WARNO News

SOUTHAG Delay plus RP11 Low Countries' Lions #1

Hello!

Get ready for some important news with today’s DevBlog; specifically in regard to the (late) delivery of WARNO - SOUTHAG.

And we don’t come empty-handed. As an apology of sorts, we will deliver a free Reinforcement Pack to feature two new NATO divisions in the near future.

Lots to explain, so let’s dive in straight away.

[h2]WARNO - SOUTHAG Delays[/h2]
Well, well, well, Eugen meets again its nemesis: the wickedest of all… time! Yes, we know, this is not the first moment that we encountered delays with one of our projects. The road of game development can be long, complex, and quite bumpy.

As we have wrestled with hiccups or changes in schedule before, a disclaimer of sorts: Eugen is a small, dedicated, independent game studio with a hard-working team that does their damndest to get everything out the door as soon as possible. However, game dev involves delays, things not working out, other issues, bugs, etc., which means that we can’t always deliver what we promised on time. Such is the case with WARNO - SOUTHAG.

We originally announced that WARNO expansion would be delivered by Q2 of 2025 (meaning April to June). Clearly, we have not made this deadline. WARNO - SOUTHAG is delayed, though we are working very hard to get the new expansion into your hands as soon as possible.

Of course, we want to make up for this. You know Eugen, we might not be able to deliver on time, but we do owe up. As an “apology” to our community, and to make sure there is not too much restless waiting, we will release the already announced Reinforcement Pack #10, that is the new map Eiche, but also extra content in the the form of a Reinforcement Pack #11.

[h2]Reinforcement Pack #11[/h2]
A little bit more detail: Reinforcement Pack #11 contains two divisions with a host of new units. These were chiefly made for WARNO - NORTHAG: some only featured in our Army General campaigns, others had remained unused for they fitted neither AG not our multiplayer division. On top of that, we fleshed the divisions with some new models build purposedly for this RP.
This particular offering would have been, somewhat unfairly, overlooked had we put them through a Nemesis vote. At the same time, due to the content and theme, being able to offer them as a free Reinforcement Pack #11 makes now even more sense!

So, what are you going to get?

[h2]RP #11 - Low Countries’ Lions[/h2] Reinforcement Pack #11 will be called Low Countries’ Lions and will feature two (yup) NATO divisions: the Dutch Commando Legerkorpsachtergebied (or CLKA), and the Belgian Division Mobilisation (or DivMob). As you can see, two NATO rear-area formations with a rather interesting make-up and plenty of unique equipment. The name stems from the fact that the Netherlands and Belgium both share the Leo Belgicus in their coat of arms.

For the Dutch CLKA, you’ll get among other things the new in-game YP-408 series of APC, the Dutch trademark Cold War workhorse, which was in real life retired in 1989, just before our war scenario. In our alternative history, they would have been passed to another “lesser active” unit and seen the light within this battlegroup. Although a rear-area command, this division doesn't rely as extensively on reservists as other similar ones.

As for the Belgian DivMob, a treasure trove of original weaponry awaits. Belgium might not have been the most modernly equipped NATO ally, but it has a special profile among Western armies: it didn’t throw anything away. Much like the Soviets, the Belgians kept hundreds of armored vehicles, APCs, SPGs, and even tanks in storage. This new division will give them plenty of opportunity to shine.

We will highlight first the Belgian DivMob today, and the Dutch CLKA later this week.

[h2]The DivMob’s Historical Background[/h2]
The Belgian Division Mobilisation, or in-game the DivMob, was an administrative - not field - command of the Belgian Armed Forces. All mobilized troops and equipment would be processed through this formation before final assignment to an active unit.

While the Dutch CLKA is a rear-area command in the field, the DivMob is instead a division created from interior troops, used in the case of an enemy breakthrough of NATO’s main line of defense. This formation would also have been deployed if the communists had ever invaded Belgian territory or dropped airborne troops over the country.

In this way, the DivMob acted as a divisional headquarters and commanded a combat group from Belgium’s Interior Forces, which included:

9x Territorial regiments, forming the core of the DivMob.
3x Regular light infantry regiments, acting as interior mobile reserves.
4x Engineer battalions, plus independent companies.
Reservists.
Gendarmes, including the Royal Belgian Gendarmerie’s armored squadron.
Heavy AA and artillery units.
Lots of other equipment in storage, some of it coming out of long-term warehouses. This ranges from APCs, self-propelled guns, and tanks, all of which are to be manned by reservists.

