The R E A L General's Red Alert Page -- Division HQ / Unit Strategies

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Advanced Unit Strategy
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Infantry	Tanks	Vehicles	Ships	Aircraft	Structures

Infantry

Side Both Cost 100	Rifle Infantry The rifle infantryman is the backbone of the infantry forces for both the Allies and the Soviets but very few people ever bother to build them because they are weak. The fact is that riflemen are actually very powerful within their restricted range. Eight riflemen ($800) can take out a structure or tank in less time than a medium tank ($800). The only problem with the riflemen is thier unfortunate tendency to get squished in large numbers at very awkward moments. "We're going to cut out their living guts, and use them to grease the treads of our tanks." It is virtually impossible to get a full platoon (20 men) to attack a tank without losing most of them, the interesting thing, though, is that the tank will also be destroyed if there is a competent commander behind them. You'll still lose money on the deal though and that is largely what Red Alert and for that matter real war is about, economics. Consider economics as another one of Major-General Von Clausewitz's political extensions. Overall though, especially as a follow up force to tanks, once the anti-infantry defences are gone (or if you forces are large enough, before) and the tanks are at bay, an infantry force can level an enemy base in the same time it takes for a tank force to do so and at a fraction of the cost, in short, riflemen can be deadly if used properly, or a waste of money in the hands of an inexperienced Lieutenant.
Side Soviet Cost 160	Grenadier These units are basically an even more powerful version of the rifleman, having grenades with a longer range and better power. (On a Tech Level 1 game, they absolutely rule that battlefield.) A platoon of grenadiers can level a building and destroy a tank with ease. The downside is that aside from being easily squished, if one dies, it sets off a chain reaction among other wounded grenadiers and an entire formation can go up in flames from the death of just one grenadier. The solution is to spread your grenadiers out in among groups of other, non-explosive infantry. Grenadiers are also an excellent Wrecking Crew for quickly leveling an enemy base once the area is generally secured. They move faster than any other standard infantry unit so they can move in quickly and outflank opposing infantry formations easily. This also makes them difficult to squish with tanks. If playing a Crate Game, using one to acquire crates without risking Tanks can cut your costs if you are worried about Bomb Crates. If your grenadier finds a Speed Upgrade Crate, re-assign him his own Squad Number and use him for fast recon or as Private Jesse Owens to beat the other guy in the Race to the Crates. Generally, A good choice for support units but NEVER make an entire attack force or even an entire follow up force from them, I did once...One shot from a camo pillbox and 70+ guys went up in flames from the chain reaction. Ouch!
Side Both Cost 300	Rocket Soldier The speed opposite of the grenadier. His weakness is his lack of speed and his reload rate. He really needs an escort. This fellow is really slow so it helps to assign an appropriate number of minigunners to protect them while in transit. Better yet, ship them distances only in APC/LST/Chinook. For either side they are the Flak of choice. If you opponent starts an airwar, rather than building SAM's or Fliegerabwehrkannone Batteries (which go offline when underpowered), build an extra Barracks and turn out Tubes. Place them around your critical structure for both Pak (Panzerabwehrkannone) and Flak duty. They can defend against Panzers in the air and on the ground. But this arrangement is worthless against MiG's. Make sure that you have a first line perimeter further out to stop MiG's from a greater range than their AGM's can reach. Unlike the grenadier, these guys are not fratracidal and make great Wrecking Crews that are self defensive against in both a Pak and Flak role. The best way to take on a Panzer is to define a Squad number and space the guys in a large circle. When the Panzer enters the circle order the Squad to open fire. Panzer commanders have a tendency to loose their cool when enveloped and fail to fight back effectively. Also consider keeping a couple of APC's loaded with them as portable Flak units to follow your truck or to invest an ore field. Simply dismount upon being attacked or dismount to invest the ore field. Leave the APC to protect against Infantarie or to pack up your marbles and go home when needed.
Side Soviet Cost 300	Flamethrower Another fine Sowjet nasty. They are the short order cooks of the battlefield. Infantry is crispy crittered in one blast. They also turn armor into rolling pressure cookers in very short order. However, like the grenadier, they are also incredibly fratracidal. Use singly or in mixed company. Never in homogenous squads or in any form of dense concentration. Make sure that there is plenty of space for that fratracidal tendency or poof, end of story, end of the front line. If you are on the receiving end of an attack. Target the Toasters because they might take their buddies with them. And they certainly hurt worse than a minigunner if they find you.
Side Soviet Cost 900	Shock Trooper One Guy carries the John Holmes of cattle prods.
