Hello commanders,

Today’s DevBlog marks the very first WARNO - Tropic Storm division preview, one you eager beavers have - undoubtedly - been ‌looking forward to.

We’ll start with the Western-aligned (in “NATO’s” camp) the U.S. 4th Marine Division.

Oorah!

The 4th Marine Division’s History

First up in WARNO - Tropic Storm’s divisional roster is a rather special United States Marine Corps formation, the 4th Marine Division. This particular battlegroup had its genesis, like many other WARNO’s formations, in World War II. Raised in 1943, it fought in the Pacific Theatre, with four successful amphibious assaults to its name, including Iwo Jima.

Deactivated after the war, the formation was reactivated in 1966 as a USMC reserve division (here comes the special part). Based in the United States, it served as a training formation. It provided a nucleus of training personnel and instructors for USMC reservists in peacetime, while remaining a coherent formation in its own right that could quickly deploy to war.

In this capacity, the 4th Marine Division served out the remainder of the Cold War with no active deployments until a little bit after WARNO’s timeline ends with the real-life Desert Storm in 1991. It was here that the 4th Marine Division fought with distinction, proving that even though the formation might field reservists and older weaponry, it could stand on its own and fight.

The 4th Marine Division Detailed

Although the 4th Marine Division is structured along the same lines as WARNO - LANDJUT’s 2nd Marine Division, there are some notable differences.

• Most of the division’s personnel are USMC reservists (which we identify as USMCR in WARNO). In-game, these are on par with the Soviet Naval Infantry reservists. The USMCR units will lose the Marine’s Resolute trait, but in a positive spin, not gain the Reservist trait.
• New equipment took longer to trickle down into the USMC’s sole reserve division. This means an older arsenal of weapons and vehicles.
• And unlike other Marine Corps divisions, the 4th Marine Division featured two tank battalions instead of one. Famously, when mobilized for Desert Storm in 1991, it was the first USMC formations to receive the mighty M1A1(HA) main battle tank.

The 4th Marine Division in WARNO

How will the 4th Marine Division appear in WARNO - Tropic Storm? New units are both italic and bolded. The following is still work in progress and subject to change.

As mentioned above, all USMCR-designated units below are non-Resolute.

LOG

• An average category. Most of the command units in the logistics category are formed by regular USMC troops, meaning it will be identical to the 2nd Marine Division: USMC AAVC-7A1, USMC M1025 HUMVEE CP, and USMC LAV-C.
• Supply units will feature some new appearances, including the USMCR LAV-L, USMCR M925 medium truck, and the movable LCAC heavy hovercraft (counterpart to the Soviet Kalmar). Heloborne supply CH-46E and CH-53E completes this category (and as you can see, no FOB, tying into the theme of an expeditionary battlegroup).

INF
A very good category.

• Let’s start with the similarities with the 2nd Marine Division:
  • The reservist-based USMCR M2HB M63, MK.19, TOW-2, RIFLEMEN (LAW) and ASSAULTMEN are USMCR counterparts to regular Marine units.
  • Plus a contingent of USMC AERO-RIFLES flying to battle in UH-1N helos.
  • Backed by USMC ENGINEERS LDR. taking charge of the reservists under their command.

• The following are some new USMCR units. One difference to note was that the USMCR was at the bottom of the Marine Corps' priority list for new equipment. This means not all infantry squads received an SAW or an LMG. Instead, they relied on the old ‘Nam-era USMC pattern of using one M16 in a light machine-gun role (with a bipod and extra magazines) while squeezing the trigger as fast as possible to provide fire support as a makeshift SAW.
  • USMCR RIFLEMEN (Dragon) are only 5-strong squads, with 4x M16A2, 1x M16A1 LMG, and Dragon II.
  • While the USMCR GUNNER squads are larger than their USMC counterparts with 11 soldiers, including two M60s (the older and more cumbersome machine gun) plus a LAW.
  • USMCR RIFLEMEN (AT-4) use the same organization as their regular counterpart, but replacing the 3x M249 by 3x M161A1 LMGs.
  • Likewise, USMCR ENGINEERS look very familiar but replace their M60 with a M16A1 LMG. They also have access to the LARC-V "wheeled boat" as a transport option.
  • USMCR LDR. get 1+ extra soldier compared to USMC squad, bringing with them a M161A1 LMG.
  • The 4th Marine Division, being a training division, would field some USMC INSTRUCTORS providing some expert leadership to the part-time soldiers.
  • When the 1st Marine Division lent out a Marine detachment to Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989, they were accompanied by elements from Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST) from Marine Security. Specialized in close quarter combat, USMC FAST squads are 6-strong, with 4x Colt M635 SMGs, 1x M249 SAW, 1x M16A1 DMR (scoped) and Smoke grenades. They deploy with the Resolute, Shock, and Security traits. They also ride to battle in their own dedicated (meaning non-recon, which is the new part) USMC LAV-25 FAST.
  • For mostly budgetary reasons, the 4th Marine Division doesn’t have access to the AAVP-7A1 with a grenade launcher. Instead, the battlegroup relies on the older USMCR AAVP-7 variant with a single .50 machine gun. However, with WARNO’s March to War, the division gets their hands on a bunch of EAAK (Enhanced Applique Armor Kits) to create a new, uparmored USMCR AAVP-7 EAAK, available to a limited number of RIFLEMEN cards.