Ultimately, although fielding older equipment, the DivMob is a mechanized formation at more levels than its active field-duty combat division counterparts.

[h2]The DivMob in WARNO[/h2]
How will the DivMob look like in WARNO - SOUTHAG? New units are both italic and bolded. Some units are new to this nation, but can be found with NATO in other armies. The following might be subject to change.

LOG
A good category, as can be expected from this type of division.

For supplies, you can deploy an FOB, the (new to this nation) UNIMOG S404 LOG, and heavy VOLVO N10 LOG. supply trucks, as well as the few Belgian Navy's SEA KING supply helicopters, deploying in their cool-looking livery.
Command units include the ILTIS PC jeep, as well as the armored (new) AMX-13 MOD.56 PC and M75 PC. The former is the command variant of the French AMX-13 VCI APC, while the latter is a heavy American APC from the Korean War, the first of a family that will spawn the M59 and M113 later on.

INF
A very good category, with the DivMob having all the hallmarks of an infantry division.

The core of the battlegroup will be formed by PROVINCIAUX, Belgian territorial troops. These are 12-strong squads equipped with FAL, 1x FALO and an M20 Super Bazooka, plus the Reservist trait. They come in either trucks or M75 AIV with a .50 cal machine gun. The CMDT PROVINCIAUX is the leader variant, being a 10-strong squad with 4x PM Vigneron, 5x FAL, 1x FALO and smoke grenades, with the same Reservist trait and transport option.
To keep the reservists in check, PREVOTE in ILTIS and ROVER PREVOTE (with Military Police trait) and blue-dressed GENDARMES, 10-strong with PM Vigneron, FAL and 2x FALO and the Military Police trait are available. Aside from trucks, the latter unit can deploy in two dedicated Military Police vehicles: the VW T3 GENDARMERIE minivan and BDX Irish-made APC, armed with 2x MAG machine guns.
The combat engineer battalions are represented as the PIONIER (regular, RL-83 recoilless rifle, and leader variants), the same as the Belgian 16de Pantserdivisie (part of WARNO - NORTHAG), in softskin vehicles or AMX-13 MOD.56 VCI APCs.
To represent the three regular light infantry regiments, we used the CHASSEURS ARDENNAIS (even though in real-life, they only amount to one of the three regiments) primarily for their World War I and World War II fame… and their cool looks. These are 8-man strong squads, with FNC, 2x MAG and LAW, plus the Security trait, deployable in trucks. Their CMDT CHASSEURS ARDENNAIS leader variant are 4-strong with 3x FNC, 1x scoped Model 30-11, a Blindicide RL-83 and smoke grenades, with access to both trucks or the AIFV-B-50.
The RES. PARA-COMMANDO represents the depot's 4th (Reserve) Para-Commando Bataillon, which wasn’t featured in the MNAD battlegroup (of WARNO - NORTHAG) as was the rest of the regiment. As reserve paratroopers, this unit doesn’t receive the Reservist trait, to reflect the higher standards of training, but does lose the Shock trait of their more active counterparts. This unit is an 8-strong squad with FNC, 2x FALO and Blindicide RL-100, plus the Airborne trait's Forward Deployment. They can deploy in UNIMOG UI350L or UNIMOG UI350L PARA. trucks.
Support units featured are MAG 7,62mm, MILAN 1, and PARA. MILAN 2.

ART
Very good, with lots of guns, and plenty of self-propelled guns in storage. This category is also not too expensive, with a good number of slots.

Ranked: Season 3 begins now!

Hello Commanders,

Season 3 begins now! The Ranked leaderboard resets, opening the way for everyone to compete for the top. With the launch of this new season, you discover a new maps pool, bringing fresh tactical opportunities to every match.

[h2]Top 20 Players of Season 2[/h2]
Here are the elite players who dominated last season:

★10MIN Skiffik
Mix '90
DD1883
W'lаstаr
#US Ben Dover
最坏柏林使用者
StoBez
⁧Skate
PRO_KOMMYHUCT
Nocturna
centerfold
Honey Kumiss
Griffon_65
★10MIN Jokertard
SnowWolfie
Fortitude Fence
Belarus Border Service
最不好的79使用者
stop fish
MONKEY

Congratulations to all of you for your outstanding performance!

