Infantry squad

Infantry squad
Basic infantry
Faction	United States Soviet Union NATO
Role	Infantry
Costs	650 850 1000 1000
Properties
Hit points	2450 (490 each)
Speed	Slow (20/100)
Line of sight	Short
Combat
Armament(s)	M16A2, M203, M249, M2CG, FIM-92 Stinger (USA) AKM, AK-74 GP-30, PKM, RPG-7, 9K310 Igla-1 (USSR) FAMAS, M203, FN MAG, M136 AT4, FIM-92 Stinger (NATO)
Firepower	Medium
Weapon range	Short
Special abilities
Offensive: Grenade launcher barrage Riflemen equipped with grenade launchers fire a volley of high-explosive grenades. Very deadly against infantry units, but less effective against armored units.
Defensive: Sprint The infantry squad moves at double speed, but cannot engage enemies for the duration of the ability.

The infantry squad is the basic, all-purpose unit for the infantry role. Each squad has five members, one with a rifle with grenade launcher to deal with enemy infantry, one anti-tank soldier, another soldier armed with a heat-seeking surface-to-air missile, a machine gunner who lays down suppressive fire on enemy soldiers, and a medic, who automatically heals any injured infantry and carries a rifle with grenade launcher.

Background

The infantry is the core of the armies during the Cold War, just as it was during World War I and World War II. They are trained for combat in urban areas and open fields. They are commonly deployed in squads of five:

• A rifleman armed with an assault rifle and a grenade launcher attachment. Primary role of the rifleman is to engage and kill other enemy soldiers.
• A medic is also armed with an assault rifle and a grenade launcher attachment. Primary role of the medic is to heal soldiers in the squad. Also a back-up Rifleman for the main Rifleman.
• An anti-tank gunner armed with an anti-tank rocket launcher. Primary role is to engage and destroy enemy vehicles, as well as fortifications.
• An anti-aircraft gunner armed with a Man Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS). Primary role is to engage and destroy enemy aircraft.
• A machine gunner armed with a machine gun or a Squad Automatic Weapon. Primary role is to assist the rifleman in killing enemy infantry. Also useful at killing light vehicles in concert with the anti-tank gunner.

Overview

Infantry squads are strong against everything, but are vulnerable against everything. It is advisable that infantry should sprint from cover to cover, in forests or buildings to lessen the damage. Infantry can also ambush enemies when hidden in forests by holding fire, and can also enter transports.

Dealing with infantry

Any unit can attack infantry. Some strong infantry countermeasures are a well-timed artillery barrage, or tactical aid such as napalm strike, chemical strike, and light artillery barrage. Tanks and vehicles can squish infantry, but cannot squish them if they are in cover.

Your infantry squads are infantry killers. Keep them in cover and attack them. Use your grenade launcher whenever possible. If there is a sniper, all you can do is either call in a tactical aid, sacrifice a few units by charging in and shooting the sniper, having a vehicle squish the sniper, or simply retreat.

Dealing with armor

If you are dealing with only light tanks, you need about 3-4 infantry squads. However, if you are dealing with a heavy tank, it is best just to call in an anti-tank infantry squad. 4 of them should destroy a heavy tank in 2-3 hits. Watch out for the medium tank's offensive special, as it can kill your infantry squad quite quickly.

Dealing with air

Dealing with Air is by far the most dangerous. In the open, they can decontaminate your squad very quickly, especially with the heavy attack helicopter's Attack Ground, which will launch missiles at your infantry squad, killing it immediately. It takes 4 shots for your infantry to kill 1 helicopter, so to make that happen, always try to find cover. If there are just too many, use an air-to-air strike, or if on multiplayer, call in anti-air.

Dealing with support

Support is usually the easiest to kill, because all of its vehicles are lightly armed. Hiding in a forest and simply shooting is enough to kill them, as most support vehicles, like the heavy anti-air have no attack ground capabilities. However, artillery is something that you should be worried about. Artillery can quickly kill your infantry squad. On a map, always keep on the move, so that artillery will have trouble hitting you.

Multiplayer

Of all the roles, infantry is the least used in multiplayer, generally to its vulnerable nature. It is the hardest to master of all the roles, but if you do, then it's also the most powerful role. Infantry is the only unit that does not have to be protected. Armor needs anti-air, anti-air needs ground and air support (either tanks or helicopter), and helicopters need ground units as well. But infantry can deal with any situation, allowing the player to be perfectly independent. If a player is an infantry commander, they will most likely use infantry squads during the beginning, because it can attack anything. However as the game progresses, the player may call down anti-tank infantry squads if there are a lot of tanks, or snipers if there is a lot of enemy infantry.