The Infantry technologyresearch tree unlocks new infantry equipment, motorized equipment, and mechanized equipment, as well as enabling and improving special forces infantry and improving infantry and cavalry performance as a whole.
Representing an infantryman's standard kit of tools and weapons, Infantry Equipment is the basis of any army. The 1918 Basic Infantry Equipment is available for every nation, while all majors and many minors have the 1936 Weapons I researched. There are a total of four increasingly more advanced types of infantry equipment.
Icon (generic)
Technology
Year
Base cost
Prerequisites
Description
Statistics
Basic Infantry equipment
1918
Auto. unlocked
Basic infantryman equipment developed before and during the Great War.
2
Defense:20.0
Breakthrough: 2.0
Soft attack:3.0
Hard attack: 0.5
Max Speed:4.0 km/h
Piercing:1.0
Reliability:90.0%
Production Cost:0.43
Unlocks
Infantry
Manpower:1000
Training time:90
Recovery Rate:0.30
Supply use:0.07
Suppression:1.5
Organization:60
HP:25.0
Weight:0.5
Infantry Equipment I
1936
127 days
Basic Infantry equipment
Personal and crew served weapons for infantry as well as the various other bits of kit a soldier needs.
2
Defense:22.0
Breakthrough:3.0
Soft attack:6.0
Hard attack:1.0
Max Speed:4.0 km/h
Piercing:4.0
Reliability:90.0%
Production Cost:0.5
Improved Infantry Equipment I
1938
127 days
Infantry Equipment I
Personal and crew served weapons for infantry as well as the various other bits of kit a soldier needs. Improved weapon models and more specialized equipment.
Upgrades
Soft attack:
+5%
Soft attack:
+5%
Infantry Equipment II
1939
170 days
Improved Infantry Equipment I
Personal and crew served weapons for infantry as well as the various other bits of kit a soldier needs. Modernized to include a great number of sub-machineguns and anti-tank rifles.
3
Defense:28.0
Breakthrough:4.0
Soft attack:9.0
Hard attack:1.5
Max Speed:4.0 km/h
Piercing:5.0
Reliability:90.0%
Production Cost:0.58
Improved Infantry Equipment II
1940
170 days
Infantry Equipment II
Personal and crew served weapons for infantry as well as the various other bits of kit a soldier needs. Improved weapon models and more specialized equipment.
Upgrades
Soft attack:
+5%
Soft attack:
+5%
Infantry Anti-Tank I
1942
127 days
Infantry Equipment II
Arming our infantry with anti-tank rifles will allow them to take out lighter armored vehicles while maintaining mobility.
Upgrades
Hard attack:
+25%
Piercing
+100%
Infantry Anti-Tank II
1943
127 days
Infantry Anti-Tank I
For infantry to effectively engage heavier armored units, high-explosive anti-tank weapons need to be made smaller and lighter.
Upgrades
Hard attack:
+25%
Piercing
+100%
Infantry Equipment III
1942
170 days
Improved Infantry Equipment II
Personal and crew served weapons for infantry as well as the various other bits of kit a soldier needs. Further modernized to include personal Assault Rifles and anti-tank rockets.
4
Defense:34.0
Breakthrough:5.0
Soft attack:12.0
Hard attack:2.0
Max Speed:4.0 km/h
Piercing:10.0
Reliability:80.0%
Production Cost:0.69
Improved Infantry Equipment III
1944
127 days
Infantry Equipment III
Personal and crew served weapons for infantry as well as the various other bits of kit a soldier needs. Further Modernized to include personal Assault Rifles and anti-tank rockets. Improved availability of weapons previously distributed to a limited extent.
Support weapons includes crew-served weapons such as medium and heavy machine guns and mortars. These technologies provide bonuses to the defense and breakthrough of cavalry and all types of infantry.
Automatic weapons are becoming more portable. Submachine guns have already proven effective and the development of hand-held support weapons must continue.
Upgrades
Defense:
+5%
Breakthrough:
+5%
Defense:
+2%
Breakthrough:
+2%
Defense:
+3%
Breakthrough:
+3%
Support Weapons II
1938
127 days
Support Weapons I
The development of automatic weapons which combine the aspects of light and heavy machine guns allows versatility in how our infantry employ their equipment.
