Hello, hello, hello! We return with another [b]NORTHAG[/b]-flavored [b]DevBlog[/b]. In today’s post, we’ll focus on the first of the two new [b]Army General[/b] campaigns to be featured in our upcoming major expansion. Let’s go explore [b]Four Days to the Weser[/b] campaign! [b][h2]NORTHAG’s Army General Campaigns[/h2][/b] The [b]NORTHAG[/b] expansion will feature two new massive turn-based [b]Army General[/b] campaigns. Both are centered on the NORTHAG command, detailing two new powerful Warsaw Pact thrusts into NATO-controlled territory. The northern offensive is aimed at Bremen and sees the East Germans strike through a (still) mobilizing Dutch I Corps around the Lüneburg area. This campaign is called [b]Four Days to the Weser[/b], and preview it in more depth below. The southern strike is around Hanover, and it is here that the communists run into trouble early on, giving the reinforcing British time to bring up heavy tank reinforcements. This, in turn, sees the hasty deployment of some additional mechanized Polish units. The name for this [b]Army General[/b] campaign is [b]Armored Fury[/b] and will be detailed in a future DevBlog. [b][h2]NORTHAG’s Historical Context[/h2][/b] NATO’s [i]NORTHAG[/i] command, as we already mentioned a couple of times, was the cobbling together of four different NATO corps from four different nations, all under unified British command. From the south to the north, these were the Belgians, British, Dutch, and West German, backed up by some additional pre-positioned American forces. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/8c7ca3916f9f0707c58b7b381306077c04528853.jpg[/img] Glancing at the numbers and equipment on paper, it looked like a very strong command, but in reality, NORTHAG was closer to an idol made with feet of clay. Made up of many different national armies, political pressures from various governments and conflicting policies were rife. For instance, the Belgian Army’s outdated equipment, the Dutch questionable decision to keep the majority of its troops home to be “mobilized” in case of war, lack of standardization, etc., were all issues identified by the 1980s. While the Americans believed Fulda to be the most likely flashpoint and invasion route of World War III in West Germany (due to the proximity of a whole bunch of military and civilian infrastructure in the Frankfurt/Middle Rhine area), the terrain was not very favorable to large-scale maneuvers. The Soviet High Command, seeing the benefit of keeping (at least some) of NATO’s attention fixed, was all too happy to oblige and play their part in a [i]maskirovka[/i] deception to fix substantial CENTAG forces in this sector. Meanwhile, the North German Plain, essentially the whole of NORTHAG, was perfect for massive mechanized warfare. Furthermore, the disparaged multinational forces were perceived to be a key weakness, more fragile, and prone to break if enough pressure was brought to bear. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/4fb470fd11a4a87f17e781b7f66350561556b323.jpg[/img] [b][h2]The War Front[/h2][/b] In our war scenario, which you already should be familiar with thanks to [b]WARNO’s[/b] base game’s CENTAG [b]Army General[/b] campaigns, the Warsaw Pact first launches several strong offensive thrusts across the Inner German Border, including Fulda. However, these are diversionary attacks. The sole Soviet 8th Guards Army is in the lead here, flanked and followed by an array of East German forces. Frankfurt was to be threatened or captured if possible, but seizing it wasn’t mandatory. The primary purpose of this offensive was to fix the American and West German attention (and troops) as much as possible. Further north, the Soviet 1st Guards Tank Army quickly attacked west; its path mostly opened in the initial covert ops raid at Kassel Airport. This thrust was aimed at NORTHAG’s soft underbelly: the 1st Belgian Corps. In the meantime, further up north, the rest of NORTHAG was bracing itself but eerily quiet, apart from artillery duels, small-scale attacks, and airstrikes. This wouldn’t last long. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/26cd10b6292cc76d4e30f056f05514c656870c27.png[/img] [b][h2]NORTHAG Under Pressure[/h2][/b] So, with the Belgian I Corps under pressure from the whole of the Soviet 1st Guards Tank Army, NORTHAG was forced to react. The British I Corps diverted its 3rd Armoured Division, and the West Germans its 7. Panzerdivision to the south. This also had the dangerous effect of forcing the rest of NATO’s divisions to shift their front or relocate to fill the gaps. This was, of course, the moment the Warsaw Pact had waited for. The northern communist army groups started their two main attacks on NORTHAG on June 23rd, 72 hours into World War III. The northern one is an East German-led on the Lüneburg-Bremen axis, while the southern one is on the Hanover-Osnabrück axis (as mentioned briefly before). Let’s detail [b]Four Days to the Weser[/b] (the northern attack) a bit more. [previewyoutube=0W5lNGagKxc;full](insérer vidéo d'intro)[/previewyoutube] [b][h2]Four Days to the Weser AG Campaign Preview[/h2][/b] This new [b]Army General[/b] campaign takes place in the Lüneburg area, south of Hamburg. The Hanseatic city, although visible on the northern edges of the map, won’t be part of the campaign. It is situated across the unpassable river Elba and is part of NATO’s LANDJUT’s theater of operations. In our new [b]Army General[/b] campaign, which is I Dutch Corp’s area of responsibility, the Covering Force Area, a part of West Germany jutting into East Germany, has already been evacuated following pre-war plans. Surrounded on three sides by communist territory, it would have been complicated to defend this death trap. This shortening of NATO’s defensive lines allowed Warsaw Pact troops to cross the Elbe and advance on Lüneburg in force and relatively unmolested. The East German objective is to continue to attack and cross the Weser River near Hamburg within four days before NATO can muster enough reinforcements to mount a concerted defense on this natural obstacle. