About this content FRANCE Just as the bloodshed of the First World War left the French military believing in the prevalence of firepower over maneuver, so did the defeat of France by Germany in 1940, leading to a similar move toward mobile warfare. Beginning in the 1950s, the French military began experimenting with organizational structures intended to facilitate rapid maneuver on the battlefield, including the Javelot brigade and the 7e Division Mécanique Rapide, eventually being standardized as Division Type 1967. However, The shortage of modern equipment, caused in part by the economic crisis of the early 1970s and the expense of the French nuclear deterrent, meant that the mechanized divisions that were to follow the new divisional plan were being constituted very slowly. Although France had not officially been part of NATO's command structure since 1966, there was an understanding, formalized by regular joint exercises in West Germany, that France would come to NATO's aid if the Warsaw Pact attacked. A striking feature of the French formations of the 1970s is the extent to which they were tank-heavy, due to their intended mode of operation. Their tactics were closer to the US Armored Cavalry Regiments (or, indeed, the pre-World War II Division itself, Légère Mécanique), in that they were not intended to hold ground. Like the 1940 DLM, the mechanized regiments were to operate like the earlier dragoon carriers, locating and delaying the enemy and preparing the situation for a counterattack by the tank regiments. However, during the 1980s, heavy maneuver forces saw an increase in the proportion of infantry, through the attachment of motorized infantry divisions to corps headquarters, addition of VAB-equipped infantry regiments to infantry divisions, and an increase in number of infantry companies in mechanized regiments. France has chosen to mechanize almost all of its units, using relatively light wheeled armored vehicles that can be transported by air, as well as traveling long distances over poor quality roads and cross-country (e.g. in sub-Saharan Africa). Although they do not possess the level of protection of main battle tanks, the French army's wheeled armor units provide considerable firepower, usually equipped with 90 or 105 mm guns. BELGIUM As NATO headquarters since 1967, Belgium has always placed great importance on functioning as a reliable and credible ally. Despite the small size of its population and demanding colonial commitments, Belgium managed to make a significant contribution to NATO's collective defense, sending half of its army to the FRG as part of the Belgian I Corps. The remainder of the army was formed by the Interior Forces responsible for defending the home territory, made up of regular army units that would be augmented in wartime by local gendarmerie and reserve forces. Additionally, the Interior Forces were supplemented by an elite para-commando regiment with two infantry soldiers and a commando battalion. However, much of its equipment remained obsolete; Its main battle tank, the Leopard 1 (BE) was of 1960s vintage and its M75 and AMX-13 Mod 56 APCs as well as its Alouette II helicopters were almost museum pieces from the 1950s. underwent a modest retooling program in the 1980s; upgrading its APCs and artillery, increasing the number of ATGMs, and replacing most of the Air Force's fast jets with modern aircraft. However, the Cold War Belgian army remains a very interesting and challenging faction. FEATURES two new factions France and Belgium new map: Ardennes, centered around Bastogne in total over 200 units

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