Upgrades
Defense:
+5%
Breakthrough:
+5%
Defense:
+2%
Breakthrough:
+2%
Defense:
+3%
Breakthrough:
+3%
Support Weapons III
1940
127 days
Support Weapons II
While maintaining and improving reliability of machine guns, we can also experiment with higher firing rates to ensure lethality of the constant stream of bullets.
Upgrades
Defense:
+5%
Breakthrough:
+5%
Defense:
+2%
Breakthrough:
+2%
Defense:
+3%
Breakthrough:
+3%
Support Weapons IV
1942
127 days
Support Weapons III
With the increased use of assault rifles, developing automatic weapons that can be used in any environment by all soldiers is a priority for a modern army.
Night vision equipment allows soldiers to see even in the dark, offsetting some of the -50% penalty that units receive when fighting at night and giving an edge over enemies who do not have such equipment.
Being able to see the enemy without being seen is key to night operations. With the invention of infra-red technology, we can outfit our army with devices which, though unwieldy, make this possible.
Global stats
Land Night Attack:
+10%
Night Vision II
1946
170 days
Early infra-red scopes, although initially intended for use by snipers, had a limited vision range. As both the portability and vision improves, these devices can be used by more troops operating at night.
Motorized infantry is a somewhat harder and much faster version of infantry, but is more expensive and less reliable. It represents infantry outfitted with "soft-skinned—unarmored or lightly armored—vehicles (Jeeps, trucks, etc.). It provides infantry with more strategic (deploying to the area of operations, though state infrastructure is the primary strategic mover) and operational (moving along the front line) mobility and is suitable to accompany armored forces.
Motorized technology enables research of Mechanized Infantry that uses increasingly advanced armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles (e.g., armored cars and half-tracks). These are much more expensive than Motorized, and initially slower, but provide higher attack, armor and hardness, with much greater tactical mobility (moving under fire, i.e., the "breakthrough" stat). Mechanized Infantry should be upgraded to keep pace with the faster advanced tanks. Mechanized Infantry lacking tanks is better as a defensive fire brigade than an assault force (except against relatively weak opposition that it can outpace and overrun). As a general rule, mechanized infantry are best used with armored forces, just as they were in reality.
Icon (generic)
Technology
Year
Base cost
Prerequisites
Description
Statistics
Motorized
1936
170 days
Motorizing infantry is the first stage to mechanizing an army. Civilian trucks are readily adapted to military uses of transporting soldiers, towing guns, and carrying equipment and supplies. This greatly increases the strategic mobility of infantry units, which would otherwise rely on marching.
11
Hardness:10.0%
Max Speed:12.0 km/h
Reliability:80.0%
Fuel Usage:1.2
Production Cost:2.50
Unlocks
Motorized Infantry
Manpower:1200
Training time:90
Recovery Rate:0.30
Supply use:0.11
Suppression:2.2
Organization:60
HP:25.0
Weight:0.7
Motorized Rocket Artillery
1939
127 days
Motorized
Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver explosives to a target area more quickly than conventional artillery, but with lower accuracy and requiring a longer time to reload. Being mounted on trucks, this version is able to launch attacks and change positions before the enemy can return fire.
11
Defense:15.0
Breakthrough:12.0
Soft Attack:36.0
Hard Attack:1.0
Piercing:2.0
Reliability:80.0%
Fuel Usage:0.1
Production Cost:12.0
Unlocks
Motorized Rocket Artillery
Manpower:500
Training time:120
Recovery Rate:0.10
Supply use:0.28
HP:0.6
Weight:0.5
Mechanized Equipment I
1940
170 days
Motorized
Mechanized infantry is infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat. Mechanized infantry is distinguished from motorized infantry in that its vehicles provide a degree of protection from hostile fire, as opposed to soft-skinned wheeled vehicles (trucks or jeeps) for motorized infantry.