[h2]Want to see your Season 2 ranking?[/h2]
The complete leaderboard remains available through the following link.
[h3]WARNO LEADERBOARD RANKED SEASON 2[/h3]
You will be able to see all the players of the season as well as their detailed statistics (Elo, Winrate, Games on NATO or PACT).
So feel free to check it out!

[h2]Season 3 Map Pool[/h2]
This season, you fight on these maps:

Airport
Black Forest
Vertigo
Kreide
MountRiver
Urban Frontlines
Two_lakes
Ohmen

Each map brings its own challenges, master them to climb the ranks! Reminder: the maps were voted on by the community, right here

The competition is open. Sharpen your tactics, explore the new maps pool, and show us what you’re made of.

Good luck, and see you on the battlefield!

SOUTHAG Army General #2 - Closing the Trap

Hello all!

In today’s DevBlog, we’ll look at the second Army General campaign to ship with WARNO - SOUTHAG: Closing the Trap.

Let’s go!

[h2]WARNO - SOUTHAG’s Strategic Situation[/h2]
As we mentioned in the DevBlog detailing the first Army General campaign - Holding Attack - the situation on the southern reaches of the front is relatively quiet compared to the heavier battles fought in CENTAG and NORTHAG. Some perfunctory Warsaw Pact attacks are easily contained, and while NATO re-institutes SOUTHAG, bringing ever more reinforcements, a plan is concocted to strike the communists where it is easy to regain the strategic initiative.

After beating back a Soviet-Czechoslovakian attack at Nuremberg, the NATO allies begin a campaign to first fix the Czechoslovak 1st Army in place (Holding Attack). The second phase of this campaign aims to attack across the flank of the Warsaw Pact - briefly breaking through the neutral borders of Austria - before taking the fight to the Czechoslovakians on their own territory. And this second phase of the strategic counter-attack is depicted in the Closing the Trap Army General campaign.

[h2]WARNO - SOUTHAG’s Closing the Trap[/h2]
The Closing the Trap campaign takes place after the Holding Attack campaign, but before the Hydra Operation. The West German II Korps, strengthened by the 1st Canadian Division, successfully engages and fixes as many Czechoslovak 1st Army units as possible along the Iron Curtain. With the communist attention in one place, NATO plays the ace up its sleeve.

NATO takes a gamble, and breaches briefly Austrian neutrality (despite the latter's official and vehemently issued complaints), surging its mobile French and Spanish task forces in a surprise move against the Czechoslovak flank. They brush aside second-rate Warsaw Pact units that guarded the supposedly calm sector.

Having outflanked the Czechoslovak 1st Army, on the defensive roughly following the Iron Curtain, NATO plays to win: they intend to race from south to north, parallel to the frontier, in order to encircle the whole of the Czechoslovak 1st Army before they can pull out from the West German-Canadian stranglehold. To speed things along, NATO drops the French 11e Division Parachutiste in two separate battlegroups, which aim to seize key crossroads in the rear and then - as the famous saying goes - “hold until relieved” by allied ground forces.

NATO’s daring mission on a strategic level is to link the two paratrooper pockets with the ground units quickly. If this is successful, the Czechoslovak 1st Army is effectively surrounded. Of course, the communists see the danger and rush in substantial reinforcements in a desperate bid to relieve their almost besieged friendly forces.

[previewyoutube](insérer vidéo Closing The Trap / Chaudron)[/previewyoutube]

[h2]The Campaign Itself[/h2]
As with Holding Attack some of the divisions involved in this Army General campaign can be played in multiplayer, while others are only featured in the campaign itself.

[h2]NATO[/h2]
On NATO’s side, we have a mix of French FAR (Force d'Action Rapide) and II. (FR) Corps, the Spanish Brunete armored division and elements from the West German II Korps.

