A Modest Nemesis Proposal: The Armored Fists
**A Modest Nemesis Proposal: US Army’s 1st Armored Division and the USSR’s 4th Guards Tank Division**
I feel we normally get individual Division proposals, which is nice and all, but I think a full-on nemesis proposal is something that might be cool to try. Given the fact many of us love our heavy divisions and NATO has been in sore need of more, here’s one combination that I think would be interesting to see and would make both Pact and NATO players happy.
Given the situation in West Germany, we’d be seeing an evolving battlefield where the Divisions we’d get later down the line as time passes would be somewhat different from the divisions as written on paper. Some might be missing equipment or have exchanged it or had to combine with other divisions, like what was seen in 1st Cavalry and MNAD.
In that vein, these two divisions would be primed for combat in a slightly unique way compared to similar heavy divisions. Still powerful, and still using familiar equipment, but varied in a way that allows for new units and new variations in how they play.
**On that note, behold: The Armored Fists!**
Starting with NATO…
**America’s 1st Armored Division**
Nicknamed “Old Ironsides” by General Bruce Magruder, this Division was originally designated in 1918 and, after some changes, was the first to see action in World War Two where they first saw action in Algeria, fighting pro-German French forces at Oran. Like its patch, it is meant to be the tip of the spear for the US Army.
In the Cold War, its headquarters was stationed in Ansbach, Federal Republic of Germany. They’d have a good chunk of the latest in American equipment, yet were lacking in other areas, meaning they would have some additional equipment its sister divisions would not have in the same numbers, but also lacking in other departments that 1st’s sister divisions may have more of.
In Warno’s World War 3 scenario, Pact’s rapid advance farther north means 1st has a chance to change tactics before seeing combat, and instead of rushing to meet the Soviets along the border, they’d pull back and prepare a counterattack pushing out of Ansbach to instead try to halt Pact’s forces in the outskirts of Nuremberg, all while evacuating some forces to assist other divisions. With other NATO forces pulling back, that would result in 1st Armored receiving some West German forces in support.
**Logistics**
Average.
Nothing we haven't seen here in a NATO division, albeit, for an armored division, it's definitely plentiful, but **no FOB**.
As mobility is the goal here, there will be standard options for M35 and UH-60s, but with four cards of HEMTT supply trucks rather than the typical two.
* The West Germans will bring a selection of two cards of Unimogs, MAN KAT 6x6s, and CH-53Gs each. * Standard CVs will be included in the form of command UH-60s, OH-58s, Humvees Command Vehicle, and M577s for the Americans. * A lone card of Fuchs and Iltis CVs for the West Germans.
**Infantry**
Good and not so good.
As an Armored Division, it will have a fair amount of infantry slots similar to 3rd Armored. *Unlike* 3rd Armored, America’s 1st Armored Division **had no Bradley IFVs** for transportation in 1989 while having mainly mechanized forces, meaning the squads would either be rolling up in **M35s** or **M113 APC**s, either unarmed, with machine guns, or with Dragon options.
As such, 1st Armored Division’s, besides the typical choice of M2HB, M60s, I-TOWs and TOW-2s, infantry choices will mainly be made up of a healthy supply of Mechanized Rifle squads, similar to those in 8th Infantry.
* 1st Armored's infantry will mainly come with general equipment and AT capabilities for an American division, including AT4s, Dragon II teams, and Laws, however, **they will be lacking the Mechanized trait.**
* Worse, 1st Armored’s dedicated combat engineer battalion would mostly be kept back to help set up defenses elsewhere, meaning this division will have no Command Engineers or Flash engineers included in their selection, leaving it only with one card of standard engineers to work with.
But it’s not all doom and gloom.
* Given the location, **a few West German Panzergrenadiers would be available** to help hold ground in either M113s or older Marder 1A1 IFV variants, **lacking the MILAN option** to represent this being a combination of forces cobbled together to assist 1st Armored, but **these will all feature the mechanized trait.** * These reinforcements would mean one card of Command Panzer Grenadier Fuh, one card of Panzer Grenadiers with the Carl Gustaf, and two cards of standard Panzer Grenadiers to round them up.
* A single card of local Polizei-Reserve will be in the area as support, featuring the militia trait alongside the security trait. * Some new MP choices provided by US and West German forces with the West Germans bringing in a Feldjaeger squad armed with G3s instead of MP5s, and the Americans bring in a new MP squad, riding in from Katterbach, two cards worth of squads from the ***501st Military Police Company*****.** Representing their decorated history, these ten man teams **feature both the Military Police and the Shock trait**, bringing in 8 M16s, two M249s, and one M67 Recoiless Rifle.