21
Defense:26.0
Breakthrough:4.0
Hardness:60.0%
Max Speed:8.0 km/h
Armor:10.0
Piercing:11.0
Reliability:80.0%
Fuel Usage:2.4
Production Cost:8.00
Upgrades
Hardness:
+100%
Mechanized Equipment II
1942
170 days
Mechanized Equipment I
Mechanized infantry is infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat. Mechanized infantry is distinguished from motorized infantry in that its vehicles provide a degree of protection from hostile fire, as opposed to soft-skinned wheeled vehicles (trucks or jeeps) for motorized infantry.
31
Defense:30.0
Breakthrough:5.0
Hardness:70.0%
Max Speed:10.0 km/h
Armor:15.0
Piercing:16.0
Reliability:80.0%
Fuel Usage:2.4
Production Cost:10.00
Mechanized Equipment III
1944
255 days
Mechanized Equipment II
Mechanized infantry is infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat. Mechanized infantry is distinguished from motorized infantry in that its vehicles provide a degree of protection from hostile fire, as opposed to soft-skinned wheeled vehicles (trucks or jeeps) for motorized infantry.
Amphibious Tractors, or Amtracs, allow Marines to be landed on a beach under armored protection. However, this comes at the cost of poor fuel efficiency.
Where previous armored cars were simply commercial models with thin steel plating, this model was designed from the ground up to carry armor and light armament.
Our light mechanized units will come into contact with enemy tank forces at some point. Developing a special anti-tank variant would give them a fighting chance.
In addition to regular, motorized, and mechanized infantry, there are three specialized infantry types (Marines, Mountaineers, and Paratroopers) that are useful in specific situations. They require standard infantry equipment.
These three types of specialized infantry types are known as Special Forces or SF (not to be confused with the army doctrine Superior Firepower). Special Forces have a Battalion cap for each country. This cap is the greater of either 24 battalions or 5% of your total battalions (excluding SF battalions) making up the rest of your divisions. Divisions cannot be changed, trained, given a different template or have their template adjusted if that would result in exceeding the SF cap. To increase the 24 SF battalion cap, you would have to exceed the 480 non-SF battalion breakeven point by 20 for each additional SF battalion. For example, you would need 500 non-SF battalions for 25 SF battalions, 520 non-SF battalions for 26 SF battalions, 540 non-SF battalions for 27 SF battalions, etc.
Marines are specialized infantry trained to engage in wet terrain and perform amphibious invasions. They receive +30.0% attack in marshes, +40.0% attack when fighting over rivers, and +50.0% attack when engaging enemies during amphibious landings. Marine Divisions are very effective when supported by Engineer Companies.
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Technology
Year
Base cost
Prerequisites
Description
Statistics
Marines I
1936
170 days
Troops specializing in amphibious warfare are growing ever more indispensable. Improvised methods and equipment become things of the past as our naval infantry is supported by specialized landing craft and training.
Unlocks
Marines
Manpower:1000
Training time:120
Recovery Rate:0.40
Breakthrough:0.3
Supply use:0.06
Suppression:1.0
Organization:70
HP:20.0
Weight:0.5
Marines II
1939
127 days
Marines I
Amphibious warfare requires constant innovation. Improved logistical support and portable harbors can enable our marines to perform landings that may otherwise have been impossible.
Upgrades
Soft attack:
+5%
Organization:
+5
Marines III
1943
170 days
Marines II
Marines can be more than just amphibious infantry. In the future, our marine corps will be among the most disciplined and organized special forces.
Mountaineers are specialized infantry that excel in maneuvering through and engaging in rough terrain. They receive +10.0% movement, +20.0% attack, and +5.0% defense in hills and +20.0% movement, 35.0% attack, and 10.0% defense in mountains.
Icon (generic)
Technology
Year
Base cost
Prerequisites
Description
Statistics
Mountain Infantry I
1936
170 days
Combat in mountain ranges exposes troops to many perils, but sometimes cannot be avoided. We can minimize these risks by providing our soldiers with specialized training for this environment.
Unlocks
Mountaineers
Manpower:1000
Training time:120
Recovery Rate:0.40
Breakthrough:0.3
Supply use:0.07
Suppression:1.0
Organization:70
HP:20.0
Weight:0.5
Mountain Infantry II
1939
127 days
Mountain Infantry I
Going beyond survival, our forces can be trained to use mountains to their advantage. With light equipment and mule transports, they can maneuver in this terrain better than other infantry.