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/210d91cc9402bc0ff3655093af0a8a26dc079399.jpg[/img] [u]Source[/u]: www.orbat85.nl [b][h2]Opposing Forces[/h2][/b] The [b]Four Days to the Weser[/b] offensive has been entrusted to the East German [i]5. Armee[/i], operating independently (unlike the [i]3. Armee[/i] against CENTAG’s armies). This army is made up of the [i]8.[/i] and [i]19. Motorisierte Schützendivision[/i], the elite and well-equipped [i]9. Panzerdivision[/i] (featured [url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/1611600/announcements/detail/4658500175769884307]as a playable division[/url]) and the [i]20. Motorisierte Schützendivision[/i], which is a partially mobilized division with T-72s in its tank regiment. These Nationale Volksarmee formations are backed by a host of smaller detachments, including two powerful Soviet independent tank regiments equipped with T-64B main battle tanks. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/4c3731526fd610c5cc0c49d12c45af476225c95c.jpg[/img] Opposing the communists is a verifiable Tower of Battle of NATO forces: chiefly the West German [i]3. Panzerdivision[/i] and the Dutch [i]41 Pantserbrigade[/i], the lone Dutch formation actually stationed in West Germany. Additional support comes from the US Army’s [i]2nd Armored Division[/i]’s [i]3rd Brigade (Forward)[/i], pre-deployed in the area. The main forces of the Dutch I Corps ([i]1ste[/i] and [i]4e Divisie[/i]) were supposed to be at their pre-arranged combat positions within 48 hours, being transported from the Netherlands. However, in the chaos of war, including major transportation issues, strikes on critical infrastructure, and a sumptuous sprinkling of Soviet Spetsnaz sabotage and raid actions in the rear, have clearly derailed this overly optimistic Dutch mobilization plan. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/d84b97f9c54bf7e65f3c94589a63e5183e5cfecc.jpg[/img] NATO has the objective of holding the East Germans at bay long enough for the Dutch main reinforcements to (finally) show up. Then, it's either stabilizing a defense or, ideally, counter-attack when the opportunity arises. For the Warsaw Pact, the war goal is simple: break through the enemy defenses as soon as possible and seize the objective across the Weser before the offensive stalls. [b][h2]The new WARNO - NORTHAG expansion[/h2][/b] [b]WARNO - NORTHAG[/b] is the first major expansion coming to [b]WARNO[/b]. World War III hits the North German Plain where the attacking Warsaw Pact needs to overcome the staunch defenses of NATO’s NORTHAG. Under British command, Belgian, Dutch, West German, and American forces battle against the powerful northern formations of the Soviet Group of Forces in Germany, including East German and reinforcing Polish armies. The expansion is planned for later in 2024. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2978620/WARNO__NORTHAG/ [b]WARNO - NORTHAG[/b] will feature: [list][*]2 new [b]Army General[/b] campaigns. [*]4 new [b]Operations[/b]. [*]10 new [b]Divisions[/b], including NATO’s Belgian [b]16e Pantserdivisie[/b], Dutch [b]4e Divisie[/b], the British [b]4th Armoured Division[/b] and [b]MultiNational Airborne Division[/b], and the American [b]9th Infantry (Motorized) Division[/b], while the Warsaw Pact deploys the Soviet [b]25-ya Tank. Diviziya[/b], the East German [b]9. Panzerdivision[/b], and the Polish [b]4 Dywizja Zmechanizowan[/b], [b]20 Dywizja Pancerna[/b] and [b]Grupa Desantowa[/b]. [*]3 new playable nations: NATO’s Belgium and the Netherlands, and Warsaw Pact’s Poland. [*]New voice acting. [*]New units and models.[/list] [b][h2]The new WARNO- NORTHAG detailed[/h2][/b] We have started detailing [b]WARNO - NORTHAG’s[/b] features. Check the dedicated forum post for all the detailed previews! [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1611600/discussions/0/4700161359562121615/ ]NORTHAG ... what to expect?[/url] [b][h2]Until Next Time[/h2][/b] That’s it for this week’s first DevBlog. We’ll talk about the first [b]Operation[/b] in the next post, called [b]Running the Gauntlet[/b]. Join the [b]WARNO[/b] community. Check the latest news on the [b][url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1611600/allnews/]Steam News[/url][/b] page or visit the [b][url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1611600/discussions/]Steam Forums[/url][/b]. Get together with other players on either the excellent [b][url=https://discord.gg/TEeBArm]Discord server[/url][/b], [b][url=https://www.reddit.com/r/warno/]Reddit page[/url][/b], [b][url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiFqzFcEAzeiu3Msr9G7izw]YouTube[/url][/b] or our [b][url=https://www.instagram.com/eugensystems/]Instagram[/url][/b]. See you on the battlefield, commander. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/4d3007e9284f2be89e9f341941e177a648b73081.gif[/img]