Nemesis #6.2 - The Magdeburg Counterstrike

Hello commanders!

We are back with another Nemesis preview. In today’s DevBlog, we’ll roll out the Nemesis #6.2 - The Magdeburg Counterstrike, pitting the US 1st Cavalry Division against the Soviet 1-ya Gvardeyskaya Proletarskaya Motostrelkovaya Diviziya, or 1st Guards Proletarian Motorized Infantry Division.

Let’s go!

WARNO’s Nemesis #6

A reminder of what WARNO’s Nemesis DLCs entail. These are paid mini-expansions containing two paired or themed divisions bringing new units, vehicles, and weapons. Each Nemesis run features three different offerings, which can then be voted on. After the vote concludes, one Nemesis is crowned the winner and enters Eugen’s development and production pipeline!

Note that each of the Nemesis pairings are all “what if” battles, operations, or part of decisive campaigns in WARNO’s alternative World War III. They all take place within our fictional timeline, but are grounded in reality and informed by historical research.

The current Nemesis #6 run:

• Nemesis #6.1 - The Mountaineers presents the high-fighting mountainous forces of NATO’s French 27e Division Alpine against Warsaw Pact’s Polish 5 Podhalańska Brygada WOWew.

WARNO’s Magdeburg Counterstrike

Let’s paint you a picture. Our Nemesis #6.2 - The Magdeburg Counterstrike focuses on a deteriorating situation in northern West Germany. The East German and Soviet offensive manages to break through the 1 (NL) Corps and rush forward to the Weser almost unopposed. British and West Germany heavy divisions are fixed around Hannover.

NATO did plan for such contingencies and acts accordingly. The newly arrived US (REFORGER) III Corps is tasked with leading a counter-strike against the left flank of the Soviet second echelon, across the Inner German Border, towards the East German town of Magdeburg on the Elbe. This offensive was to be backed by the British 3rd Armoured Division and the West German 3. Panzerdivision, and targets the regrouping communist Operational Maneuver Groups in the area before they can themselves strike a fatal blow against allied forces.

The Counterstrike
What NATO did not foresee (in our timeframe) was the speed of the advancing Warsaw Pact forces. This means that III. Corps barely has time to deploy after arriving in Europe. The 3. Panzerdivision is too engaged to redeploy and the battered 3rd Armoured Division is only starting to extract itself from the Soviet “Left Hook" offensive (WARNO’s base game Army General campaign depicting the communist attack on the I (BE) Corps).

However, the Warsaw Pact is also suffering. As shown in WARNO - NORTHAG, the communist formations around Hanover have been dealt a heavy blow. NATO planners hope (let’s not use the word pray) that striking as soon as possible, before the enemy can reorganize, may offset the reduced power of the Magdeburg Counterstrike, and still achieve a crucial breakthrough.

Leading the charge, as is fitting, is the US 1st Cavalry Division (at least its in-theatre active forces), advancing without waiting for its National Guard brigade (which represents half of its infantry battalions and one-third of its armor and artillery units). To make up for this deficiency, NATO gives the Americans command over the British 4th Armoured Brigade, the first formation of the 3rd Armoured Division, which managed to clear itself from I. (BE) Corps' front.

For the Warsaw Pact planners, the threat becomes apparent. None of its tank divisions engaged around Hannover can be pulled off the line, nor do they have the strength to launch a new advance. The only formation available is the Soviet 1-ya Gvardeyskaya Proletarskaya Motostrelkovaya Diviziya, or the 1st Guards Proletarian Motorized Infantry Division. Stationed in the Kaliningrad Military District, far from the front, it quickly started its strategic deployment as the second echelon of the communist offensive into West Germany, advancing behind the 3rd Shock Army. And now, it will find itself directly on the path of the attacking American armor.

History of the US 1st Cavalry Division

Let’s look at NATO’s US 1st Cavalry Division. Formed as a horse cavalry division in 1921, it didn’t see combat until 1943 when it was shipped to Australia to face the Japanese as an infantry formation during World War II. It first engaged in combat on the Admiralty Islands in 1944, before taking part in the liberation of the Philippines, where it would end the war.

