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My body is top-heavy, as my weapon is deadly.

To make my shot count, faith is needed in large amount.

A high profile target I may be, yet the white death never came for me.

When the greater fight broke out, my tardiness can't be bailed out.

So people get bored with my dull thriller, replaced me with the pipe organ and the neckless killer.

What am I ?

Hint #1 (it was a note earlier):

There's trivia from an online video game to elaborate 2nd part of puzzle, so the reference is not from history itself.

Hint #2:

Have you ever seen Fury? This is a spoiler alert from 1941.

Hint #3:

My crew used to call me "Dreadnought", yet I was not made for sailing.

Hint #4:

A elder brother I have, the same feature we shared. Difference? My head.

Update:
- Hint added, make sure to explain the hint in your answer, thank you!
- I've removed the "trivia" tag to avoid misleading.

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  • $\begingroup$ From the title, I thought nkr. Then hint 3 seems to point in a similar direction since that's n xvaq bs thvgne. $\endgroup$ May 10, 2018 at 16:56

5 Answers 5

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You are

The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tank! (specifically, the KV-2 as theRealyumdub said in his answer)

My body is top-heavy, as my weapon is deadly

As Mike Q said in his answer, this describes the layout of a battle tank. Additionally, as theRealyumdub said, due to the large turret proportional to the chassis, it's top heavy.

To make my shot count, faith is needed in large amount

This is the one I'm the least sure of- once again, as Mike Q said, I think it probably refers to computer-assisted targeting. I can't currently find anything about hint #1, but the video game could be the online tank game World of Tanks, which the KV is in.

A high profile target I may be, but the White Death never came for me

The tank's namesake, Kliment Voroshilov was a high-ranking member of the Soviet government, but they were never killed by famous Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä, a.k.a. the White Death. Additionally, as theRealyumdub said, the tank's turret makes it stick out- thusly, making it literally have a "high profile".

When the greater fight broke out, my tardiness can't be bailed out

The KV's main issues were with mobility; it was difficult to steer, had bad transmission, and were so heavy they had difficulty keeping up. Their lack of speed was their main weakness, making their "tardiness" an issue which they never really solved. Additionally, theRealyumdub added that they couldn't turn the gun unless on level ground, and that "bail out" is a reference to the explanation for Hint #2.

So people got bored with my dull thriller, replaced me with the pipe organ and the neckless killer.

As Bass answered, pipe organ refers to Stalin's Organ, or the Katyusha. We weren't able to figure out the neckless killer, but OP placed a comment in rot13 explaining what that was:
"It's actually refers to SU-152, which replaced KV-2 for better armored, better mobility and cheaper solution to destroy targets such as pillboxes."

Hint #2

In the Battle of Raseinai, a KV-2 tank was stopped, and German forces shot at the tank, eventually getting up to it and dropping grenades inside- similar to the events of the movie Fury. theRealyumdub also figured out that "bail out" from earlier can also apply to the soldiers being unable to bail out of the tanks.

Hint #3

Dreadnaught was a nickname used for the KV tanks by Soviet tank operators

Hint #4

I had this one wrong entirely as theRealyumdub pointed out, but he said it is likely the KV-1.

Edit: theRealyumdub's answer brought up details that we did not address- his answer was the technically correct one. I got a fair amount of details wrong, and he saw additional ones that I did not see. While this answer is the one that is apparently getting accepted as correct, I would consider it a joint effort between both, with theRealyumdub being the one who ended up getting the exact answer.

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  • $\begingroup$ I agree sort of, see my answer below. $\endgroup$ May 9, 2018 at 18:44
  • $\begingroup$ It's really hard to pick the correct answer between yours and the other one from theREALyumdub's. Since theREALyumdub had suggested, I decided to take your answer as the right one. Don't forget to edit your answer with his part, making all the accurate explanation available in it, then I will give the correct mark later. Congratulations! $\endgroup$
    – Shane Hsu
    May 10, 2018 at 3:53
  • $\begingroup$ You've hit the mark by a fluke on trivia part, and the "high profile" part... that was really, really unexpected. I was puzzled about how to imply the name of this thing, yet the job have been accidentally done. $\endgroup$
    – Shane Hsu
    May 10, 2018 at 3:54
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    $\begingroup$ @theREALyumdub I edited it as best I can, but I'm currently unable to figure out which game- the computer I'm using is a school-issued one, and doesn't let me go to any site tagged with "Games", which all of the WoT sites I have found so far have. I did the other edits as best I could though. $\endgroup$
    – zanman60
    May 10, 2018 at 15:39
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    $\begingroup$ @ShaneHsu Not really too important, more a comment for another time. Perhaps "So people got bored since I'm a poor player, replaced me with the pipe organ and the beast slayer," since I didn't see too much significance in the first part of the sentence. I think this one was too vague, and the onslaught of clues made it lengthy to answer (and to distinguish from some of the misleading parts). But I enjoyed it, thanks for the puzzle. $\endgroup$ May 11, 2018 at 3:01
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A couple of these hints ring a bell, so against all odds, I'm going to guess

Molotov, or his cocktail.

