Salut commander!
It’s good to be back. We got plenty of exciting things to show in today’s DevBlog. Let’s go into detail of the next WARNO update - BESSIERES.
We brought friends! We proudly present the upcoming and first French division 5e Division Blindée, or for you who don’t speak this magnificent language of ours, in plain English, the 5th Armored Division.
There is more: we can even lift the tip of the veil of the very first “twilight” fighting map coming to WARNO. Keep reading to find out more!
Who is Bessieres?
Before we kick off, let’s look at the name’s origin of the next update, BESSIERES. As always, our major milestones are named after known Napoleonic generals. Jean-Baptiste Bessières had a long and distinguished career as a military commander, getting his first taste of combat during the French Revolution in 1792 before fighting against the Spanish during the War of the Pyrenees.
Coming under Napoleon's command, he rose in the ranks, receiving more important postings along the way. During the Napoleonic Wars, Bessières was promoted to Marshal of the Empire. According to some of his rivals, this could solely be contributed to his friendship with Napoleon. As a cavalry leader, he commanded the prestigious Imperial Guard Cavalry, proving decisive during numerous battles. On the other hand, Bessières had his fair share of controversy on the battlefield and off, and he almost dueled with the rival commander Lannes (and fellow WARNO milestone namesake) during the battle of Aspern-Essling.
Like a true cavalryman, Bessières died in combat, struck by a cannonball while conducting reconnaissance during the Battle of Lützen in 1813.
5e Division Blindée
There is even more good (French) stuff to unpack, this time coming in the form of an array of tank guns of the 5e Division Blindée (the 5th Armored Division). First, a brief history.
Formed in World War II in then-French North Africa, the 5e Division Blindée came to liberate its homeland, having landed in southern France during Operation Dragoon in the summer of 1944. Later, it played an essential role in the capture of Stuttgart in 1945. The 5e Division Blindée would continue to have a German link, being stationed in West Germany, Landau, for the duration of the Cold War, where it became part of the French Forces in Germany (FFG).
More precisely, the division served in the II. Corps d’Armée (CA), considered the FFG's frontline formation. Two out of the II. CA were based in Germany permanently, and the other divisions, part of I. and III. resided in France.
The strategic position of France during the Cold War was a significant influencing factor in the Soviet war plans. With the withdrawal of France from NATO’s integrated military command structure in the 1960s, a substantial part of the friendly forces allocated to the southern flank of CENTAG was also removed. However, French troops were very closely aligned with their NATO counterparts. It was determined that during a crisis, French reinforcements would be rapidly deployed to help the American and West German forces defend against a Warsaw Pact offensive. The French II. CA, and the 5e Division Blindée, would have played an important role in whichever World War III scenario.
Size does matter
A disclaimer on the size of the French “divisions” (size doesn’t matter, we all know, but in this case… it does a little). They were much smaller than other NATO divisions, barely a brigade or regiment in reality. Representing the French in WARNO would prove to be a challenge: either we keep it a division, and it would be very limited, or we supersize it to a corps-level, but then it would be too lavishly stuffed with strategic assets.
Instead, we decided to stick to a single “division” format but with a few additional corps forces attached to beef it up. As such, the 5e Division Blindée, as an armored division, will have more expensive tank slots, offset by a more balanced unit availability in other categories, such as AA.
You can say that the 5e Division Blindée might not be the hardest-hitting armored division, but as a whole is more balanced thanks to the versatility of its units.
What to expect in-game
So, what can you expect of the 5e Division Blindée in-game? Let’s look at the new division, category by category.
- LOG - Standard for an armored division. The 5e Division Blindée, for ground Command Vehicles, has a choice between P4 PC jeep, VAB PC wheeled and AMX-10 PC tracked armored vehicles. Supply units come as the TRM-2000 truck and Puma Kangourou helicopter.