After being the first unit to enter Tokyo following Japan’s capitulation in 1945, it remained on occupation duty until 1950, when it was quickly shipped to fight in the Korean War. It was shipped back and forth between Japan and North Korea until 1965, when it was reflagged as the 2nd Infantry Division.

A little bit of a convoluted organisation happened at this moment. Back in the States, experimentation of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) with helicopters had proven fruitful. This formation was merged with the 2nd Infantry Division and renamed into the 1st Cavalry Division. The “old” 1st Cavalry Division in Korea kept going on as the 2nd Infantry Division

The rebranded air mobile 1st Cavalry Division was ordered to Vietnam in 1965. In the years that followed, skirmishes led to the famous Battle of Ia Drang, the first major engagement of the Vietnam War (made famous by the We Were Soldiers movie). The 1st Cavalry Division remained in Vietnam until 1972, with the horse-branded divisional insignia proving iconic (also reinforced in the helicopter assault scene of Apocalypse Now).

After Vietnam, the division was used to experiment a new army concept of mixing armor, air assault, and air mobility in a TRICAP (Triple Capacity) division. A short-lived concept, and by 1975, the formation was reorganized as an armored “Round-Out” division (two active duty, one National Guard brigade). It continued to be used as a test-bed for new doctrines and equipment. Stationed in the United States, it was earmarked for deployment in Europe as part of REFORGER, and as such, took part in many such strategic deployment exercises.

The US 1st Cavalry Division Continued

A word on 1st Cavalry Division’s equipment in WARNO. Since the division would deploy to West Germany and take from POMCUS depots, the weaponry used by the formation would not be the same as the one normally used stateside or (in real-life, a little bit later) during the Gulf War. POMCUS sets 5 and 6 (used by the 1st Cavalry Division and the 5th Infantry Division respectively) were, unlike other sets, subject to congressional restrictions limiting when they could be filled.

This means that their equipment levels lagged behind other storage depots. In the REFORGER deployment of 1987, the division was still on base-model M1 Abrams. Given that POMCUS depots weren’t fully stocked with the M1A1 until June 1991, plus the political limits, it is plausible that the 1st Cavalry Division would be among the last to receive the M1A1. While this might have been the case in 1989, we decided in our alternative timeline that the division would have been left with older M1 Abrams and M2 Bradley models.

As explained previously, the 1st Cavalry Division also has to do without its National Guard brigade. However, in turn, all the assets of what remains of the British 4th Armoured Brigade will be available. Colonials and Redcoats fighting side by side!

The US 1st Cavalry Division in WARNO

How will the 1st Cavalry Division look like in WARNO? New units are marked in both italic and bold. As always, units and categories might be subject to change.

LOG

• Rather average, as this is a POMCUS division, thrown straight into battle upon arriving in Europe.
• Meaning you’ll get a FOB, M548A2 and M35 supply vehicles, as well as a few British STOLLY.
• Command vehicles are the American M2 BRADLEY CP and UH-60A CO, plus British SULTAN.

INF

• Once again, pretty average as the American brigades of the 1st Cavalry Division only had two infantry battalions between them, while the British only bring one more. Infantry will be one of the most truncated categories for an armored division in WARNO.
• All CAV infantry models will sport the division’s famous shoulder patch. A few will also carry the division’s trademark items: a cowboy hat and a yellow neckerchief.
• CAV. TROOPERS will be 6-man fire teams with five M16A2 and one M60 (being based in the US, the division was not on the priority list for the M249). This squad will come in LDR., (LAW), (AT-4) and (DRAGON) variants, the last one without the M60. These soldiers will ride to battle in HUMVEEs and the M2 BRADLEY IFV. A lucky few will have access to the rare M2A2 BRAT, sporting a reactive armor kit acquired in the late 80s, and which was tested in the US before official adoption in 1993.
• AIR CAV. TROOPERS will, of course, be featured in the UH-60A.
• CAV. ENGINEERS, as well as their LDR. and (FLASH) variants will be identical to their infantry counterparts. The division’s combat engineers were known to have retained recoilless rifles up to the Gulf War. As such, they will get a card of CAV. ENGINEERS (M67). All of them come in M35 trucks.
• The usual gaggle of MP PATROL, M60 7,62mm and M2HB 12,7mm HMG, TOW-2 and TOW-2A will support them, all of them transported in softskin vehicles.
• The British will make their presence known with a few cards of RIFLES LDR., GUN GROUP and ARM. RIFLES squads coming in ROVER jeeps, BEDFORD trucks, or WARRIOR and WARRIOR MILAN IFVs.