My body is top-heavy, as my weapon is deadly.

Molotov's name was actually originally an alias, and "molot" is Russian for "hammer", which in it's typical use is a very top heavy tool. The weapon is a Molotov Cocktail, famously used as an anti-tank weapon by the Finns during the Winter War.

To make my shot count, faith is needed in large amount.

You'd typically use spirits and gasoline to make a Molotov Cocktail.

A high profile target I may be, yet the white death never came for me.

Molotov held many of the leading posts of the USSR during the Winter War. The White Death never came after him, despite having hundreds of other confirmed kills as sniper.

When the greater fight broke out, my tardiness can't be bailed out.

Unless I'm mistaken, the Finns would use the Molotov cocktail as an anti-tank weapon, by chucking one in the tank, and closing the exit hatch, so the crew couldn't bail out.

So people get bored with my dull thriller, replaced me with the pipe organ and the neckless killer.

Later on, Molotov was replaced by Stalin, and the Molotov Cocktail went out of fashion, and Stalin's organ became the next weapon named after a Soviet leader. The rockets didn't have necks, unlike the Molotov Cocktail bottles.

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  • $\begingroup$ That's a very clever answer that I have to hold myself from accepting it. However, it is not the one I am looking for. Analysis on 3rd part was correct, as for 5th part, you got the pipe organ, but the neckless killer is another thing. On 4th analysis... I think you put the cart before the horse. $\endgroup$
    – Shane Hsu
    Mar 28, 2018 at 10:28
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I want to preface this by saying that I read zanman60's answer, but it's very slightly different than mine. I somehow did arrive at the conclusion again, I thought it was my own until I went back and saw his... well, here's my justification, although much of it repeats. Consider it in support of zanman60's if you don't think it is distinct.

You are a...

KV2 heavy artillery tank probably, or some other Kliment Voroshilov later model that has the large gun. So not the original KV1, as zanman60 seems to say...

Explanation:

My body is top-heavy, as my weapon is deadly.

The tank has a really big turret on top, disproportionate to its chassis. It's top heavy.

To make my shot count, faith is needed in large amount.

Not sure and the OP says it is obscure, but it could have had a recoil problem or something related, so that it was difficult to fire. It should be noted the KV tanks were not "ergonomic," so it was hard to see where to shoot.

A high profile target I may be, yet the white death never came for me.

The tank is high-profile, because of its large turret (in other words, it sticks out). As explained in Bass's answer, the White Death is not a reference to Tuberculosis (which is what I thought at first,) but an extremely deadly sniper. He didn't target tanks. It could also be you are referring to the fact it is named after Kliment Vorishov, a high-profile politician in the Stalin era of Russia.

When the greater fight broke out, my tardiness can't be bailed out.

The tanks were effective, but very slow. They also couldn't turn the gun, except on level ground, because of the very large howitzer gun. They were expensive to produce and useful when the Germans couldn't pierce their armor, but they got wise fast during the invasion. What do I mean by that? See the second hint's explanation below, where operators couldn't "bail out."

So people get bored with my dull thriller, replaced me with the pipe organ and the neckless killer.

So the Russians got new tanks, because they couldn't fight with the KV2 after the beginning of the invasion of Russia. zanman60 explains this some, where the "pipe organ" is not original to his post and represents the Katyusha rocket launcher (mounted on trucks, I suppose). I'm not sure about the "neckless killer," and google is utterly baffled by the phrase. I would argue that it could refer to the T34, which replaced this tank in later battles. zanman60 can't be right that this is the "elder brother" in the fourth hint, because it was made after the KV1 and KV2 tanks were shown to operate poorly in battle.

Hints: (on par with zanman60's, for the most part)

First hint

I'm not sure what the video game is, World of Tanks is as good as any @zanman60. It sounds obscure, as the OP tells it.

Second hint

In the battle of Raseiniai in 1941, exactly the situation described in the molotov answer occurred where tank operators couldn't "bail out" after German's threw grenades into their tank. Specifically, there was a skirmish with an extremely deadly KV2 tank, likely taking over 24 hours, where the tank finally met its end in this way. This is also a similar situation to the ending scene of the movie Fury, although the tank in that movie was not a KV tank, and the movie is set near the end of the war (well after 1941). So actually, this is a bit misleading also.

Third hint

This is accurate. This hint and the fact it's a tank were enough to get the solution from a google search. So I feel justifying this one is somehow backwards. See the blurb from wikipedia for the citation.