The 6e Division Légère Blindée (a multiplayer division, featured in this DevBlog). The FAR’s tip of the spear, this division will be at the forefront of the offensive. As mentioned in previous DevBlogs, French Cold War divisions were notably smaller than other NATO ones, and this will clearly show in this Army General campaign. This French division will field about half the number of battalions compared to American or West German divisions, though these formations will be well-equipped and powerful on the battlefield.
The 4e Division Aéromobile. Among the already small French formations, this division is the smallest of them all, with just four battalions. This means it amounts to barely a brigade size by NATO standards. This French division fields three combat helicopter regiments (Gazelles) and an (oversized) airmobile infantry regiment.
The II (FR) Corps provides the French 3e Hussards (a powerful AMX-10RC recon regiment) and the 53e Régt. d'Artillerie (Roland) formations, acting in support of this spearhead. Each amounts to a single battalion.
The 5e Division Blindée (already in-game), also coming from II (FR) Corps. This French division follows closely behind, bringing some much-needed firepower, but only appearing later as reinforcements. This formation is larger than the 6e Division Légère Blindée, but still only features about two-thirds of the battalions of a similar NATO division.
Split in two pockets, the 11e Division Parachutiste holds the objectives from the start. The closest group of paratroopers threatens Plzeň and is sure to attract the enemy's full attention. It contains the airborne division’s professional regiments (2e REP, 8e RPIMa, 1er RHP, etc.) and is very solid in its defensive capabilities. The second group, further away, holds the reservist units and the HQ, and while in less immediate danger, will have to hold out longer before being able to be relieved.
More reinforcements will become available as the Army General campaign progresses, but you’ll have to choose between them: either the 24. Panzerbrigade (from 1. Gebirgs-Division, linking the French-Spanish enveloping troops with II. Korps across the border) or two Spanish brigades from the División Mecanizada «Brunete» n.º 1 (as previewed in this DevBlog here). The former brings a few hard-hitting Leopard 2 tanks, backed by Panzergrenadiers; the latter features lighter battalions equipped with the M113 and AMX-30E.

[h2]Warsaw Pact[/h2]
On the communist side, we have elements from both the Czechoslovak 1st and 2nd Army, plus some welcome reinforcements from the Soviet Group of Central Forces. At the start of the campaign, the Warsaw Pact’s troops on the ground are isolated forces from several dispersed formations, trying to establish roadblocks in front of those pesky Frenchmen rushing the battlefield from all directions: the south, the rear, the sky.

Directly facing the French onslaught from the south is a single battered Czechoslovak regiment from the 2nd Army’s 3. Motostřelecká Divize. Isolated from its parent formation further south, this regiment has been pushed back towards the 1st Army and is the main obstacle between the French and the first paratrooper pocket.
From the west, and thus the 1st Army’s direction, several individual - at times reinforced - regiments from divisions that call this army home (2. Motostřelecká Divize in the south, and the 20. Motostřelecká Divize in the north) have managed to extricate themselves from the West German and Canadian advance. They are either trying to contain NATO’s threat on their back, or recapture the crossroads held by the paratroopers.
In Plzeň itself, a motley combat group made up of security troops, elite paratroopers, SAM anti-air units, and 19. Motostřelecká Divize elements hold the town. These forces have prevented a successful coup de main from the French paratroopers.
Spread across various villages on the campaign map, a few security battalions can be used (or some say, sacrificed) to slow down the French advance. They could also be deployed to reinforce the individual regiments battling NATO in isolation.

Salvation for the Czechoslovakians will less likely come from inside, but rather from outside friendly units. Powerful reinforcements have been sent to the front by the Warsaw Pact, arriving in force from the east to break the encirclement.

The Czechoslovak 9. Tanková Divize. Being the best of the 2nd Army, this division is roughly similar to the 1. Tanková Divize (which we previewed here). This particular formation arrives from the east, heading straight towards Plzeň. However, it won’t arrive immediately, so the few locally available troops need to hold out until this armored battlegroup arrives.
Shortly after the above, the Soviet 15-ya Tank. Diviziya will enter the battlefield, this time from further north. This particular division is equipped with T-72A and BMP-1s.

[h2]It is a race[/h2]
The Closing the Trap campaign is a race. For NATO, the main aim is to rush and encircle the entire Czechoslovak 1st Army before it can escape or be rescued. The opposite is true for the Warsaw Pact: they need to break out the 1st Army as soon as possible.

If you have read closely, you might have realized it isn’t a race in exactly the same direction, but instead, at a 90-degree angle: NATO’s effort goes from south to north, while the Warsaw Pact races from east to west, in their effort to reopen communications with the 1st Army.

Both sides’ offensive movements within the campaign will intersect, usually around the two French paratrooper pockets. Neither NATO nor Warsaw Pact reinforcements are forced to take a straight line, so the big clash might happen anywhere on the campaign map.

