Canadians in Team Yankee: We're Sorry, And You Will Be Too(Part 2)

Hello, and welcome to Part 2. In this article we'll take a look at the sorry state of Canadian support options, and who best to team up with to turn Vladimir into poutine

If you missed part 1 of this review, click here to check it out

(Quick recap)

Our friendly stone curlers get access to 3 support options of their own as well as the obligatory OP in an M113.

Blowpipe M113 Air Defence Section

The Blowpipe system makes an appearance here as well, mounted on the M113 chassis this time. Aside from the vehicle, nothing has changed. It's still a multi-role system that expect you to pay a premium while being mediocre at everything it does. It's useful as a backup and gap-filler should your primary sources of AA prove insufficient, but not much else. A Yeahnah I guess

M109 Field Battery

Like ze Deutschlanders, the Canadians get the older, shorter barreled M109s for SP howitzers. Also like the Germans, their M109s are completely devoid of any of the special ammo types that form the more modern US version's raison d'etre. As such there's little reason to pay such a hefty price for these hosers to do what artillery by the will of Phil isn't really good at doing anyway. A non-starter for me.

ADATS Air Defence Platoon

And now for the ADATS, a unique weapon system not fielded by any of Canada's NATO contemporaries. One could call it a Tracked Rapier with newfound land capability tacked onto it. The ADATS stands in stark contrast to the Blowpipe by excelling at everything it does. With an AT of 24 it completely bypasses all Soviet MBT armour currently in the game, beating all its dedicated NATO ground ATGM competitors as well. If that isn't enough for you it even edges out the Rapier by having the same stopping power with a slightly longer intercept range.

Its primary downsides are a considerable minimum range of 16" for its ground engagement profile, and the hefty Gepard-like points cost for a vehicle that's still fairly vulnerable. Even with such costs most West German players jump at the chance to field Gepards, and I see no reason why it shouldn't be the same for a weapon that Always Destroys Any Tanks. A rousing Eh for eh-cellence.

Host nation support options

Given the paucity of support options, the Canadians may select from a sorely needed choice smattering of US or West German units. However, you must choose between one nation or the other, leading to an interesting conundrum.

Yanking Your Chain

The first box for the US gives you a choice between a platoon of M60 Patton, M1 Abrams or regular Army infantry. I've already mentioned the well-known uselessness of the Dragons; consequently the infantry don't do anything that you don't already do better in your own formations. The Abrams on the other hand can fill the role of heavy armour that is completely absent within the Canadian roster. However, it's relatively expensive and has only middling AT, leading to many gripes about it being mediocre. That leaves the M60, which while still good value, doesn't quite come in enough quantity. A Marine rifle platoon would have been been a great add here; alas for missed opportunities.

For your remaining 2 choices you get Cobras and Warthogs respectively. Cobras are an interesting choice, being the only NATO tank hunter helicopter that isn't totally useless against anything else. Not a no-brainer perhaps, but something worth considering. A-10s are a much more contentious pick, being very expensive yet inconsistent. To expound at length would be to flog a dead moose, given how frequently complaints about them show up on the Internet.

Getting Krautfunded

The West German choices are on the whole much juicier than what the Yanks have to offer. For starters you're offered either Leopard 2s or Marder Panzergrenadiers. Unfortunately West German infantry are too brittle to do much good, and a pair of Milans can't possibly go far enough either. Leopard 2s are known for being best in class and coming with a proportionately hefty price tag. But if you're going to get MBTs you might as well get the best there is.

Tornadoes are totally unlike the A-10s; an economical choice that only need to come in once to rock your opponent like a hurricane. LARS but not least, you get rocket Salvoes with a side of minelets should you please. Their cost and lack of protection would give some pause but they're a useful tool in the arsenal regardless. PAHs are the only dud here, being an expensive, squishy and overspecialised unit that does what you already got covered.

Allied Formations

Should this cross-nation sprinkling prove insufficient to whet your tastes, you'd want to invest in a full formation. We'll take a closer look at the bigger NATO nations and how well your forces would work together.

Oiling the engine of Freedom

(He likes sweet crude and he cannot lie)

Taking the plunge with the world petroleum policemen finally gets you the freedom to take some truly unique and useful options. Huge infantry platoons capable of leading the charge and taking a beating are a very attractive prospect. This can be provided by either an Airborne or Marine rifle company, which presents us with two distinct sets of useful choices. The Huey route provides you with the possibility of airdrop shenanigans, and serious punch from up to 2 Sheridan platoons. Marines have even larger rifle platoons and come with the option of one M60 platoon(albeit using the older M60A1) and a Bushmaster-armed LAV scout unit. Either way, they're great recruits for the Eh-Team

Alternatively, you could choose to horse around with cavalry. Between the M60 Patton company and the Armored Cavalry Troop, the clear winners are the ACAV. With the option of up to 3 platoons of M60A3s, a single Airborne rifle platoon, and even sneaking in a US M109 battery with all the bells and whistles, they're the clear winners between the two.

(Note: Unfortunately, US M109s taken this way cannot use Copperhead rounds as those specifically require the presence of a US FIST team to use)

La Légion D'Hon-Hon-Honneur

The French are by design an army of glass cannons and as such don't really work well with the Canadians. They just aren't quite hardy enough to offset the flighty French. Their formations are small and lack diversity, making them an even more unattractive junior partner. You needn't look for Gallic shrugs and homicidal drivers in Marseilles when you can get them in Montreal.

If you decide on going this way you'll probably end up with a Franc-enstein of an army. The French do provide you with an opportunity to put even more Brutal guns on the table with AMX30s or the adorable AMX10RC. The trouble is, with nothing but light vehicles the average gaming table will soon run out of terrain for you Toronto. Their foot soldiers hit really hard, especially with the fearsome APILAS, but with terrible morale cannot be counted on to hold the line. After all, you can only rely on an Armée de terrine to quail. The VAB Compagnie gets you the option of a monster 8 Milan ambush, but that's about it(the Brits can do this too, more on that later).

For Batter or Wurst

(The notion of a Kraut-controlled future sauered quickly enough)

West Germans aren't the most obvious ally choice given that you already have access to some of their strongest units without investing in an actual formation. However, Gepards provide a strong reason to go the whole nein yards. If you hate everything that flies, the combination of ADATS and Gepards is a match made in heaven.

While all their formations have access to Gepards, it's the Leopard 2 and Marder Panzergrenadier companies that are the prime candidates due to their ability to fill one of their compulsory slots with a Leopard 2 platoon. The other options are varying degrees of redundant, especially as Canadians have better Leopard 1s of their own.

Spikey Pikeys and Mad Micks

The primacy of British infantry is well-established and needs little explanation. If you're a BAORing person, a cavalry force of Leopard C1s complement strong and stable British government PBI anvils well. However, this would put you in the awkward situation of having a flimsy main force that breaks before your secondary force does. For practical purposes, though it might feel redundant, you'll probably have to squeeze in a Canadian infantry platoon or 2 in order to mitigate this problem.

If you're looking for MBTs to support your infantry but find Leopard 2s too expensive, you can opt for Chieftains, which offer similar firepower(arguably greater because their main gun has Brutal) at a sizeable discount. Unfortunately, since you have to take a minimum of 2 platoons the effective expenditure isn't that far off.There's the Airlanding Company as well, who also boast a massive Milan blob option. Their infantry focus so heavily on ATGMs that they trade in their Gustavs to mount more. They're a peculiar lot and I'm not so sure if they gel well with the Canadians. Since the FV432 Company can take a single platoon of Chieftains, that's probably your best bet.

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