Hello commanders, good to have you back!
Today’s DevBlog is the last of the Tropic Storm previews. While we highlighted each of the six new divisions in the previous posts, the new massive Army General campaign Cuba Libre! gets the spotlight in today’s DevBlog.
Let’s go!
WARNO - Tropic Storm’s Strategic Situation
A quick recap of WARNO - Tropic Storm’s overall strategic situation. As you should know by now, the new expansion’s theatre of operations is in the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America. We have set the timeline slightly ahead of the “European War” of WARNO the base game, in the spring of 1989.
A coup by Hugo Chávez during a period of riots and demonstrations against an unpopular Venezuelan government succeeds in the early part of 1989, with deep covert backing by communist Cuba and the Soviet Union. Taken aback by the sudden appearance of a “red” and hostile Venezuela, the United States hastily forms an anti-communist regional bloc, made up of (new) allies Colombia and Brazil.
As tension climbs to fever pitch in Europe, so too in South America, especially after Washington receives credible intel that Cuba and the USSR were behind Venezuela’s turn to communism. With war looming against the Warsaw Pact, the United States decides to excise the communist threat in its own backyard. Offensive plans for Venezuela and Cuba are dusted off, hurriedly updated, with the green light given for a full-scale invasion of the Caribbean island off Florida’s coast given precedence.
WARNO - Tropic Storm’s Cuba Libra! Army General campaign will focus on this invasion plan, and will be playable from both the United States (Western-aligned) and Cuba (Communist-aligned) armed forces.
WARNO - Tropic Storm’s Cuba Libre
First things first, the Army General campaign’s name: Cuba Libre!. Sharing the name with a rather popular drink, a rum and coke cocktail that saw the light after Cuba’s independence in the early 20th-century Spanish-American War. Interestingly enough, the drink’s name gained a poignancy after Castro and co’s takeover in the late 1950s, as Cuban Bacardi - the famous rum producer - fled the island, and Coca Cola became nearly impossible to source after the American embargoes.
Back to the Army General campaign itself. The United States quickly ramps up its preparations, deploying several key forces to the southern states. The Joint Task Force Cuba is created and earmarked to spearhead the invasion of the communist island.
The Cuban defenses are formidable, especially around Havana. Not only that, the whole of the island has been training for years for a potential American invasion, with its well-prepared militia forces having participated in its yearly “Día Nacional de Defensa,” likely to see immediate action upon the arrival of hostile American boots on the ground.
In shaping actions, the U.S. Navy puts on a big show of force off the coast of Matanzas (east of Havana), while two National Guard formations very “actively” board transports in New Jersey. This is a ruse.
The real invasion will hit the northern shores of Pinar del Río, at the western end of Cuba. This will undoubtedly result in a Cuban response, with heavy reinforcements to be redeployed from the eastern parts of the island nation.
Will the deception be sufficient to catch the Cubans off guard and perhaps give enough time and momentum to open several important (but heavily defended) secondary beaches? Will a quick drive on Havana lead to a successful regime change in Cuba, or a replay of the disastrous Bay of Pigs / Playa Girón invasion in 1961?
WARNO - Tropic Storm’s Campaign Detailed
How will the Army General campaign actually play out? As mentioned before, you will be able to play with both the United States, or American Joint Task Force Cuba (JTF Cuba) and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias or Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces’ El Ejército Occidental or Western Army, including the 2.º Cuerpo or 2nd Corps.
Joint Task Force Cuba
The American JTF Cuba lands on the northern beaches of the Pinar del Río district, west of Havana. Coming ashore in the first wave is the 4th Marine Division, supported by the airmobile troops of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). These are both divisions already available for Skirmish or multiplayer (the first as part of WARNO - Tropic Storm, the latter as part of Nemesis #1 - Air Assault).
In the follow-up wave, the 26th Infantry Division, also known as the ”Yankee Division”, will become available. These troops come from the Massachusetts National Guard (with some units from Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island), and within the Army General campaign provide a host of less powerful battalions, useful for securing either the beachhead or the advancing spearheads. They can also be used to bring fresh reinforcements for the final offensive on Havana.