Fourth hint

The brother is older, so a tank produced before the KV2. Likely the KV1, which has a totally different turret mounted on it, which is much smaller. Therefore, the difference really is the "head." So I suppose I just flipped the two other tanks in zanman60's answer... but this makes a bit more sense I should think.

As my final support, see these two blurbs from Wikipedia.

A heavy assault tank with the M-10 152 mm howitzer, the KV-2 was produced at the same time as the KV-1. Due to the size of its heavy turret and gun, the KV-2 was slower and had a much higher profile than the KV-1. ... Few were produced due to its combat ineffectiveness, mainly the decreased speed due to the weight of the new gun and turret. Due to an increase in turret weight from the expanded dimensions and a heavier gun, the turret traverse mechanism could work only on level ground. (KV2 tank description).

Second blurb, a caption of a picture.

The KV-2 heavy artillery tank's 152 mm howitzer was housed in an enormous turret. This prototype differs from the production version in several ways. It was called the Dreadnought by its crews.

I have to admit, I really came about this answer by seeing the type of answers that were supported (including the "pipe organ") and more or less googling that with the third hint. Seems like we'd have had to know a lot of history otherwise...

Because so much of my answer is the same as zanman60's, if this was the technically correct answer, he should most definitely get the bounty.

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  • $\begingroup$ Not sure how much you got influenced by zanman60's answer, still you got the correct one. In the "high profile" part, your explaination are more accurate than the zanman60s'. rot13("Juvgr Qrngu" naq "terngre svtug" ner npghnyyl fgnaq sbe gur svefg & frpbaq onggyr gung guvf tvnag unq wbvarq erfcrpgviryl.) Also, the link between "bail out" part and 2nd hint was truly briliant. Remember to check the comment I leave below zanman60's answer for "neckless killer". $\endgroup$
    – Shane Hsu
    May 10, 2018 at 3:54
  • $\begingroup$ It was hard to find proper material to build up this riddle and giving hints, and I have to say that those blurb was one part of them, nice work! $\endgroup$
    – Shane Hsu
    May 10, 2018 at 3:55
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It seems like you are describing some sort of

military tank, possibly a specific model

My body is top-heavy, as my weapon is deadly.

Describes the basic two-section layout of a battle tank: a lower hull (armor, engine, wheels) and an upper turret. The turret can usually rotate, and has a heavy, cannon-like gun barrel.

To make my shot count, faith is needed in large amount.

I don't know what game is being referenced in hint #1. But before computer-assisted targeting, tank engineers would struggle with wind speed and other environmental hazards. The gun fires in an arc, and they needed to predict the correct trajectory to hit a target they probably couldn't see.

A high profile target I may be, yet the white death never came for me.

Tanks are powerful weapons, which makes them priority targets during warfare. This hint may be referencing Simo Häyhä, a.k.a the "White Death", a WW2 sniper who famously killed several hundred human targets (but is not famous for destroying tanks).

When the greater fight broke out, my tardiness can't be bailed out.

Tanks and other heavy artillery are important in military strategy. They're historically clunky and slow, therefore during a war ("greater fight") the generals need to make sure they reach their destination on time.

So people get bored with my dull thriller, replaced me with the pipe organ and the neckless killer.

Unsure because tanks are still in use today, although they have been upgraded significantly over the past century. "Pipe organ" could be a metaphor for controlling weapons remotely while sitting at a computer station. If the tank's cannon is its "head", then a "neckless" killer could be describing a personal-scale heavy weapon, like a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

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  • $\begingroup$ You're on the right track. rot13("Juvgr Qrngu" vf npghnyyl vzcylvat na rirag ur ratntrq va. "Gur tengre svtug" pnzr nsgre gur sbezre, ohg abg ba Svaaf' crefcrpgvir. Bu, gurer jnf fbzr xvaq bs gnax jvgubhg gheerg, juvpu zrnaf gurl ner "arpxyrff".) $\endgroup$
    – Shane Hsu
    Apr 17, 2018 at 7:39
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A Trebuchet

My body is top-heavy, as my weapon is deadly.

A trebuchet in ready to fire position had its weights lifted high

To make my shot count, faith is needed in large amount.

Aiming medieval and ancient siege weapons was not very reliable

A high profile target I may be, yet the white death never came for me.

Trebuchets are BIG and TALL

When the greater fight broke out, my tardiness can't be bailed out.

Setting up and dismantling a trebuchet takes too long in case of direct fighting

So people get bored with my dull thriller, replaced me with the pipe organ and the neckless killer.

Replaced by cannons and bombs

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  • $\begingroup$ Well, sorry, not even close, and apparently you didn't put hints into consideration. I suggest to check answer from @Mike Q, whose reply is by far the closest one. $\endgroup$
    – Shane Hsu
    May 9, 2018 at 1:01

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