When used properly on the battlefield, armored divisions can do significant damage. Speed is your friend here as you look to punch through the enemy lines, give them no respite, and ultimately encircle enemy forces unlucky enough to not retreat in time. When using armored units, the only goal is to punch through enemy lines, stabilize our gains, and push around the enemy and catch them by surprise.
It should be worth noting that these templates may be different from what you’re seeing in the game, as I’m using Germany (1936) to demonstrate this. With better technology, companies, or national focus, the stats you are seeing may increase. Additionally, you may tweak the support companies as you see fit, but the best ones are signal companies, flame tank companies, and logistics companies.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at some armored division templates that I feel are the best in the right hands.
The Standard Template with Motorized Infantry
Why this Template is Great:
- Is at a fairly good combat width (30), allowing for more units to enter the fight.
- Gives 30 organization, which is the prerequisite to allowing your units to fight longer.
- It is cheap to produce as trucks and medium tanks can easily be produced.
- A decent breakthrough, as it will do well in the early game.
- Organization meets the standard, thereby allowing it to continue its attack
The standard template for any armored unit, this template envisions an army that is capable of pushing through the enemy (mostly in plains) and keeping their equipment well maintained and well supplied, as the production costs for both equipment are easy to meet. This template works well for pushing through the enemy forces mostly at plains as it can fit 2-3 units per turn from your side.
The Standard Template with Mechanized Infantry
Why this Template is Great:
- Mechanized brigades replacing the motorized units ensure organization and breakthrough remain high.
- Contains armor in the combat stats compared to the template prior
- Increased hard attack and piercing due to the mechanized brigades
- With the right support companies, this template can do some damage to any entrenched division.
- Medium tanks serve as the perfect balance of production cost and potential
When compared to the previous template, this one features mechanized brigades in lieu of the motorized brigades we saw in the previous template. Mechanized units are by default much better than motorized units and will be much more effective in punching through the enemy lines, albeit with a larger demand for tanks and fuel. Having some armor and a better hard attack will allow the division to push aside any infantry units along their path.
Greater Medium Tank Force
Why this Template is Great:
- A very strong breakthrough will enable the tanks to punch through enemy lines.
- Terrific organization ensures that the unit can keep advancing for a longer period of time
- The number of troops will easily ensure that ours come out on top.
- Support companies should be readjusted in order to give the template the best it’s got.
- There are numerous equipment options that should allow factories to run at full capacity and maximize production growth.
Pushing through to a larger division, this template will aim to give you the best odds out of all templates to pursue a breakthrough in the enemy lines. Given the number of tanks and mechanized units involved, it’s fair to say that once upgrades come in, the enemy should not be able to resist any attacks. This is by default your standard tank division come late game, as your economy should be able to produce the necessary equipment this quick and deadly division requires.
Early Light Tank Force
Why this Template is Great:
- Can be built right from the start for certain nations
- Extremely easy to produce for both sides.
- Speed is still great, as it’s above some other sandwiches.
- Can make a breakthrough if required
- Manpower demand is not very high, which allows this to be produced at a higher rate if needed.
The cheapest one out of all templates introduced so far, this template is meant to serve in an early-game role, hence the low number of brigades when compared to the other characters and our focus going mostly to the speed and breakthrough of the unit. Should this unit be used in another role, it can perform it adequately (like the unit’s suppression).
Armored Division focusing on Anti-Air
Why this template is Great:
- Great for reducing enemy air superiority.
- The biggest template by far today
- Breakthrough, armor, and piercing are all good.
- Organization is marginally near the standard of 30 organization.
- Optimizing the support companies will make this template work extremely well.
This is basically a copy of the second template, but with this template, there is an extra focus on reducing the enemy air support, as during historical times, tanks would usually be the main target of enemy planes, which is why we’ll try to negate the enemy air superiority by inflicting as much damage as possible. Another added benefit of this template is that by moving AA to the combat brigade, another slot in the support company tree is open, which can lead to potentially higher organization for the division, something that we’ll never get tired of.