The goal of the JTF Cuba - Victory or Defeat in the campaign - is two-fold for both sides. Both need to either capture or hold the Comando Occidental (Western Army’s) command center, next to Cuba’s capital, and the initial beachhead. This means the Cubans need to defend and push out the invaders, while the Americans cannot lose sight of their lifeline as they breach Havana’s defenses.
Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias
The first layer of Cuban defenses, encountered right on the shores will be the MTT (Milicias de Tropas Territoriales) militia territorial units. Despite all the American deceptive operations, they are ready to receive the imperialist invaders, but they can’t hope to do more than delay their advance and hamper their initial offensive movements. These units will be useful to derail any isolated American battalion, especially when supported by long-range Cuban artillery and aircraft.
The 2.º Cuerpo will be the main combat force of the Cubans, composed of the 11a División de Infanteria, between Pinar del Río and San Cristobal, and 24a División de Infanteria, from San Cristobal to Havana. The 12a División de Infanteria, further west, is not being featured here, but several smaller corps and army independent battalions, mostly anti-air ones, will be present.
Reinforcements which come available include the 1a División de Tanques (also available for multiplayer upon WARNO - Tropic Storm’s release) and its powerful armored battalions which are being recalled from the east, and the 7-ya Odtelniy Motostrelkovaya Brigada, or 7th Special Motorized Rifle Brigade, also known as the Soviet Brigade in Cuba.
WARNO - Tropic Storm’s Campaign Gameplay
Taking on the role of the Western-aligned American commander, you’ll get to explore possible avenues of attack.
Joint Task Force Cuba
First up is the shore, where you’ll be able to secure additional beaches along the way. This would allow you to bring in fresh reinforcements closer to the final objective when they become available. However, this route is long and slow, as the secondary road network does little to aid the advance, with the rest of the terrain being markedly difficult. This is also the forest the Cuban MTT will fight most comfortably, using the woods to the best of their abilities to delay the Americans. Before reaching Havana, the city of Mariel and the bay will form an urban bottleneck, flanked by sea and forest, and will probably prove a tough nut to crack.
The other route, inland, will be the long way around. This will necessitate an attack south towards Pinar del Río city, with the aim to crush the small 11a División de Infanteria while it is still isolated. Then, American units can use the sole west-east highway to drive east as fast as possible.
While the terrain is more favorable for rapid movement, including flanking attacks, this sector is unfortunately also where most of the Cuban forces are located. One additional benefit is that this axis of advance will leave the Americans with only one beachhead to defend (but it also means all reinforcements will come from the same point).
Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias
The Cubans have, as their main task, to delay the invading Americans for as long as possible. The key to success is to use the divisions in situ to harass the enemy forces. Falling back too fast will only spell disaster. Keeping the imperialist invaders as far away as possible from Havana until heavier mechanized forces come into play is a matter of survival. Only then should a commander think about pushing the Americans back. Of course, you should never lose sight of the possibility of a deadly local counter-attack whenever the invaders feel emboldened.
WARNO - Tropic Storm Expansion Detailed
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, Cuba Libre!. More details will come in the coming weeks.
Check out all the previews for WARNO - Tropic Storm below:
- First up is the Western-aligned U.S. 4th Marine Division earmarked for the Cuban invasion. Check out all the details in this preview here.
- The Communist-aligned Cuban 1a División de Tanques gets its place in the tropical sun in this detailed preview.
- The combined U.S.-Colombian division 7th Infantry Division (Light) also contains a hefty covert CIA contingent. Read more about it in this DevBlog here.
- The “red” Venezuelan IV División de Infantería receives its preview in this dedicated DevBlog.
- Newly minted Brazilian allies deploy the mobile 3ª Divisão de Exército as part of the Western-aligned battlegroup. Read more about this division and the prolific Brazilian armaments industry in this DevBlog.
- The last of the Venezuelan divisions, the I División de Infantería is previewed in this in-depth DevBlog here.
Until Next Time
That’s it - for now - with our WARNO - Tropic Storm DevBlogs. We’ll return next week with another WARNO DevBlog!
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.
