Welcome back, commanders!
We return with the last of the WARNO - SOUTHAG divisional previews. That doesn’t mean there isn’t more good stuff coming your way, but with today’s DevBlog, we close a chapter as we turn to the final Warsaw Pact division to be featured: the Soviet 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya or 17th Guards Tank Division.
Onwards!
Warsaw Pact’s Soviet 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya’s History
The star of today’s show is the 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya. The 17th Guards Tank Division was, despite its renowned “Guard” designation, a low-readiness mobilization division based in Ukraine. It was the sister formation to the previously released 157-ya Motostrelkovaya Diviziya (from Nemesis #3 - Home Front).
In our war scenario, upon mobilizing on the eve of World War III, the latter division stays in Crimea to guard the Warsaw Pact’s Black Sea flank, while the 17th Guards Tank Division musters and deploys rapidly to Czechoslovakia, picking up whatever reinforcements and detachments along the way to meet the NATO threat near the Iron Curtain.
One of the formation’s distinguishing features was the concentration of all the remaining T-64R of the late 1980s in its arsenal. This variant is an upgrade of the original production batch, retaining the early model’s 115mm tank gun, instead of the latter 125mm one. Together with this tank armada, the division also featured - in storage, not scrapped - a sizable contingent of venerable ISU-152K (of World War 2 fame) assault guns. In the division, they were used in a self-propelled gun role.
The 17th Guards Tank Division’s barracks at Krivoi Rog, in Ukraine, also accommodated about 500 T-10M heavy tanks in storage, to be used to equip future reserve divisions of the Soviet Army. In our case, all the locally available early mobilized elements would be regrouped into an extra tank regiment for the 17th Guards Tank Division, which was deployed immediately.
The T-10M is the ultimate tank in the IS series; it was renamed when the Iosef Stalin or “Father of the Nations” designation fell out of favor after Stalin’s death in 1953. This armor is the last in line of the Soviet heavy tanks, being displaced by the main battle tank concept and the T-62 and especially T-64, with equivalent armor but better mobility, sensors, and tank guns.
In WARNO, the 17th Guards Tank Division is rushed to nearby Czechoslovakia, much like a fire brigade. This means that anything and everything was used to bring the formation up to fighting strength while deploying for battle; this includes additional army-level attachments, which will be represented in some of the categories (like artillery).
Warsaw Pact’s 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya in WARNO - SOUTHAG
What can you expect from the 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya in WARNO - SOUTHAG? New units are both italic and bolded. All the following is subject to change.
LOG
Average in terms of slots. The 17th Guards Tank Division is still an armored division, meaning a more limited logistical footprint, but has a reasonable number of options available. Including:
- BELOZOR, STADION, BMP-1KR3 and MI-9 command units.
- An FOB, GAZ-66 SNAB., KRAZ-255N SNAB., MT-LB SNAB. and MI-6A GRUZOVOI supply units.
INF
Likewise, pretty average in terms of slots and prices.
- As a low-readiness division, the 17th Guards Tank Division only had a small core of regular soldiers, to be supplemented by a majority of reservists.
- Two cards of MOTOSTRELKI (BMP) and one of MOTOSTRELKI KOM. being deployable with either softskin transports, BMP-1, and BMP-1 (Fagot).
- Three cards of REZERVISTI and two of REZERVISTI KOM., in URAL-4320 or REZ. BTR-152K.
- SAPERI come in "vanilla", KOM. REZ. and REZ. LPO variants, one card each. They can deploy in softskin or for non-reservist squads access to BTR-70 as well.
- Support comes in the form of KOMENDATURA in dedicated UAZ-769 and BTR-70. Furthermore, PULEMETCHIKI can deploy in regular and reservist variants, plus the SPG-9 recoilless rifle weapon team.
- Since the division would be operating relatively close to the Soviet Union frontier (with Czechoslovakia), the formation would pick up and get support from Soviet border guards, being no less than full-on KGB!
- The new KOM. POGRANVOISK KGB are 7-man command security units with AK-74. They come in GAZ-66B.
- POGRANVOISKA KGB are 8-man security units with AK-74, one PKM, one Dragunov, and one RPG-22. They come in GAZ-66B, BTR-70, or BTR-70 AGS.
- DSH. POGRANVOISKA KGB are 11-man security units with AK-74, two PKM, one RPO A, and RPG-22. Transport options are GAZ-66B, MI-8T or MI-8T [RKT].