Side Both Cost 1200	Tanya The manual pretty well outlines her role as a commando. Use her by airdrop or APC/LST to get into his base as a one girl Wrecking Crew. The advanced strategy category that I would apply is that since she is as inaccessable is the Tanya I went to high school with, I like to keep a couple around my own base for COIN duty. (counter insurgency) If somebody runs, airdrops, or lands a commando in your base, use your COIN commando(s) to kill the invading commando. After all, the enemy commando will outgun any footpads you send against them except the equally gunned COIN commando. To protect key structures against the commando you can ring the structure with a wall/barbwire/sandbags. If you are Sowjet, you can also lay AP mines around the key structures and better yet, around the base at random so that the commando is killed at apparent random thus discouraging further attempts.
Side Both Cost 500	Engineer With a more realistic game in RA than original C&C, it takes more Engineers than one usually to take a building. Thus we feel that his real use is to hang around in an APC in YOUR own base for an immediate response to having a critical building severely damaged. If MiG's fly over and take the thin skinned Chronoshifter to near death, or tanks plaster your Conyard, just unload him from the APC and walk in for instant 100% health. He could save your plans or nether region. We have seen survival of prolonged attacks by sending in more than one to repair the critical building during the attack while combat arms neutralized the hostile threat. Why spend $1000 on an item? It takes a long time to charge the Chrono and worse to prep an A-Bomb. If you want to keep a schedule, then you may spend for its protection. If you only have one Conyard and no Service Depo... Be careful to think about the cost though. If you are loosing a powerplant, let it burn unless it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to save it. Why spend $500 to save a $300 building? Think about what you are spending him on.
Side Allied Cost 800	Medic In a Tank Rush game, this trooper is worthless. Lieutenants probably don't even know what he does. To a General conducting a 4+ hour War, this unarmed trooper is a real moneysaver (and lifesaver). Keep one around the base for healing the Tubes that earn Purple Hearts while providing AAD. When sending out LRRPs (Long Range Recon Patrol) or Wrecking Crews, make sure that medics go along to heal those that get wounded out on patrol. Due to the time it takes to heal you will need to send more than one depending upon the size of the LRRP or Wrecking Crew. You will quickly find that you need one per section in any strength above section level. Thus two for a full strength platoon and add one for each additional section. Yes, Generals do use footpads in a prolonged war. Unless you have mechanics, and regardless if you are Soviets, you cannot fix rolling stock in the field. A LRRP is a good way to recon and fight far from base while being self healing which cuts costs. (We are back to economics again.) Just remember to keep them away from the front line during a firefight so that they survive to heal the survivors. DURING the firefight check the health of your individual troopers and rotate wounded from the front to the back to rotate your men on the line. That way you are always presenting fresh men to your dying enemy and your wounded can survive to be healed by the medic in order to continue their mission without needing to be expensively replaced.
Side Allied Cost 950	Mechanic
Side Allied Cost 500	Spy Sir Ian Fleming or Reilly (know your history) would appreciate this fellow. This 007 of the battlefield is able to find out useful information. Try to get one of MI5's Best into your enemy's power plants. That way you know when the Allied AAD or the Soviet Telsa Coils are offline. Just remember that he can be found by dogs or the human operator when this guy does NOT respond to commands. Enemy tanks will not see him as friendly, nor fire upon him as foe, but rather, simply, blindly squish him like a poor sighted grandma overdue for having her car keys taken away. Whether you are Soviet or not, your human operator/player defense against the spy is to periodically click on your Minigunner men and order them to move at least one square now and then. If the footpad does not move, shoot. If you see one lone footpad making a cross country run towards your base, order him to stop. If he does not, shoot.
Side Allied Cost 500	Thief Der Dieb. Are you kidding. All this guy is good for is VERY expensive cannon fodder. You cannot get him past the moronic AI. You might get him past a human that can think if you have a good diversion. His stated purpose is to steal half the credits in the structure that he enters. Thus you must also consider the amount in his target, else you spend more than you gain. That is assuming that he lives long enough. BTW, his name is Ken N. Fodder.
Side Soviet Cost 200	Attack Dog Lassie eat your heart out. If you are Sowjet, the dog is useful for detecting the spy that may be getting past the human player. If you are Allied or Sowjet, you must factor in that they will destroy a stand alone or advancing single man very efficiently. Even if the Allied side sends a squad or better, there will be at least one casualty before the dog is killed. Not a good economic trade for the Sowjet side. But devastating against spies (SMERSH detail) and a single unsuspecting infantry unit suffering from a rectocranial insertion.