If Holding Attack was mostly a West German/Canadian and Czechoslovakian affair, Closing the Trap gives prominence to the French and Czechoslovaks (again), with a beefier supporting role for Spanish and West German troops, and the Soviets for the communists.

[h2]WARNO - SOUTHAG Expansion In Short[/h2] WARNO - SOUTHAG is WARNO’s second expansion after WARNO - NORTHAG and showcases the fighting in southern West Germany near the Alps and on the Czechoslovakian frontier.

In the southern reaches of Germany, the Warsaw Pact with the Soviet Central Group of Forces, bolstered by the communist Czechoslovakians, battles against a counter-attacking NATO SOUTHAG command led by France, with American, West German, Canadian, and reinforcing Spanish troops.

2 new Army General campaigns, including Holding Attack.
4 new Operations, such as Delayed Retribution, Glory or AttritionHydra
10 new Divisions, featuring Canada, Spain, and Czechoslovakia as new nations. These include NATO’s 1st Canadian Division, the Spanish División Mecanizada «Brunete» n.º 1, the French 6e Division Blindée Légère and Division du Rhin, plus the West German 1. Luftlandedivision. The Warsaw Pact features the Czechoslovakian 1. Tanková Divize, 19. Motostřelecká Divize, and 303. Tanková Divize, while the Soviet Central Group of Forces deploys the 31-ya Tankovaya Diviziya and the 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya.
New voice acting.
New units and models.

[h2]Until Next Week[/h2]
As always, we’ll be back with another WARNO DevBlog in the near future!

Don’t forget the vibrant WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, YouTube or our Instagram.

See you on the battlefield, commanders.

SOUTHAG Army General #1 - Holding Attack

Hello commanders!

At long last, in today’s DevBlog, we will be able to share the very first (of two) Army General campaigns to be featured in WARNO - SOUTHAG.

What do we have in store for you with Army General’s Holding Attack?

Let’s find out!

[h2]WARNO - SOUTHAG’s Strategic Situation[/h2]
To recap: in WARNO - SOUTHAG, the Warsaw Pact sees the southern stretch of the Iron Curtain, from the CENTAG to the border with Austria, mainly as a secondary effort. The Czechoslovakian People’s Army (ČSLA) attacks across the frontier, into West Germany, but doesn’t advance much. The dallying communists are more than happy to fix local NATO units in place.

This gives NATO a chance to reform SOUTHAG under French command, and bring in reinforcements from its allies, including forward-deployed Canadian units, and mobile forces from Spain. It is a risky move, as in the north, the Warsaw Pact seems poised to break through.

[previewyoutube](insérer vidéo AG08_Fixation)[/previewyoutube]

Another opportunity is presented when the Soviet Group of Central forces opens up a new offensive axis towards Nuremberg, which gets crushed by a combined West German and American task force. This puts the communists in this theatre of war on the back heel.

Meanwhile, SOUTHAG command is cooking up a storm, and NATO plans to take the fight to the Warsaw Pact. This strategic counter-offensive will be the focus of WARNO - SOUTHAG’s two Army General campaigns. It will be played out in two distinct phases, of which the first is Holding Attack.

[h2]WARNO - SOUTHAG’s Holding Attack[/h2] Holding Attack is, chronologically, the first of the two Army General campaigns. In it, we focus on the West German and Canadian divisions fixing the Czechoslovak People’s Army’s 1st Army in front of Plzeň.

The Army General campaign will feature a number of divisions already presented as multiplayer-capable battlegroups. However, Army General will also contain some campaign-only divisions.

NATO
On NATO’s side, you get to play with:

The 4.Panzergrenadier-Division is situated on the northern part of the Army General battlefield. This is a standard Bundeswehr Panzergrenadier division.
The 1. Luftlande-Division (as previewed in this DevBlog) holds the center. It is here that the terrain of Holding Attack is the most rugged. This formation also acts as a link between NATO’s two main mechanized divisions. The 1. Luftlande contains a very useful airmobile infantry battalion, which can be used as a mobile projection force.
The 10. Panzerdivision in the south, but still assembling. This means one of the division’s panzerbrigades has yet to arrive at the start of the Army General campaign. While the German II. Korps in SOUTHAG was the only one to be assigned a single Panzerdivision, this particular formation was special in the way it was the first to be entirely equipped with Leopard 2A4 across its three brigades. This makes it the most powerful Panzerdivisions of the Bundeswehr in the late 1980s.
The 1st Canadian Division, likewise, isn’t deployed at the beginning of the campaign, instead expected later as reinforcements. The formation includes the 4 CMBG (the powerful brigade deployed in West Germany), the 5 GBMC (the light air-transportable brigade from Quebec), as well as the 1 CMBG (a reservist brigade arriving last). The Canadian CF-188 squadrons are available as air support from the start.