Upgrades
Soft attack:
+5%
Organization:
+5
Mountain Infantry III
1943
170 days
Mountain Infantry II
Preparing for the most arduous mountain missions in high altitudes and low temperatures will require extraordinary training and discipline from our mountain troops.
While they take longer to train and only have slightly better stats than normal Infantry, Paratroopers are the only type of unit that can be paradropped into the field, which they do via transport plane. This allows them to perform operations behind enemy lines and in locations where other units cannot easily reach. The AI will use paratroopers in battle, but never uses them for paradrops.
Icon (generic)
Technology
Year
Base cost
Prerequisites
Description
Statistics
Paratroopers I
1936
170 days
By incorporating airborne forces into our army, we can make forced entries and position key troops in previously inaccessible areas, allowing for new tactical opportunities.
Unlocks
Paratroopers
Manpower:1000
Training time:150
Recovery Rate:0.40
Supply use:0.06
Suppression:1.0
Organization:70
HP:22.0
Weight:0.5
Paratroopers II
1939
127 days
Paratroopers I
Transitioning from small operations with only a few paratroopers to larger airborne divisions paves way for massive airborne landings, taking these forces beyond a novelty to a natural part of warfare.
Upgrades
Soft attack:
+5%
Organization:
+5
Paratroopers III
1943
170 days
Paratroops II
Learning to adapt paradrop operations according to weather, standardizing equipment such as jump boots and extended specialized training will minimize the confusion and risks involved in these dangerous missions.
Special forces (marines, mountaineers, paratroopers) are trained and equipped for conditions that ordinary soldiers aren’t expected to excel in. The first tech will give them a boost to acclimatization speed. Afterwards, the tree splits. One option is to train your special forces harder, to improve their skills and their ability to fight for longer before having to be resupplied. The other option is to expand the special forces training programs to accept more recruits. Your special forces will be more numerous, but come with more drag and not quite as high speed. In the end though, they will still be elite forces and will be able to develop training to make them even more skilled in fighting in the harshest of conditions. Note: The maximum quantity of special forces is capped at 24 battalions or 5% of your fielded regular battalions (this limit can be increased by unlocking the Expanded Special Forces Program technology).
Special Forces research tree
Icon (generic)
Technology
Year
Base cost
Prerequisites
Description
Statistics
Special Forces
1938
170 days
Unconventional fighting requires specialist training. We need to ensure that our troops are prepared and able to adapt to harsh conditions.
Upgrades
Hot Acclimatization gain factor:+5%
Cold Acclimatization gain factor:+5%
Advanced Special Forces Training
1940
170 days
Special Forces
With extensive training, we can ensure that our special forces will be able to perform above and beyond that of normal men. Mutually exclusive with Expanded Special Forces Program.
Upgrades
Division Training Time:+10%
Defense:
+5%
Organization:
+5
Extreme Environment Training
1942
170 days
Advanced Special Forces Training
We need to be able to fight in the harshest of environments. With the right training and equipment, our troops will be able to fight in the most extreme conditions.
Upgrades
Division Training Time:+10%
Supply Grace:+48 hr
Hot Acclimatization gain factor:+50%
Cold Acclimatization gain factor:+50%
Expanded Special Forces Program
1940
170 days
Special Forces
Special forces are able to perform missions that ordinary soldiers can not. We need to expand the training program to get more of our soldiers qualified. Mutually exclusive with Advanced Special Forces Training.
Upgrades
Capacity Multiplier:+5%
Division Training Time:-10%
Survival Training
1942
170 days
Expanded Special Forces Program
Our special forces will often fight behind enemy lines and in short supply. We need to train them to endure harsh weather and fight with limited supplies.
Upgrades
Hot Acclimatization gain factor:+20%
Cold Acclimatization gain factor:+20%
Out of Supply:-10%
Elite Forces
1944
170 days
Survival Training
Only the best of the best will become special forces. The soldiers that make it through the training will be stronger. faster, and fight harder than anyone else.