Tanks

Side Allied Cost 700	Light Tank This under-rated piece of equipment is really a serious asset. This is the backbone of the Allied QRF offering manouverability like nothing the Soviets have on the ground. A two platoon QRF can kill any single object quickly and take on even 3 mammoths like hyenas on lions with a reasonable degree of survivability. A company is cheaper than medium tanks for assault purposes, and just as effective.
Side Allied Cost 800	Medium Tank When it comes to advanced group strategies for the Medium and Heavy, there really are none. Both this tank and the Soviet Heavy are the main line assault tanks for the armored war. After creating the QRF groups as base defense, create and hide an Army Group of mediums because for base assaults, they can survive more abuse. This Army Group can also be used to defend the base as a backup to the QRF. Once the QRF engages and gets the enemy units' attention, the Army Group can do the actually elimination while the QRF withdraws for resisting the next assault or going to repair status.
Side Soviet Cost 950	Heavy Tank The only real armored choice for the Soviet QRF. Though "Quick" should not be emphsized in the QRF definition. This is the real MBT to expect to fight with in armoured columns. Allied Mediums and Soviet Heavies are where Kursk will really be re-lived. Like the Allied Medium, there are really no advanced strategies. They are too slow for anything other than a Line Battle.
Side Soviet Cost 1700	Mammoth Tank Can we say too slow for any battle? However, the ability to self repair is the major asset of the Mammoth outside of the dual role of AAD. Strategy with the slow monsters is to use them where you would normally want a combination of arty and AAD. In platoon strength they can hold their own against air assets without much additional assistance. Attacking in platoon strength gives no surprise and plenty of time to respond. The only real surprise that can be gained from Mammoths is an amphibious assault in the base. By the time the Mammoths leave the LST, it is too late to bring the forces necessary to save that half of the base. The Allied QRF can counter, but a large portion of the base is yours to destroy. The best defense against Mammoths is mining to kill them in route, or at least weakening them enough that they are easier to kill.
Side Soviet Cost 1500	Tesla Tank The tesla tank is an excellent addition to an already powerful Soviet arsenal. It's tesla generator is about one-half as powerful as the stationary tesla coil but the mobility and the lack of need for power more than make up for this shortcoming. The tank is faster than anything else in the soviet ground forces which makes it great for QRF duty. The only major flaw in the tank's design is its weak armour. The tesla tank can only take 4 direct hits from a medium tank and can be removed in one shot with a well placed V2. This and the fact of its long range make it a good choice for tactical artillery. Place it behind a column of mammoths and it will be able to do some serious damage while the mammoths shield it from any enemy counter-attack. Tesla tanks are also good for base defence when placed behind concrete. They are protected from direct fire weapons but they can shoot thier electrical discharge over the wall, as an added bonus, they are not affected by power losses. In short, definitely build them but protect them with your MBTs or they will be greasy spots on the battlefield in no time at all.
Side Soviet Cost 2300	M.A.D. Tank The M.A.D. Tank is something of a doomsday machine. A M.A.D. Tank will deliver 40% damage to all units and 45% damage to all structures within range of its harmonic shock wave, the unit itself is destroyed however. The shock wave will affect an area of at least 10 squares in any direction and will damage all land, sea, and air units EXCEPT INFANTRY. Thus the best defence against them is a squad of infantry or a QRF, remember, if you destroy them before the wave goes off then you're safe from its effects. Three of these tanks detonated at roughly the same time will destroy all non-infantry units in the specified area. The downside is that they are abysmally slow and incredibly expensive. About the only way to get them to survive long enough to do some damage is to load three in an LST and deliver them to a safe spot near your enemy's base. Detonate them all and your enemy's base will be leveled along with any tanks and vehicles in it. Although they are vulnerable during the detonation sequesnce, the best defence is to keep at your enemy so much that he will not be able to afford this expensive but VERY effective weapon.
Side Allied Cost 2400	Chrono Tank The text which would normally occupy this space is temporarily unavailable at the request of the rights holder.
Side Soviet Cost 1200	Hind This tank fears no mines and is one of the fastest of the battlefield. It can take a direct route, do a slam dance and go home. Used in platoon strength they generally will eliminate the target due to their firepower and the lack of ground vehicles being able to defend against them. Keep in mind that Destroyers can fire at Hinds. Take care, however, spending on Hinds can be a loss if your opponent understands static and mobile AAD. Loosing 5 Hinds to kill one power plant is not cost effective so watch the AAD.
Side Allied Cost 1200	Longbow Apache This tank fears no mines and is one of the fastest of the battlefield. It can take a direct route, do a slam dance and go home. Used in platoon strength they generally will eliminate the target due to their firepower and rhe lack of ground vehicles being able to defend against them. Take care, however, spending on Longbows can be a loss if your opponent understands static and mobile AAD. Loosing 5 Longbows to kill one power plant is not cost effective so watch the AAD. This includes the Mammoth Tanks. A platoon of Longbows against a platoon of Mammoths will generally less than draw with the Longbows loosing one and the others being so damaged as to having to be pulled out of service for repairs.