Warsaw Pact
For the communists, from north to south, the following divisions will be available:

The 2. Motostřelecká Divize, which is a typical ČSLA motorized infantry division, modeled along Soviet lines.
The 19. Motostřelecká Divize (as previewed in a previous DevBlog).
The 20. Motostřelecká Divize, in the same vein as the formations mentioned above.
The 1. Tanková Divize (as previewed in this DevBlog) isn't deployed at the start, only arriving later as reinforcements from the east.

The three Motostřelecká divisions follow roughly the same structure with the 2. Motostřelecká Divize and the 20. Motostřelecká Divize featuring one BMP-1 and two OT-64-equipped infantry regiments, while the 19. Motostřelecká Divize has one BMP-1, one BMP-2, and one OT-64 regiment. All of these motorized infantry divisions field the T-55A as their main battle tank in their infantry regiment, while the improvised T-55AM-1 forms the backbone of the tank regiments in these divisions. The 1. Tanková Divize is equipped with T-72s and BMP-2s.

The 2. Motostřelecká Divize and 20. Motostřelecká Divize occupy a wider front, while the 19. Motostřelecká Divize has a shorter stretch, but deploys more in depth, covering Plzeň to the rear. The Czechoslovakian city is furthermore garrisoned by security troops and the famous 22. Výsadkový Pluk, which are the ČSLA’s elite special forces airborne regiment, acting as the ultimate 1st Army reserve.

[h2]The Campaign Itself[/h2]
A special note, but Holding Attack is - for once - an Army General campaign that will not feature any US or Soviet troops. This is (mostly) a West German versus Czechoslovakian affair, with the Canadians lending a hand when they hear another “brawl” is happening in Czechoslovakia (of course, this is a reference to the infamous Canada-USSR "Punch-Up in Piestany" from 1987).

Unlike most other Army General campaigns, where there are multiple far-away objectives, to be captured by rupturing the enemy front and breaking through, Holding Attack represents a grinding offensive. In this campaign, you need to repeatedly attack and erode the enemy’s will for resistance, and achieve victory through a slow but steady advance.

NATO’s goal is to secure the intermediate objectives within a given time frame. This should wear down (but also concentrate) the enemy in a specific number of locations, one by one. However, the ultimate price is the capture of Plzeň.

The Warsaw Pact will need to hold the outer defenses before falling back around Plzeň and “doing an Alamo.” Their hope is that the reinforcing 1 Tanková Divize would prove ultimately more reliable than Colonel Fannin in the aforementioned siege.

[h2]WARNO - SOUTHAG Expansion In Short[/h2] WARNO - SOUTHAG is WARNO’s second expansion after WARNO - NORTHAG and showcases the fighting in southern West Germany near the Alps and on the Czechoslovakian frontier.

In the southern reaches of Germany, the Warsaw Pact with the Soviet Central Group of Forces, bolstered by the communist Czechoslovakians, battles against a counter-attacking NATO SOUTHAG command led by France, with American, West German, Canadian, and reinforcing Spanish troops.

2 new Army General campaigns, including Holding Attack.
4 new Operations, such as Delayed Retribution, Glory or AttritionHydra
10 new Divisions, featuring Canada, Spain, and Czechoslovakia as new nations. These include NATO’s 1st Canadian Division, the Spanish División Mecanizada «Brunete» n.º 1, the French 6e Division Blindée Légère and Division du Rhin, plus the West German 1. Luftlandedivision. The Warsaw Pact features the Czechoslovakian 1. Tanková Divize, 19. Motostřelecká Divize, and 303. Tanková Divize, while the Soviet Central Group of Forces deploys the 31-ya Tankovaya Diviziya and the 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya.
New voice acting.
New units and models.

SOUTHAG Operation #3: Hydra

[p]Hello commanders!