- All KGB troops come with Security and Military Police traits.
ART
Pretty good category in terms of slots and prices.
- As expected, the divisional organic artillery doesn’t contain the most modern of arsenals:
- BM-43 82mm mortars ("43" standing for "1943") and the ubiquitous 2S12 120mm.
- M-30 122mm howitzers, as well as REZ. ML-20 152mm, the latter with the Reservist trait.
- BM-14M 140mm MLRS.
- Note, aside from the 2S12, all the other units above are new to the Soviet Army, but have been featured in WARNO with East Germany or Poland.
- The division manages to grab some heavy artillery on the way to the front, greatly bolstering its firepower.
- The 2S7M MALKA, until now never presented in a Soviet Army division, only with the East German K.d.A. Bezirk Erfurt.
- The new 2S4 TYULPAN, the self-propelled variant of the Soviet-made super-heavy 240mm mortar.
TANK
A very good category (slots and their costs).
- Plentiful T-64R, but lacking command variants (as they were never made). The division’s command tanks will be the slightly more modern T-64AK OBR.83 model with a 125mm gun.
- Several cards of the T-10M and T-10MK command tank, both with the Reservist trait.
- Two cards ISU-152K, performing both as a heavy assault gun and indirect artillery.
- Although this type of Soviet tank division didn’t have any organic missile tank destroyer battalion or regiment, we have managed to attach some:
- One card of the BRDM-2 FALANGA-P, from an independent army-level tank destroyer unit. These are roughly similar to their BRDM-2 MALYUTKA-P counterparts, but with only four ready missiles (against six), but of the more powerful Falanga type (20 AP against 17).
- One card of the REZ. BRDM-2 MALYUTKA-P, which is new in a Reservist role but not a new unit, likewise commandeered from a reserve motorized rifle division nearby.
REC
Average category. Located in Ukraine, the 17th Guards Tank Division wasn’t exactly meant to have a large contingent of troops to weed out enemies on the battlefield.
- Foot recon includes the following units:
- REZ. RAVEDKA in URAL-4320 and BTR-40.
- MOT. RAVEDKA in GAZ-66, RAZV. BMP-1P, and Mi-2T, Mi-8T, Mi-8T [RKT] helicopters.
- RAZVEDKA PV KGB in GAZ-66, RAZV. BMP-1P, Mi-2T, Mi-8T and Mi-8T [RKT]. They are 8-man scout squads with AK-74, PKM, and Dragunov, including the Military Police and GSR traits.
- Vehicle recon, one card of each, includes:
- BTR-40A and BRDM-2.
- BRM-1K.
- Plus one card of Mi-2 air recon.
AA
An average category.
- Units include REZ. STRELA-3 MANPAD teams and ZU-23-2 23mm gun.
- The ZSU-23-4M1 SHILKA (same as the East German army).
- BRDM-2 STRELA-1 and OSA-AKM SAM.
HEL
Rather bad.
- Only the MI-8MT [RKT1] and MI-8MT [RKT3] gunships.
AIR
Pretty good.
- Air cover for the division relies on the MIG-23ML and MIG-23MLA.
- Plus strong close air support, in the form of an all-out Su-17M4 fleet, featuring several new payloads:
- Su-17M4 [RKT]
- Su-17M4 [CLU], with 2x R-60M missiles and 6x RBK-500 cluster bombs.
- Su-17M4 [HE], with 2x R-60M missiles and 6x FAB-500 HE bombs.
- Su-17M4 [AT].
- Su-17M4 [HE/CLU], with 2x R-60M missiles and 2x RBK-500 cluster bombs and 4x FAB-500 HE ones. Although mixed payload configuration has a feature on several NATO planes, it was seldomly used by Warsaw Pact aircraft.
- Su-17M4 [TRM], with 2x R-60M missiles and 6x ODAB-500PM thermobaric bombs.
The 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya is a mobilization division with access to an array of interesting assets - including some jokers up its sleeve -, featuring a number of original units and models. It lacks infantry, but makes up with plentiful tanks, strong artillery, and potent air support.
WARNO - SOUTHAG Expansion In Short
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.
- 4 new Operations, such as Delayed Retribution.
- 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 17-ya Gvardeyskaya Tankovaya Diviziya.
- New voice acting.
- New units and models.
Until Next Week
That’s all for this DevBlog. As usual, we’ll be back next week!
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.
