across its production lines, and the diverse threats it is expected to
confront, makes the overall effectiveness of the vehicle difficult to ascertain. On most
battlefields it has developed a reputation as reliable and adaptable, resilient even in
the face of the most powerful enemy weaponry while delivering fearsome firepower in return. Here even a single Leman Russ can provide an
enormous boost in morale to its accompanying infantry. In other theaters, it is widely
despised as a cumbersome, slow vehicle whose prominent silhouette makes it an easy target and
more of a danger to its own crew than the enemy. Generally, the Imperium has found the Leman
Russ to be effective in most conditions and it continues to fulfill a key role within
Imperial strategy and capabilities. When possible, it is most successful when part of a mechanized
vanguard advancing across open terrain, or when supported by infantry or other vehicles
in less favorable battlefield conditions. A Leman Russ will ultimately only be as
effective as its accompanying elements. The Leman Russ has been in continuous production
and operation for over 10,000 years and predates the foundation of the Imperium itself. It was
likely developed at some point in the Dark Age of Technology and then lost during the Age
of Strife that followed. It was rediscovered by the Space Wolves Legion in their liberation
of Nova Borilia, a xenos infested Hive World. The vehicle’s specifications were included in
the surviving fragments of an ancient Standard Template Construct, or STC. Grateful to have
this piece of lost knowledge returned to them, the Mechanicum of Mars honored the Space Wolves
by naming the tank for their Primarch; Leman Russ. Despite unfounded rumors that the design had in
fact been that of ancient agricultural equipment, the Leman Russ Main Battle Tank found immediate
success at the forefront of the Great Crusade. It was used by both the loyalists and traitors
during the Horus Heresy, and has been present in every war fought by the Imperium across the
millennia that followed. Leman Russ tanks roared across the wastes of Armageddon and the killing
fields of Vraks. They scoured the surface of a 1000 worlds during the Macharian Crusade and
endured the heavy toll of the Sabbat Worlds. They have dueled with the eldritch machines
of the Drukhari and stood firm against the endless swarms of the Tyranid hive fleets. There
is no foe they have not met in battle and spoken to the enemy in the words of the Great Wolf
himself: “Here I am and here shall I die.” Thanks again to War Thunder for sponsoring our
investigation into the Leman Russ Main Battle Tank. Use the link in the description to download
War Thunder on your platform of your choice. And one hour after this video goes
live, we’ll be streaming War Thunder on our Twitch Channel. We’d love to get a
Templin Institute regiment up and running, so hop in your tank of choice, and
we’ll see you on the battlefield.
