AMX Auf1
" Ultima Ratio Regum - The last argument of kings"
- – motto engraved on the cannons of King Louis XIV
The Canon de 155 Automoteur Modèle F1 to give its it full name, is as its name implies a self-propelled artillery gun, based on the AMX-30 chassis. Around the time where the Cold War gets hot in Team Yankee, the French were in the process of updating their park of SPG's to 'NBC' standard, and starting from an already proven design was cheaper and efficienter than strarting over from scratch.
In Team Yankee[edit]
France[edit]
The AUF1 is the divisional artillery unit for the French Army and totes the 155mm gun, in line with the 'totally coincidental' NATO standardizations in caliber going on at the time. You can buy a battery of 3 or 4 AUF1s for 3 points per vehicle or 5 for 16 points which gives you a unit of killing artillery; terrible for smoke and overcosted for pinning infantry but excellent at mashing BMP/BTR companies. 2+ firepower ensures that most things that are hit, die. Infantry can take a few salvos but should expect light casualties from a single salvo.
Interestingly, AUF1s come with autoloaders which reduces the score to hit by one. This means that there is literally no reason to take 4 AUF1s when 3 will perform the same job equally well, hitting enemies with a -1 modifier to hit (3+ to hit becomes 2+ to hit!). At 9 points for 3 guns hitting with a -1 modifier, it is the most cost-effective 2+ FP artillery piece if you only wish to shell the enemy without bothering about fancy warheads that those silly Americans have. It is a very dangerous gun to ignore, and is guaranteed to vaporize chunks of your enemy's BMP/BTR blobs. Infantry? Not so much.
Statlines are similar to most other French units, meaning the AUF1 is capable of assaulting enemy units with assault 4+ and counterattack 4+ if you decided your artillery should fix bayonets and charge. They also come with skill 3+, comboing nicely with 'shoot and scoot' orders if you would like to break line of sight without losing your firepower.
The AUF1 competes with the AMX-30 and AMX-10s for the light anti-armour role. Even worse, it is the only artillery unit for the French at the moment. It is suitable for defensive and infantry lists, with infantry holding the line while AUF1s gradually pound out sections of the enemy. Armoured lists should take other units, however: you are better off spending your points on utility like air defence and recon.
Iraq[edit]
The Iraqi Variant.
IRL[edit]
It looks like a box on top of a tank chassis and...thats literally what it is. The designers took a page from German and Soviet WWII design and glued a 155mm cannon to the turret ring of an AMX-30 MBT, and gave it some bullet-resistant armor to protect the crew and ammo from shrapnel and small arms fire; birthing a design that belongs in a Big Mek's werkshop and not an actual military.
Derpy looks aside, the AUF1 was actually a reliable artillery piece for the Cold War. While it lacked the more advanced warheads of other well-funded militaries, with about 25km of maximum range and the ability to lower its gun and fire at things directly if needed its 155mm shell were guaranteed to ruin almost anybody's day when used correctly.
| French Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | AMX-30 |
| Transports: | AMX-10P- VAB |
| Troops: | Section d'infanterie/Chasseurs - Milan Section Antichar |
| Artillery: | AMX Auf1 |
| Anti-Aircraft: | AMX-13 DCA - AMX Roland |
| Tank Hunters: | VAB Mephisto |
| Recon: | AMX-10 RC - AMX-10P VOA |
| Aircraft: | Gazelle HOT - Gazelle 20mm - Mirage 5 |
| Iraqi Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T-55 - T-62 - T-72M |
| Transports: | BTR-60 - OT-64 - AMX-10P - BMP-1 |
| Troops: | Motor Rifle Company |
| Artillery: | 2S1 Carnation - 2S3 Acacia - AMX Auf1 - BM-21 Hail |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU 23-4 Shilka - SA-13 Gopher - SA9 Gaskin - SA-8 Gecko - Roland AA |
| Tank Hunters: | Spandrel - VCR/TH |
| Recon: | BRDM-2 - BTR-60 OP |
| Aircraft: | MI-24 Hind - Gazelle HOT |
| US Support: | A-10 Warthog - AV-8 Harrier |