In Hearts of Iron IV, naval invasions can be a key strategic move that could change the course of the war. Successfully invading the enemy-occupied areas with your units can lead to a possible breakthrough and encirclement of the enemy forces. It could also work as a second front for your main units.
In this article, we’ll look through 5 of the strongest marine templates to use when you need to push the enemy out of the beachheads. It should also be noted that adding any non-marine or amphibious brigades to the division will negate the amphibious bonus innate to marines. Additionally, you can play with the support companies as you wish, with the flame tank being a favorite of some due to its strong, soft attack.
The Purely Marine Template
Why this Template is Great:
- Contains nine marine brigades, good for breaking the enemy formation and holding their ground.
- Extremely high organization means they’ll last longer in battle.
- Has a decent group of support companies that do well in either attack or defense early in the game.
- Offers flexibility in adding support companies or changing the marines to mobile units.
- High defense indicates that this division can hold its ground once it has taken the beach.
The standard template (at least in my eyes) for a marine division, this division offers you high organization and good defense, both of which are great for taking and holding an enemy port or territory. The former should do really well in keeping your marines in the attack and defensive portions of the battle, as the goal of the marines after landing is to hold the beaches till the cavalry arrives. Since this division doesn’t need much in the way of equipment, you’ll be fine as long as the unit is properly supplied, which means taking the battle away from the port lest it risk being damaged.
The Marine Division with all their friends
Why this Template is Great:
- Organization still remains higher than what most people would recommend taking (at least 30 organization)
- A fully loaded support company is sure to wreck havoc on the enemy.
- A higher breakthrough means you’ll take the beaches at a faster rate.
- Still has a great defense, HP, and soft attack for its template.
- Still maintains the amphibious bonus inherent to marine divisions.
Comparing this to the first division, the major difference here is that we placed two additional support companies: rocket artillery to punch through the enemy defenses and a logistics company to reduce the amount of supplies needed by the marines in the first few days following the landing. With the additional bonus you’re getting, the drop off in organization is manageable since the organization of the division should likely be higher than the enemy garrison, and if not, that’s what the rockets are for.
Combined Arms Marine Division
Why this Template is Great:
- The tanks provide extra armor for your troops and should be great at taking out the enemy forces.
- An additional support company is available for your desire anytime.
- A greater offensive power is available to you here, especially if you choose to edit the tank’s design to be truly anti-infantry.
- The tank is beneficial in holding back enemy infantry, as most garrison units don’t use anti-tank in their template.
- With flexibility in adding more brigades, you could theoretically bring this up to 30 width.
From a combined arms perspective, the tank in the stats isn’t impressive. That’s because it hasn’t been upgraded, and I’m using Poland in the game. The biggest benefit of this division is that you can upgrade the tank’s design to eliminate enemy infantry at will while the marine divisions keep the organization strong. Though you’re sacrificing speed, this division’s main goal is to take the enemy territory and hold it at all costs.
Mobile Marine Division
Why this Template is Great:
- Amtracs provide more speed and punch than regular infantry.
- A very high defense equates to more breakthroughs, which is never a bad thing to have when on offense.
- Organization remains within the expected range, allowing your units to battle for a fair amount of time.
- The armor of this division should be enough to repel any normal garrison force.
- Stats can improve dramatically with the editing of tank designs and the addition of another support company.
The second-most expensive division in our list, it’s near the bottom because of its high cost. But if you have the patience to wait and build this template, you’re guaranteed a speedy unit with good armor. It’s basically the equivalent of the mechanized unit. Pair it with some tanks, and you should have a good mix of soft and hard attack needed to push once against the enemy garrison and then beat them in a foot race for the next accessible port.
The Marine Division for the Rich
Why this template is Great:
- The strongest division by far-you’re getting a lot with this template.
- Armor here is more than enough to block any garrison’s attacks.
- Speed remains great, as this grants you the chance to consistently flank and encircle enemy units.
- The organization remains fair as it’s actually slightly higher than the fourth division template.
- A terrific defense allows your unit to basically be Gandalf when defending against the Balrog.
Now this is a luxury pick, but it’s such a great luxury pick. You’re getting the full treatment with this division. You’re getting a fast and hard-punching unit that can take as much damage as possible thanks to its exceptional defense. The only downside to this is the estimated production cost needed to build this and keep division running. But if you’re ever lucky enough to get this build, you should make the most out of it and take as much territory as possible.
