Hello commander!
As we talked about in last week’s post, we are hard at work on the next major milestone for WARNO: BESSIERES.
A little surprise, but the update is already out today! We didn’t have the time (yet) to talk about that other division to ship with this WARNO update. We will take the opportunity to do so now!
First of all: BESSIERES will launch with two new maps: Rift revealed last week and the 10vs10 Crown.
But let's start with the juicy details first: make way for the Brits and their heavy-hitting 1st Armoured Division!
A little history
If one digs deep, the 1st Armoured Division has a pedigree that extends back to pre-World War II, starting life as the Mobile Division. However, this formation was renamed, reformed, and reconstituted countless times. The original formation served with distinction, from the Battle of France in 1940 to El Alamein in 1942, before being deployed to Italy and fight until 1945. Before the war was over, the division’s forces were scattered before being officially disbanded.
The 1st Armoured Division gained a second lease on life in the 1960s when it was formed as part of the British Army of the Rhine. The formation belonged to the NORTHAG area of responsibility, I British Corps, located somewhat to the north of the CENTAG sector of Western Germany. Much like other NATO forces permanently stationed in West Germany, 1st Armoured Division was a frontline division. A clear objective was to form behind a screen of friendly troops and repulse any Warsaw Pact advance into West Germany.
The late Cold War 1st Armoured Division was a strong tank division, with three armored brigades and no infantry brigade. Besides, two of its armored brigades were “heavy brigades” (two armored regiments each, with only one infantry regiment), and both had been converted to Challenger tanks by 1989. The last brigade was “light” (one tank regiment for two infantry regiments) and kept the older Chieftain main battle tanks. That’s a serious dose of heavy tank firepower!
What to expect in-game
So, what can you expect of the 1st Armoured Division in-game? Let’s look at the new division, category by category.
- LOG - A standard category with Rover CP command jeep, FV432 Command and FV105 Sultan tracked CVs. Supply units are Bedford trucks and Chinook HC.1 helicopters.
- INF - Once again, nothing too fancy for an armored division. Infantry include 8-man Rifles squads with L85A1 assault rifles, L86A1 SAW and LAW-80 rocket launchers, deployable in FV432 APCs. Also available are 7-man Arm. Rifles squads with the same small arms but carrying an M72 LAW and being brought to the battlefield courtesy of a Warrior IFV. Other infantry units are Assault Pioniers, with either a Carl Gustav or explosives (coming in a FV432 APC), as well as a 4-man Gun Group squad with two MAG medium machine guns (APC or IFV).
- INF - Continuing with infantry. A player can also field MILAN 1 and 2 ATGM teams with their own Spartan MCT transport - which is a fast and small APC sporting twin MILAN launchers. Buy one, get one free! Lastly, we also have a squad of Redcaps, or RMP (Royal Military Police), which is a 4-man patrol with Sterling SMGs, L1A1 SLR and MAG machine gun.
- ART - The United Kingdom is the only NATO nation not to field a heavy mortar. That’s why the 1st Armoured Division is restricted to 81mm systems, either on foot, or as a self-propelled version as the FV432 Mortar. Heavier guns include the ubiquitous FH-70 155mm howitzer, the FV433 Abbot (105mm) and the American-made M109A2 (155mm) SPGs.
- TANK - Aah, this is where the division shines. Get ready to deploy LOTS of Chieftain Mk. 9 and Mk. 11, as well as Challenger Mk.1. These main battle tanks are slow, sturdy, and field a powerful 120mm tank gun. This category also contains the Centurion Mk.5 AVRE, the British counterpart to the M728, featuring the same gun as the American unit but on an older tank chassis. Missile-fielding tank destroyers include the FV438 Swingfire, with its dual-launcher and plentiful ammo, and the FV102 Striker, with five ready missiles but only one full reload.
- RECO - The British were famous during the Gulf War (which in our version of history has been supplanted with World War III) for bringing “World War II” equipment to the battlefield (construction year 1952, to be exact). That’s why you will play with the rather outdated Ferret armored car, which lacks any modern recon equipment and is armed only with a medium machine gun. It’s fast, though, and its uparmed cousin, the FV721 Fox, is equipped with a RARDEN 30mm autocannon. Other recon units include the FV101 Scorpion and FV107 Scimitar recon tanks, which are already available to the Belgians. This category also contains a M113 Green Archer with radar, and Infantry Scouts in Spartan recon/transport APCs and Lynx helicopters. Cherry on the cake are the 4-man SAS Patrol teams with MP-5SD SMGs. Keep an eye on these guys; you don’t want them to get lost on the battlefield and spilling the beans in highly successful books about their ordeal afterward.
- AA - Clearly the division’s weakness, with meagre anti-air defenses such as the Javelin MANPAD teams, Javelin LML (three MANPAD grouped together as a light SAM battery) and the Tracked Rapier self-propelled SAM. Once again, the Brits like to do things differently, as they never fielded a self-propelled anti-air gun, relying only on missile air defenses only. HELO - A few slots that are cheap and with a choice of anti-tank Lynx HELARM (in both TOW and I-TOW versions) and the light Gazelle AH.1 with SNEB rockets.
- AIR - The RAF is out in force and gives the division its top cover with a generous amount of slots and options. These range, with various load-outs, from Harrier to Jaguar GR.1, Tornado F.3 and Tornado GR.1 fighters and fighter bombers.
Get ready to take the Crown
The second new map coming courtesy of BESSIERES is a new 10vs10 battlefield: Crown. The map covers an area of 90km² with large urban areas. A defining feature of the new map is the substantial number of command zones. Players need to dominate the battlefield and to do that, they need to keep up the advance, step by bloody step. Taking control of the many towns and villages, as well as the command zones, will be key to victory.
Despite some obviously very defensive positions, we included several open areas on the map, offering clear lines of sight. Expect lots of varied gameplay on Crown.
Let us know what you think!
BESSIERES notes
BESSIERES comes with a massive patch including new features,updates and improvements.
Check the full log HERE.
See you on the battlefield
That’s it for this week, already. Get ready to join the WARNO fun with the new BESSIERES update. Let us know what you think, and leave your feedback, commander!
As always, join the passionate WARNO community. Check the latest news on the Steam News page or visit the Steam Forums. Get to together with other players on either the excellent Discord server, Reddit page, or our Instagram.
See you, commander!
