Hello, hello, hello!
It is good to be back. From the whole Eugen team, while we are busy chipping away on our next milestone, we hope you are enjoying the fruits of our hard labor - DAVOUT. Today is the day, however, we are going to take a look at MURAT, and the two new German divisions - from either side of the Iron Curtain.
There is more: we can finally lift the tip of the veil on an exciting new gameplay feature coming soon to WARNO.
Before we continue, MURAT is named after Joachim Murat, the dashing, brave military cavalry commander and “Marshal of Egypt” who eventually married a sister of Napoleon. Napoleon even bestowed the honorable “First Horseman of Europe” on Murat… the man, the legend!
Back to WARNO. First up is the East German 4. Motorisierte Schützendivision (4. MSD), also known in English as the 4th. Motorized Rifle Division.
Keep reading to find out more!
4. Motorisierte Schützendivision
We already deep-dived into East Germany (the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or DDR) and its armed forces, the Nationale Volksarmee (the NVA) in the post detailing the 7. Panzer. In 1989, the East German Army featured two tank divisions and four motor rifle divisions, modeled after the Soviet structure (tank divisions exploited breakthroughs made by the motor rifle divisions).
Created in the 1950s, the 4. Motorisierte Schützendivision found itself frequently in military exercises, or in the 80s, as support for industrialization projects in the country, disaster relief, or providing troops for state infrastructure works. Regardless, stationed in Gotha and Erfurt, opposite Fulda, the 4. MSD was initially based on the Soviet motorized rifle division model. Later, the division’s organization changed, resulting in no organic helicopter support and less armor than its Soviet counterparts. In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 4. Motorisierte Schützendivision was disbanded.
What to expect in-game?
The 4. MSD was the closest NVA division to the Inner German border, positioned right behind the Soviet 39th Guards Motor Rifle Division (in turn, the closest of all Warsaw Pact divisions to the frontier). In case of war involving the NVA in a direct conflict with NATO, the 4. MSD would have found itself rather quickly on the frontline and in the heat of the battle.
- We already touched upon this with 7. Panzer preview, but in 1989 the T-72 was still considered rare in the East German armed forces. The main battle tank was limited to tank divisions. This is why the 4. MSD has to rely on the aging T-55 only for its armored firepower.
- Also noted, but NVA divisions could not count on their own helicopter assets. Nonetheless, we have decided to attach some additional airborne assets to the East German divisions. In the 4. MSD’s case, being at the tip of the spear in the opening stages of World War III, the heliborne forces of Militärbezirk III (3rd Army)’s sole helicopter regiment will be made available.
- This means that the division will feature a large amount of HELI slots, with plentiful choices, including MI-24D AA variant with R-60 missiles or the Mi-24P anti-tank version with its 8x Kokon ATGM missile loadout. There will also be the Mi-8 gunship with GUV pods (which will also find its way to Soviet divisions later) and the wonderfully nicknamed ”Ghetto Gunship” Mi-8TB. This is a rare, specifically East German variant of the Mi-8, armed with 6x 57mm rocket pods, 6x Malyutka guided missiles, and a nose-mounted 12,7mm HMG.
- As part of the spearhead of a Warsaw Pact invasion into the Fulda gap, the division will be reinforced with elements of the Luftsturmregiment 40 (LStR-40), the NVA’s elite airborne regiment. These special forces will be deployable as assault infantry in helicopter transports (either unarmed Mi-2 or heavily armed Mi-8 as Fs-JÄGER FÜH., Fs-JÄGER and Fs-JÄGER (Metis) variants.
- There is more… these elite East German paratroopers will also deploy with two unique and secretive recon units: the regiment maintained a “false flag” company dressed as and equipped with American equipment and speaking American-English fluently. You know, think Skorzeny’s “Operation Grief” commandos during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and you get the idea. Don’t be surprised to find some recon troops modeled after Americans in the 4. MSD armory. They will be featured in the RECON category as Fs-EINSATZGRUPPE heavy recon squads, or Fs-SPRENGTAUCHER “saboteur” squads with explosives.
- The 4. MSD will also gain access to one specific Soviet unit: the BM-30 Smerch, the biggest MLRS so far in the game, available in the ART category.
- AIR additions to the 4. MSD will be the introduction of the streamlined MiG-29A fighter plane, as well as the ubiquitous MiG-23MF and a better armed variant of the MiG-21bis. Note that 7. Panzer will also receive a new, and better equipped, MiG-23ML.
So, how best to describe the 4. Motorisierte Schützendivision in WARNO? It will have access to fewer (and lesser) tanks compared to the 7. Panzer, which makes sense of its status as a motor rifle division. To counter this, the division will feature a much more powerful and versatile roster of INFANTRY forces, as well as HELO units. Furthermore, the aerial top cover is provided by a more than decent fighter plane force in AIR.
A major new gameplay feature
We saved the best for last! We know what you must be thinking: all this talk about East Germans and Ghetto Gunships, MiG-29s, yadayada, but the most exciting feature in the WARNO works is… drumroll maestro...
Dynamic mustaches! No Cold War game would be complete with fabulous lip foliage, ever-so-popular during the 80s until sadly falling out of fashion, like M.C. Hammer pants and oversized shoulder pads. At Eugen, we got you covered. WARNO will not only include painstakingly modeled handlebars and realistic whiskers on its infantry models, but also tie it with the perfect gameplay implementation: mustaches link to veterancy! The more veterancy you take your INF squads, the bigger the hairy caterpillar!
It makes perfect sense: you can now quickly check, at a glance and zooming in, the veterancy status of the infantry forces of your opponent. Investigate their facial hair real estate, and you know if these are mousy recruits or battle-hardened macho men. As a result of the overwhelmingly positive feedback, we have decided to fast-track this feature to be included in WARNO at the earliest possible date! At Eugen, we pride ourselves on our attention to detail. Let us know if you agree! ;)
See you on the battlefield
We know your head must be spinning with our la moustache reveal this week, but a small note before we adjourn for the week. The West German M113 models (from DAVOUT) are done and ready, and should already have found their way to you by the time you read this.
Join the awesome (and passionate) growing WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get to together with other players on the excellent Discord server and the new Reddit page, as well as our Instagram.
See you on the battlefield, commander!
