Hello commanders,
Welcome to a new DevBlog, your favorite thing besides wreaking havoc on the WARNO battlefields!
Starting today, we’ll be taking a good look at the upcoming Army General campaigns, which will be featured in the WARNO’s launch out of Early Access.
We have divided the four campaigns into two pairs, following the two different axes of attack of our fictional World War III in West Germany.
In today’s post, we detail the “Frankfurt Axis,” which contains both the Fulda Gap and Highway 66 campaigns (and Bruderkrieg, but this one is already out in the wild).
Let’s go!
The Frankfurt Axis
As you know, WARNO will feature five Army General campaigns at launch, all set in central West Germany during the first couple of days of the Warsaw Pact invasion. These can be divided into either the Frankfurt axis or the Kassel axis. One of the campaigns, Bruderkrieg, has already launched, part of the Frankfurt axis.
Chronologically, Kassel will go first with the Airborne Assault campaign before we transfer the action to Frankfurt with Fulda Gap and Bruderkrieg. We return to Kassel before finishing after a week of hard fighting with the colossal Highway 66. Be warned that some of these Army General campaigns are massive in scale and will take many hours to complete. Of course, you can play these campaigns in whatever order you prefer and across both sides, whether in single-player or online (versus or cooperatively).
Note that each Army General campaign will feature its own set of strategic options, chiefly about which unit or formation to deploy. We highlight a few examples in each section.
Fulda Gap
Ah, the famous Fulda Gap. What Cold War source about a potential World War III conflict has not written about this location? Due to the constricted terrain in this part of West Germany, the actual axis of advance would be narrow, with the offensive corridor running through the Kinzig Valley.
The Fulda Gap Army General campaign centers on the initial Warsaw Pact assault on Fulda, including their efforts to break out of the valley. The Soviet's overarching objective on this part of the front is Frankfurt-am-Main, a key logistical hub and military target, housing the American V Corps HQ. The immediate aim of the campaign is to breach NATO defenses around Fulda, enter the Kinzig Valley, and break out towards Frankfurt.
In Fulda Gap, you will see the full might of the Soviet 8th Guards Army arrayed against a light screen of American and West German forces. You might have guessed, and you guessed right, that the biggest among these troops is the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment manning posts such as the infamous O.P. Alpha.
With devastating air attacks, continuous artillery bombardments, and wave after wave of Soviet motorized riflemen, the NATO defenses must be pried open. Warsaw Pact tank divisions wait to exploit the success and use their mobility and firepower to tear through NATO’s rear areas.
In Fulda Gap, both sides race against time, as the longer NATO can resist, the more reinforcements can be brought to shore up its defenses. On the other hand, the Warsaw Pact’s war plans underline the critical importance of speed and initiative in their attempt to break out of the Kinzig Valley; getting bogged down on the frontier would be considered a disastrous failure.
Fulda Gap Insights
In the campaign, NATO’s battalions are clearly outnumbered. Yet, remember that the 11th ACR squadrons are each worth a small brigade and can beat back several enemy attacks - even by numerically superior forces. The American cavalrymen Achilles' heel is Fatigue, however. They might win a few fights, but they’ll end up spent and unable to continue to do battle.
You must preserve them as much as possible. Fight only the “good fight,” even if you can win more. By chance, a few of the forward NATO battalions, whether West German or American, are close enough to support the ACR’s squadrons or replace them on the line if needed. Besides, additional reinforcements are rushing to the front. In some instances, you’ll be able to select which fresh units you want to deploy, including Green Berets from the 1-10th Special Forces Group.
Although the 11th ACR will have to prevent the enemy from reaching Frankfurt, you can trade some space for time. If you must, fall back. It would be suicide to try to hold back the Soviet Army on the Fulda-Bad Hersfeld line.
The Soviets
For the Warsaw Pact, the numbers are in your favor, but a tight schedule hamstrings you. Your superiors are breathing down your neck for not falling behind the operation’s strict timetable. You can choose your combat units from the start, forming your strategy to overcome NATO defenses in the Fulda Gap. For instance, select the 21st Independent Flame Battalion (with its Buratino and TO-55) to immolate NATO resistance at close range, or opt for the powerful 303rd Guards Artillery Brigade (2S5 Giantsint-S) instead. If you can’t break NATO’s resolve, further reinforcements will come at a cost.