ART

• Pretty good, with the missing National Guard artillery compensated by the newly attached British 4th Armoured Brigade bringing their own choice of long-range weaponry.
• Self-propelled mortars include the usual American M106A2 107mm, as well as a few lighter FV432 MORTAR with an 81mm one.
• The British provide the regular M109A2, while the Americans feature the laser-guided M109A2 (GLCP) (counterpart ot the ingame Soviet 2S3M1).
• The ubiquitous M270 MLRS [CLU].

TANK

• As expected, very good! Two British Challenger battalions more than make up for the missing National Guard battalion equipped with the M1 Abrams.
• The division’s workhorse is the base M1 ABRAMS and commander CP variant. To upgrade their resilience, a few will be fitted with hardened steel armor appliqué as M1 MOD (as encountered during the Gulf War). This will increase their resilience by a mere +1, but will bring its Front Armor up to 17, which should make it impervious to one-shot death from 30 AP missiles. Being already “Marched to War”, this MOD variant will also receive the Gulf War’s DU ammo to increase its tank gun’s penetration.
• The Americans will also bring some M728 CEV and M901A3 ITV.
• Lastly, the British provide a few cards of CHALLENGER MK.2 and their leader variant.

REC

• Rather average with the division only having a single recon cavalry troop, as the left-behind National Guard was supposed to fill out the ranks. The British come to the help with some of their own recon units.
• The obvious selection of CAV. SCOUTS in HUMVEE and UH-60A, as well as FOLT Ground Surveillance Radar team.
• The M3 BRADLEY CFV recon vehicle. This also includes a few unusual examples the division was photographed with during REFORGER ‘87, called the M3 ETAS. These are regular M3 Bradleys with the advanced thermal and daylight sight system from an OH-58D Kiowa installed on an extendable mast. Since this mast blocks the reloading hatch of the ATGM, the vehicle is restricted to a single volley of I-TOW missiles, but in exchange receives Exceptional Optics.
• Flying recon units include the OH-58C SCOUT, OH-58D KIOWA, and EH-60A QUICK FIX II.
• The British field the FV101 SCORPION and SCOUTS in ROVER and FV103 SPARTAN.

AA

• Pretty good with the full anti-air defenses complement an American armored division would receive, plus a few British extras.
• The 1st Cavalry Division was historically one of the first to receive the AVENGER, which it operated side-by-side with VULCAN and STINGER units. The latter were known to be transported in M2 BRADLEY BSFV during the Gulf War, a dedicated variant (to be represented in-game) with increased anti-helicopter range, but only firing HE rounds and a single ATGM volley.
• The British will provide a few JAVELIN LML in ROVER, as well as TRACKED RAPIERS.

HEL

• Rather average with the same mix of AH-1F and AH-64A as in 3rd Armored, but in lesser numbers.

AIR

• As the spearhead of the Magdeburg Counterstrike, the 1st Cavalry Division will get ample air cover, both by the USAF and RAF.
• Air superiority will be the principal focus of RAF PHANTOM FGR.2 in an air defense role.
• American A-10A will serve as the ground pounders.
• While American F-16C will take to the air in multiple mult-role loadouts.
• Finally, brought over with the division’s strategic redeployment, a few of the 14 existing examples of the YCQM-121A PAVE TIGER Electronic Warfare drones. These UAVs were designed to suppress enemy air defense systems, but the program was cancelled in 1989.