ART

• An average category, very similar to the 2nd Marine Division but with USMCR units filling in the ranks, including the M252 81mm mortar, the LAV-M 81mm, the M198 155mm howitzer, and the M109A2 and M110 self-propelled guns.
• A newcomer replaces the CATFAE: the USMCR AAVP-7 MICLIC, which is an AAVP-7 sporting the same mine-clearing weapon system as the M60A1 AVLM.

TANK
A pretty good category, a bit better compared to the other Marine Corps division in WARNO.

• The armored workhorse is the USMCR M60A1, led to battle by the regular USMC M60A1 CP. As mentioned previously, in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, two companies from one of the 4th Marine Division’s battalions were equipped with USMCR M1A1(HA) ABRAMS, which we have replicated in WARNO.
• Furthermore, dedicated tank destroyers take on the appearance of USMCR M1025 HUMVEE TOW-2 and USMCR LAV-AT.

REC
Another good category.

• Infantry scouts consist of:
  • USMCR SCOUT SNIPERS, 2-strong scout sniper teams with 1x M16A1 DMR and 1x M21, coming in either unarmed or armed HUMVEES, or unarmed or armed UH-1N.
  • USMCR RECON, 4-strong with 4x M16A2 and LAW, coming with the same transport options as above.
  • USMCR L.A.I. SCOUTS, 4-strong recon squads with 2x M16A2, 2x M249 SAW and LAW, coming in the USMCR LAV-25.
  • NAVY SEAL RECON, this dedicated recon SEAL team is 4-strong, with 2x Colt Commandos, 1x M249 SAW, 1x M40A1 sniper rifle, and Carl Gustav. They deploy with Special Forces and the Shock traits. The Navy Seals come in either M998 HUMVEE or US Navy special HH-1K gunship transport/helicopter, fully fitted out with Miniguns, rockets, and M219 machine guns.

• Areal recon includes:
  • The UH-1N DASIP, which is a variant of the transport UH-1N DAS but used here in a recon role, replacing the rocket pods with 2x Sidewinders.
  • The OV-10 BRONCO NOGS, a version armed with underwing rocket pods, plus an underbelly turret equipped with M197 20mm Gatling capable of rotating 360°.

AA
Rather bad, with hardly any organic anti-air defenses, as expected from the USMC.

• You’ll get to play with USMCR’s STINGER and HAWK, much like the 2nd Marine Division.

HEL
Average. The 4th Marine Division doesn’t have access to the SUPER COBRA gunship, instead relying on older (but still twin-engined) models.

• These include the AH-1J TWIN COBRA [RKT] with a mix of Hydra 70mm and Zuni 127mm rockets.
• And the AH-1T SEA COBRA [AT] with 8x I-TOW and a separate [AA] version with 4x I-TOW on one side and 1x Sidewinder on the other.

AIR

• Pretty good for an expeditionary battlegroup.
• Employed in a strike role, older A-4M SKYHAWK will be deployed as “bomb trucks” featuring HE, CLU, HE/NPLM, and SEAD loadouts.

• The F-4S PHANTOM II will be covered as a multi-role fighter in AA, RKT, and NPLM variants.
• The Vietnam War’ ERA-3B can deploy in an EW role. This is an A-3 Skywarrior converted into an unarmed Electronic Warfare plane.
• Most importantly, and finally present in an American division, the F/A-18A [AA] as an air superiority fighter.

The 4th Marine Division is a reservist-based battlegroup with a host of older equipment and weaponry. However, its fighting prowess is not to be underestimated, and nor should its expeditionary capabilities, infantry, and tank forces.

WARNO - Tropic Storm in Brief

WARNO - Tropic Storm will give you access to 6 new divisions from this brand-new theater of operations, including 4 new nations, and a host of new units, models, weapons, new terrain sets and maps, and more. And equally important: it will contain 1 new Army General campaign. More details will come in the coming weeks.

Until Next Time

We’ll return next week with the very first communist-aligned division preview.

Don’t forget to check out the ever-awesome WARNO community. Find 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.