**Artillery**
Bad.
With the rapid Soviet Advance, the few (9 in real life) M270 MLRS batteries assigned to 1st Armored **would have been relocated**, and with the importance of mobility, 1st Armored will have a pretty lackluster artillery tab compared to other NATO divisions, both in terms of slots and choices.
* A single card of infantry mortar crews for both nations, one card of American M30 107mm Mortars, and one of West German Mrs Tampella 120mm mortars. * A single card of self-propelled mortars per, the M106A2 for the Americans, and one card of Panzermoser for the West Germans. * While not new to Warno they are new to the American divisions; a few cards of ***American M109A3s*** would be available to represent their real-life numbers in the division (in real life, most of 1st Armored’s artillery was made up of M109A3s rather than the M109A2).
**Tanks**
A very good category.
* In real life, 1st Armored would have been among, if not the first of American divisions equipped with M1A1 tanks, meaning in-game they would have the most cards of these compared to other American divisions. * They come alongside a small dose of upgraded M1A1(HAs) (four cards compared to 3rd Armored’s five, and lacking a Command Vehicle variant). * For the sake of diversity, as well, a few new ***M1A1 MOD*** upgrade, which boost its armor, similar to the M1 MOD in 1st Cavalry. Unlike 1st Cavalry’s M1 MOD, though, this one would have no new ammo for added penetration. Still, a couple of cards would be included with a similar upvet option as the M1A1. These unconventional enhancements were made during Desert Storm to some M1A1s, and in Warno’s buildup to war, some would likely see similar upgrades readied to counter a Warsaw Pact advance.
Given the situation, however, the latest of American armor will not go it alone. Unlike her sister divisions, 1st Armored will have a few cards of West German armored support.
* The West Germans come along with some cards of older Leopard 2A1s and older still Leopard 1s which had been brought out of storage, to show NATO is equipping surviving tank crews with whatever is found available in the area. These would be cheaper options with decreased speed, penetration, and armor, but increased accuracy compared to other Leopard 2s and 1s, given they are being manned by veteran crews, making them more than capable of supporting the infantry and heavy tanks in a push.
* In Tank Destroyer role, there will be a small choice of TOW Humvees and Jaguar 1s. * Lastly, a single card of M728A1 CEVs as seen in 1st Cavalry.
**Recon**
Choice-wise, pretty good as anyone who can help is needed, giving 1st Armored a very unique roster of choices for recon, but mediocre in terms of slots.
Starting with the good, ***in real life***, 1st Armored would have had access to a few M3 Bradleys for recon by 1989, but due to the March to War, we’re going to assume they were instead given a different priority and sent elsewhere, with 1st Armored instead converting their healthy dose of UH-60s, Kiowa, and Apache helicopters into ***new scout helicopters*** instead!
* A new ***ATGM Recon Kiowa*** with two Hellfire missiles and an M134. * The new ***Recon AH-64***, featuring a reduced loadout to better manage their surveillance equipment, similar to Pact’s Recon-capable Mi-24K. This Recon Apache includes 8 Hellfire missiles and 35 Hydra rockets. * In the case of the new ***Recon UH-60***, while they would **lack jamming and SIGINT**, they would include **exceptional ground** ***and*** **air optics** to make up for it and keeps its door guns. * Usual selection of American **Scouts with M113** transports would be available. * Given that in real life 1st Armored had a dedicated CEWI battalion, they should get at least a couple of **SIGINT infantry** scouts with an added single card of new ***GSR Scouts,*** instead being an 8-man team smaller than the version seen in 101st, with two M16s, one M249, and one M21 marksman rifle, riding in UH-60s. * For the West German selection, there would be a lone card of **FALLSCHIRMJÄGER** B1, available to **come in UH-60 Blackhawks instead of UH-1s**, alongside some **HEIMAT M48s** in Recon configuration, keeping their reservist trait, but fielding HEAT rounds over kinetic rounds.
Lastly, some local German scouts would be in the area as volunteers to give information on the Soviet Advance alongside CIA-backed teams.
* This would include a single card of West German **BND Forces** with the False Flag trait, but no AT equipment. * In that vein, the division would see two new choices of sniper teams, one being new Delta Force snipers, three-man CIA teams, lacking the paratrooper trait, but making up for it with two M24 rifles and a lone M60E3. Secondly, a few cards of local German Police marksmen armed with MP5s and rare, scoped Kar98K rifles, featuring the militia trait alongside the security trait.
**Hel**
Not great.