- INF - The core of the division’s infantry comes in two flavours: 8-man Chasseurs squads in AMX-10P Infantry Fighting Vehicles and 10-man Grenadier-Voltigeurs in VAB APCs. All squads carry a mix of FAMAS assault rifles, ANF-1 medium machine guns and LRAC F1 AT weapons. Each infantry type brings its command variant, with the Grenadier-Voltigeurs also coming in the heavy APILAS format. Both VAB and AMX-10P can be deployed in vanilla and MILAN versions, with the former also sporting a T-20/13 autocannon variant.
- Continuing with INF category - the division further contains MILAN 1 and 2 ATGM teams, Prévôté gendarmes, Sapeurs engineers squads (with older MAT-49 SMGs and MAS-49/56 rifles), Réservistes (also with older small arms), Groupe Antichar with two APILAS and Commandos fielding SIG-543 and FN Minimi squad automatic weapons.
- ART - The artillery forces feature towed 120mm mortars, self-propelled VAB PM-81 mortars (brought to you in a VAB, of course), and the more powerful AMX-AUF1 155mm self-propelled gun. Slot costs are more generous compared to other armored divisions.
- TANK - The French main battle tank is the AMX-30B2. Very lightly armored, it also lacks a stabilizer. In turn, it is very fast and can count on a very accurate round. Think of this tank as a “glass sniper cannon.” One card of an older variant, as well as one card of a more modern variant, are available. The older is the AMX-30B, with only HEAT rounds, but very cheap, and the newer version is the AMX-30B2 Brennus with ERA reactive armor bricks. To stay in the appropriate timeframe, this latter variant should have been called in-game the GOLFE (the first ERA experiment). The Brennus name was only made official post-1990, but since the Gulf War hasn’t taken place in our timeframe, for ease of understanding, we went with the later designation instead.
- Continuing with TANK - Commanders can also deploy various ATGM carriers, such as the P4 Milan 2 or the VAB Mephisto and AMX-10 HOT, the latter two both featuring HOT 2 missiles. Slot costs in the TNK category are more expensive than other armored divisions. It also includes the rare engineering AMX-30 EBG with its demolition gun.
- RECO - This category includes one card of Eclaireurs, deployable in either a Alouette III helicopter, P4 jeep or a VLRA .50 light truck, with the latter also being a recon/transport. Dedicated recon vehicles include the AMX-10 VOA, VAB RASIT (with radar, similar to the West German Fuchs RASIT) and AMX-10 RC and AMX-10 RC Surblindé heavy recon. This latter variant receives more armor but loses its amphibious capability.
- AA - Anti-Air defenses are more generous compared to other armored divisions. A good array of options exist, from TRM-2000 Tarasque gun trucks with 20mm AA gun, to AMX-13 DCA with twin 30mm and radar, MISTRAL MANPADs, and Roland 2 and Roland 3 SAM. The former has less range and accuracy - being without radar - while the latter has more AP and accuracy, but turns into a juicy SEAD target thanks to its active radar guidance!
- HELO - This category is rather light, with only a few slots and a handful of Gazelle HOT and Gazelle Canon helos available.
- AIR - The last category of the division is decent, with a few Mirage 5 F and Jaguar ground attack planes (napalm and cluster for the former; SEAD, ATGM and HE for the latter). Several Mirage III E are available, as well as the much more capable Mirage F1C-200 flying top cover.
A fight in the twilight with Rift
The next map for WARNO is the 3vs3 Rift battlefield, currently being tested by the Strike Team. It will be the first map with twilight lighting, a popular request from our player base!
The battlefield measures 83km² and features two huge plateaus in the south and the north. This elevated terrain runs along the center of the map, which is otherwise wholly flat and open with only a few defensive elements. Much like Cyrus, Rift offers extended sight lines with a drastic reduction in potential choke points.
See you on the battlefield
Now, BESSIERES has more in store for you. Next to the French, the Brits will make their long-awaited debut in the form of the British 1st Armoured Division! Be sure to check in next week.
The new milestone will also introduce two new top-of-the-line tanks, the West German Leopard 2A4 and Soviet T-80UD, to bring 5. Panzer & 79th Guards Division some unique toys.
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!