Vehicles

Side Soviet Cost 700	V2 Launcher
Side Allied Cost 600	Artillery
Side Allied Cost 800	APC
Side Allied Cost 600	Ranger
Side Both Cost 800	Mine Layer
Side Allied Cost 800	Mobile Gap Generator
Side Allied Cost 600	MRJ If this unit wasn't completely worthless then it would be a valuable addition to the Allied arsenal.
Side Both Cost 2400	Demo Truck Atomic Bookmobile
Side Both Cost 2500	MCV
Side Both Cost 1400	Ore Truck

Ships

Side Allied Cost 500	Gunboat (PG) Submarine fodder. They are useful for ground pounding along shore lines if there are no submarines present. The manual states that they have an A-sub role and detect submarines. I don't think so. Generally, this General finds that they don't detect submarines at all. Since it takes 3 torpedoes to kill one gunboat, they die quick and miserable deaths even in small groups. The torpedoes seem to outrange their depth charge launchers so the lines of gunboats are sunk trying to get close enough to fire at the submarine. They do, however, have their uses. Like the Light Tank, a wolf pack of the gunboats can kill nearly anything on the surface of the water or land. Perfect for taking out an enemy dreadnought. Being faster than a destroyer they can get around a destroyer screen to kill the dreadnoughts.
Side Allied Cost 1000	Destroyer (DD) Arguably the best naval vessel. As a DDG, they have organic AAD, they are fast enough to engage submarines before being sunk by the target submarine. Running shorelines and rivers they are perfect for sterilizing real estate.
Side Allied Cost 2000	Cruiser (CA) It takes serious planning to use this awesome ship. Their range is incredible but getting within that range can take days. They are also very slow. They cannot be made to force fire against naval targets so they MUST be escorted. For all their incredible range and devastation, they are a real pain to use. There guns are slow to cycle and very inaccurate. They have a tendency to fire over or short, or to have windage issues. You can place a couple of these dreadnoughts off somebodies shoreline and turn them loose to come back 30 minutes later with very little actually destroyed. To use them effectively requires YOU as the human player to take command of each dreadnought and force fire as necessary to target items. But if you have the time to command them personally, they are awesome with only the PLARK as a near competitor in destructive power and range.
Side Soviet Cost 950	Submarine (SSN/PL) Slow as Christmas like the cruier, but they have a long torpedo range. They do offer slow but undetectable naval recon. Three in a wolf pack will kill a gunboat before it can even sound GQ.
Side Soviet Cost 1650	Missile Sub (SSGN/PLARK) And you thought cruisers were slow...
	And now for something completely different...

Side Both Cost 700	LST Great for sea based recon and crate gathering. Of course they are meant to transport men and material. They are fast enough to survive nearly any threat with minor to major damage. But they nearly always come back for repair.

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