The 1st Cavalry Division, although a “lighter” American armored division, brings some unique systems being tested at home or which emerged later in the Gulf War. While few, the British bring some additional firepower and unit diversity.

And this time, we’d like to give a shout-out to our community member Zandatsu97 for providing some inspiration and background on the 1st Cavalry Division!

The 1-ya Gv.ardeyskaya Proletarskaya Motostrelkovaya Diviziya’s History

Let’s turn to the Soviets, specifically the formation thrown into the US 1st Cavalry Division’s tracks, to put a stop to NATO’s counter-offensive aimed at Magdeburg.
The gloriously named 1-ya Gvardeyskaya Proletarskaya Motostrelkovaya Diviziya, or 1st Guards Proletarian Motorized Infantry Division, has a long service history under Soviet rule, being first formed in 1926 from various independent and training battalions in the Moscow region. It started its life as the Moscow Proletarian Rifle Division, and prior to the Great Patriotic War, it was the poster boy of the Soviet regime, testing new equipment and doctrines, and regularly performing in parades in the capital city.

In 1939, the formation was expanded to form two new divisions (the 115th and 116th). Only the 6th Rifle Regiment remained from the original formation. This regiment, in turn, was used to form the core of the new 1st Moscow Red Banner Rifle Division, quickly reorganized as the 1st Motorized Division. After a brief intermezzo occupying the Baltic States in 1940, the formation, at full combat strength, was transferred to the 7th Mechanized Corps in 1941, fielding some of the first T-34 available at the time.

At the start of Operation Barbarossa, the division was given a thorough beating at Orsha, afterwards to be encircled at Mogilev, where some lucky elements broke out - only to be surrounded again near Smolensk, further east. Even fewer managed to escape from that pocket. By August, 1941, the division had all but ceased to exist, with only a handful of survivors from the initial 10,000 men available. A new 1st Moscow Rifle Division was stood up, and - in quick succession - was organized as a tank division, then motorized, to finally end up like a regular infantry formation. But it did get the “Guards” honorific, with the division soldiering on through some of the bloodiest battles on the Eastern Front, ending the war in 1945, near Königsberg, now Kaliningrad.

The 1-ya Gv.ardeyskaya Proletarskaya Motostrelkovaya Diviziya’s Continued

It is here, in the Kaliningrad Oblast, where the division will remain for the duration of the Cold War. It gained the “motor rifle” status in 1957 and the “Proletarian” title in 1967. As part of the Baltic Military District’s 11th Guards Combined Arms Army, the division’s role in wartime would have been to be mobilised quickly and used as part of a second echelon of any strategic war offensive. The 1st Guards Proletarian was a reduced combat-ready division, being kept at two-thirds strength, but ready to move out in its entirety, within 72 hours, after recalling its reservists.

In our alternative timeline, the 1st Guards Proletarian is just arriving in the Magdeburg area in East Germany from its strategic deployment through Poland. It is immediately thrown into battle, with the mission to delay the NATO counter-attack for as long as possible, giving time for the rest of the 11th Guards Army to deploy. To accomplish this mission, two of the Baltic Military District separate anti-tank regiments will be added to the division’s roster: the 29th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment (from the 149th Artillery Division) and the 993rd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment (from 11th Guards Army).

The 1-ya Gv.ardeyskaya Proletarskaya Motostrelkovaya Diviziya in WARNO

How will the 1-ya Gvardeyskaya Proletarskaya Motostrelkovaya Diviziya look like in WARNO? New units are marked in both italic and bold, with everything might be subject to change.

LOG

• Average, with the logistics category being slightly less compared to a standard infantry division. We are considering that the 1st Guards Proletarian is being sent into combat almost straight from the march.
• The standard supply units being a FOV, GAZ-66, and URAL-4320 SNAB.
• The command units will be BELOZOR, CHAIKA, and BMP-2K.