We return yet again with another WARNO - SOUTHAG preview; this time focusing on the third of four Operations: Hydra.

Onwards!

[h2]WARNO - SOUTHAG’s Strategic Situation[/h2]
In WARNO - SOUTHAG, the Warsaw Pact sees the southern front in West Germany to be a largely secondary effort at first. As such, the Czechoslovak People’s Army only launches a series of fixing attacks early in World War III, to keep local NATO forces in place, but they are mostly perfunctory.

After several small-scale battles, and a failed offensive by the Soviet Central Group of Forces defeated near Nuremberg, a reformed SOUTHAG command is ready to take the fight to the communists. A daring plan is devised, which sees first a series of fixing attacks keeping the Warsaw Pact in place, while a massive counter-offensive across the Iron Curtain is unleashed in the second phase.

[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]

In this second stage, NATO briefly breaches neutral Austria’s borders in order to outflank and surprise the Czechoslovakians. Soon after, and for the first time during WARNO’s frontline, the war is brought to communist territory.

From reluctant socialist Czechoslovakians, with the Soviet repression after the Prague Spring of 1968 still acutely felt not only in its society but also in the ranks of the ČSLA, the army now turns to defend its home territory - and does so with renewed vigor.

[h2]Hydra[/h2]
SOUTHAG’s coordinated and aggressive counter-offensive has put the Czechoslovakian forces in a difficult position. Now turned to fighting for every inch of their own territory, the communists have been pushed back on a broad front, while a swift and highly mobile flanking assault is threatening to cut open the rear of the Czechoslovak People’s Army completely.

[/p][p]Across the southern front, Warsaw Pact units have been forced on the back foot, including retreat, but the withdrawal is severely hampered by a relentless NATO that harasses the enemy at every turn. After several pitched battles, the Czechoslovakian city of Plzeň has become the final battleground. It is one of the last chances for the communists to halt the multi-pronged NATO advance.

The Czechoslovakian 1st Tank Division will do the heavy lifting in this Operation. The formation’s T-72M-EM3 battle tanks and Motostrelci infantry in BVP-1s, backed by Vysadkáři special forces, have to fight against no less than five different NATO formations converging on the battlefield. Hence the name Hydra.

[/p][p][/p][p]The player as the ČSLA commander does battle against a mobile spearhead of the French 6th Light Armored and 11th Paratrooper Division. Plus follow-up forces of the West German 1. Luftlande and the 4. Panzergrenadier Division, and further units from the 1st Canadian Division.

[/p][p]The Hydra Operation won’t be a walk in the park. You will need to repel the final combined NATO assault while defending against a variety of different attack avenues from the west, north, and east. Defending the battlefield, you might want to emphasize a defense in depth, or perhaps a wiser approach would be to split your forces? If each individual NATO sector can be captured, the respective reinforcements and supply lines will be severed, which will give you a little bit more breathing space.

[h2]WARNO - SOUTHAG Expansion In Short[/h2] WARNO - SOUTHAG is WARNO’s second expansion after WARNO - NORTHAG and showcases the fighting in southern West Germany near the Alps and on the Czechoslovakian frontier. In the southern reaches of Germany, the Warsaw Pact with the Soviet Central Group of Forces, bolstered by the communist Czechoslovakians, battles against a counter-attacking NATO SOUTHAG command led by France, with American, West German, Canadian, and reinforcing Spanish troops. [/p]

[p]2 new Army General campaigns.[/p]
[p]4 new Operations, such as Delayed Retribution.[/p]
[p]10 new Divisions, featuring Canada, Spain, and Czechoslovakia as new nations. These include NATO’s 1st Canadian Division, the Spanish División Mecanizada «Brunete» n.º 1, the French 6e Division Blindée Légère and Division du Rhin, plus the West German 1. Luftlandedivision. The Warsaw Pact features the Czechoslovakian 1. Tanková Divize, 19. Motostřelecká Divize, and 303. Tanková Divize, while the Soviet Central Group of Forces deploys the 31-ya Tankovaya Diviziya and the 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya.[/p]
[p]New voice acting.[/p]
[p]New units and models.[/p]

[p]

[h2]Until Next Week[/h2]

We’ll return with another WARNO DevBlog soon!

Don’t forget the vibrant WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, YouTube or our Instagram.

See you on the battlefield, commanders.

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