Time is of the essence. Losses are irrelevant. Don’t let NATO delay you too long, especially the 11th ACR. Crush the Americans quickly, even if it will cost you dearly. If you don’t achieve a breakthrough, reinforcing NATO units will undoubtedly hamper or even halt your advance through the Kinzig Valley.
Highway 66
Let’s skip ahead a couple of days of very tough fighting. When we return to the Frankfurt-Fulda axis a week later, World War III is well underway. Highway 66 is a massive showdown on the CENTAG front. Both sides will have access to a large number of units and formations spread out across a map that stretches from Bad Hersfeld in the north, Fulda in the middle, and Würzburg in the south.
The Soviet offensive through the Fulda Gap has penetrated far through the Kinzig Valley, along Autobahn 66. However, the communist forces failed to seize Frankfurt, being held at the gates by a solidifying defense of American and West German forces. A deadly stalemate has descended on the front.
One more push by the Soviet 8th Guards Army will be made to seize Frankfurt, throwing the last Warsaw Pact reserves into combat. However, NATO is stronger than ever, with elements from U.S. V Corps and VII Corps backed by part of the Bundewehr’s III. Korps getting ready to take the fight to the enemy. Powerful NATO forces are concentrated on the flanks, choosing to attack north or south of Frankfurt.
This means that Highway 66 is, by far, the largest Army General campaign in WARNO. Furthermore, it is the culmination of all the CENTAG campaigns that came before, with commanders able to play out their own strategy to achieve victory. NATO has a chance of success attacking over the flanks, while the Warsaw Pact can strike - in one massive push - through Hanau and seize Frankfurt in a frontal attack.
Highway 66 Insights
This is the big one. Highway 66 lets you play with most of NATO’s US V and VII Corps and West-German III Korps, plus other elements, versus the whole of the Soviet 8th Guards Army and East German III Armee.
Many of the battalions have already been engaged in the opening phase of the campaign (featured in Fulda Gap and various WARNO Operations) and are now a shadow of their former selves. Battalions from the Soviet vanguard divisions and most of the U.S. V Corps start the campaign with losses, depleted units, and some Fatigue.
Aside from the size of Highway 66, the first turn of the campaign allows you to plan the axis of your main thrust. This increases replayability, especially online versus players of flesh and blood.
Where does the main blow land?
NATO receives the U.S. 1st Armored Division from the VII Corps. You can choose where to deploy it when the formation becomes available. An option is Miltenberg, behind the main battle line, which can be used as a reserve to reinforce or even counter-attack the center. However, there it might encounter some of the Soviet Army’s strongest units. Or select Würzburg, at the extreme right of your front. While a more isolated location, it is still a good place to strike the Soviet 8th Guards Army line of communications, defended by weaker units ... but that will leave your battle-weary center to fend for itself.
For the Warsaw Pact, you have the choice to deploy the Nationale Volksarmee’s 7. Panzerdivision, the last fresh armored reserve. It can be posted on the right flank, the shortest way to combat, where the West and East Germans are still fighting for control over Alsfeld (see Bruderkrieg). Or deploy them more centrally, near Fulda, where they will have to travel but have more flexibility in which part of the front they can reinforce.
Unlike Fulda Gap, which has an attacking and defending side, Highway 66 will be a head-on clash, with the choice of where to attack left to the player. The Soviet 8th Guards Army’s momentum is almost spent, but it can still throw its remaining reserves into a last assault on seizing its objective. Meanwhile, NATO’s first units in action have taken horrible casualties and are close to breaking point; however, more fresh troops are poised to reach the front. This is the tipping point of the Fulda campaign, but which side will be victorious?
A Chieftain rework
Apart from all these glorious tidbits on WARNO’s Army General, some other news as well. We have been reworking the CHIEFTAIN Mk.9 model. Currently, it is a reskinned Mk.10 model, despite the turret having a different shape from the earlier version due to a lack of Stillbrew armor. Not happy with this oversight, we have redone the Mk.9 model, complete with new texture and markings, to be shipped in WARNO’s next update.
Until next week
That’s all for this DevBlog. We will be back soon!
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See you on the battlefield, commander!