INF

• Pretty good, as the 1st Guards Proletarian had one BMP regiment, one BTR regiment, and one regiment (mostly filled with reservists) without armored vehicles. There were ample stocks of older, unused APCs, such as the BTR-60PA, which would be commandeered by the last regiment. The infantry units will be distributed evenly, with one-third of each for BMP, BTR, and reservist-based infantry.
• In effect, this would mean that the BMP infantry will result in (aptly named) MOTOSTRELKI (BMP) and (RPG-22) variant, deployable in BMP-1P (Fagot), BMP-1P (Konkurs), and the BMP-2.
• The BTR-based infantry includes MOTOSTRELKI and MOTOSTRELKI (Metis) in either GAZ-66 trucks or the BTR-60PB.
• REZERVISTI and REZERVISTI KOM. are available with softskins and older REZ. BTR-60PA APCs.
• SAPERI, SAPERI (RPO), and SAPERI KOM. squads have only access to softskin vehicles.
• The SPG-9, FAGOT, KONKURS,PKM 7,62mm, and PLAMYA 30mm weapon teams are available, as well as PULEMETCHIKI and KOMENDATURA squads.

ART

• A decent category with a standard selection of artillery pieces. Most of the division’s artillery battalions were self-propelled, which will be duly reflected.
• 2S1 122mm and 2S3 152mm self-propelled guns.
• The BM-21 GRAD MLRS.
• The only towed unit, sourced from its infantry battalions, is the 2S12 120mm mortar.

TANK

• Now we are getting serious. The division’s armor is very good for an infantry battlegroup, primarily due to the prominence of its anti-tank weaponry.
• The 1st Guards Proletarian was one of the first Soviet divisions to receive the T-72, which turns out to be both a blessing and a curse, as these were never upgraded for the rest of the Cold War. The division’s main tank will be the basic T-72 URAL and command variant T-72K. An up-armoured T-72 URAL-1 will also be available, with a few T-72AV (a T-72M with reactive armor) to be scrouged for combat service.
• The division’s anti-tank capabilities will be greatly increased thanks to the attachment of MT-12 RAPIRA and MT-12R RUTA (radar-guided) 100mm anti-tank guns.
• And the BRDM-2 KONKURS, MT-LB SHTURM-S and “March to War” MT-LB ATAKA missile tank destroyers.

REC

• Average in terms of open slots. The usual RAZVEDKA and RAZVEDKA SAPERI will be available in softskin transports, as well as BRDM-2 and BRM-1K armored recon vehicles.
• A more unusual unit is the R-330T TARAN, a MT-LB-based SIGINT vehicle.
• Aerial recon will be provided by the Soviet Army RAZV. Mi-14PS recon helicopter and the rare PERO UAV (the Baltic Military District being its sole user).

AA

• A classic category with all your favorite anti-air units.
• This includes IGLA MANPAD teams, ZSU-23-4M3 BIRYUSA SPAAG, plus the MT-LB STRELA-10M and 9K33M3 OSA-AKM SAM.

HEL

• Pretty decent with the Baltic Military District being able to provide the usual mix of Mi-8 gunships and Mi-24 anti-tank helicopters.

AIR

• Pretty good, with the MiG-25PD interceptors providing the main air defense.
• Another new unit is the YaK-28PP, as an Electronic Warfare plane, the first of this kind in Soviet service.
• Close air support will be provided by several variants in differing loadouts of the Su-17M4.

The 1-ya Gvardeyskaya Proletarskaya Motostrelkovaya Diviziya is an infantry division rushed into combat, but bringing a sizable arsenal of powerful anti-tank weapons and air cover into the fight.

Until Next Time

That’s all for this week’s DevBlog. We’ll be back with the final Nemesis #6 option next week.

In case you missed the news: we have just released Nemesis #4 - Capital Defence into the wild.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4030770/WARNO__Nemesis_4__Capital_Defence/
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.