Rear Echelon Squad

"insert funni RE quote"

Rear Echelon Squads are the primary engineering unit of the American Expeditionary Force. Although their poor training and lackluster weaponry make them a mediocre combat unit, the utility they bring to the field and their ability to somewhat hold their own in a pinch makes them a worthwhile battlefield asset for almost any army.

Overview
Rear Echelon Squads are the base-line engineering unit available to the AEF. They are the primary unit that you will likely use to conduct repairs, build field defenses, and at times support more potent squads in combat.

Their primary utility is their strengths as an engineer unit. Due to their wide array of tools, they can carry out almost any task that an engineer would be expected to perform. They can construct a wide array of defensive structures and obstacles and can efficiently repair vehicles and structures. Additionally, their cheap cost and low population count makes it possible to field them en masse which makes it far easier to maintain a large fleet of vehicles.

Although they are a mediocre combat unit, they can still be a useful combat asset in small-scale fights. While their direct damage output is mediocre, their ability to use 'Volley Fire' lets them put pressure on lynch-pin enemy squads. This allows Rear Echelons to act as a sort of supporting unit in combat in spite of their otherwise mediocre capabilities. Even though they may not do enough damage to outright kill an enemy squad, they can effectively take it out of the fight for a period by suppressing them.

That being said, Rear Echelons are still a very vulnerable unit. Much like many other Allied engineer squads, they are highly vulnerable to all types of incoming fire and will rarely be able to beat any Axis squads in a one-on-one basis. As such, one must be careful to not overextend your squads and put them in dangerous locations lest you risk taking heavy losses.

Overall, Rear Echelon Squads are a surprisingly versatile unit considering their place in the roster. In spite of their shortcomings, they are a highly valuable unit in almost any battle.

M1918 BAR

 * 30 Munitions / pick-up
 * Improves DPS at all ranges

The M1918 BAR is a good upgrade for Rear Echelons. Although it isn't quite as critical as it is for Riflemen, it still provides a large boost to the squads damage output at all ranges. It also has the added effect of being a cheap automatic weapon which greatly enhances the effect of 'Volley Fire' (more on this in Upgrades), so putting even one on a squad will greatly enhance their ability to pin down enemy squads.



M9 'Bazooka'

 * 25 Munitions / Pick-up
 * Mediocre Anti-Vehicle Rocket Launcher

The M9 Bazooka is the only anti-tank option available to Rear Echelons. Although they lack penetration and raw damage, the cheap cost per launcher makes it possible to arm numerous launchers on a single squad. Unfortunately for Rear Echelons, their poor survivability and low squad size make them an inferior anti-tank unit when compared to the far more versatile Rifleman Squads. Additionally, equipping Bazookas will impact the effectiveness of 'Volley Fire' due to the reduced overall bullet output.



M1919A6 Browning LMG

 * 50 Munitions / pick-up
 * Long-range Stationary Weapon


 * Requires Infantry Company or Tactical Support Company or War Bonds specialization

The M1919A6 is a light-machine gun that significantly improves the long-range damage output of squads using it. Rear Echelon squads in particular gain a lot from these weapons due to their tendency to perform better as a second-line support unit as opposed to a main-line squad. In addition to the major damage increase it provides, the major boost to overall bullet output effectively increases the power of 'Volley Fire' (more boolet = more suppression) by a significant margin. As such, Rear Echelon squads are a good unit to put M1919s on as opposed to a more aggressive squad such as Riflemen.

M2 Carbine Package

 * 50 Munitions
 * Improves overall rate-of-fire and damage output

The M2 Carbine Package replaces three of the squad's M1 Carbines with the improved M2 Carbine, improving the overall damage output of the squad. Although this upgrade significantly improves the effectiveness of 'Volley Fire' due to the higher RoF, the actual improvements to damage-output are negligible when compared to 1x BAR (30 munitions) and are completely outclassed by the increase that 2x BARs (60 munitions) or 1x M1919A6 (50 munitions) will provide. For this reason, it is simply more cost-effective to upgrade the squad with BARs.

M1941 Johnston LMG

 * 45 Munitions
 * Marginally improves damage output at long range
 * Requires War Bonds specialization

The M1941 Johnston upgrade replaces one of the squad's M1 Carbines with an M1941 Johnston LMG. Although it does have a slight edge over a 1x BAR (30 munitions) armed squad, it has inferior performance at all other ranges. The comparison is even worse when it is compared to the M1919 despite the fact that 1x M1919 (50 munitions) only costs marginally more per-weapon. As such, much like the M2 Carbine Package, the M1941 just isn't worth getting when the BARs or M1919s that you can easily obtain while playing War Bonds are so much more effective.

M14 Rifle Combat Package

 * 50 Munitions
 * Improves damage output at close-mid range
 * Requires Heavy Ordinance specialization

The M14 Rifle Combat Package replaces three of the squad's M1 Carbines with M14 semi-automatic rifles. This upgrade is roughly on-par with 2x BARs (60 munitions) in terms of overall damage output. Interestingly, the damage increase seems to be most apparent at close-mid range as opposed to mid-long range that the upgrade's description suggestions. Overall, M14s are a pretty solid upgrade, although it can be disadvantageous when compared to automatic weapons when its impact on 'Volley Fire' is concerned.



M2 Flamethrower

 * 45 munitions; Requires Rifle Company commander
 * Close-range anti-infantry weapon

The M2 Flamethrower upgrade replaces one of the squad's M1 Carbines with an M2 Flamethrower (duh). This upgrade decreases the mid-long range effectiveness of the squad while allowing them to deal massive damage to infantry at close ranges. Due to the nature of flamethrowers, this weapon as an inverse damage profile, dealing significantly more damage to units in heavy cover or garrisoned in buildings while dealing less damage to units in the open. As such, this upgrade is somewhat situational and is only worthwhile in specific situations. It also is a risky upgrade to use due to the inherent vulnerability of Rear Echelon Squads at closer ranges. Overall, this upgrade is somewhat situational and its use depends on what the battlefield situation dictates.



Rifle Grenade Launcher

 * 60 Munitions; Requires Urban Assault commander
 * Long-range anti-infantry launcher

The Rifle Grenade Launcher replaces one of the squads M1 Carbines with a Rifle Grenade Launcher (wow, so unexpected!). This upgrade reduces the direct damage output of the squad while allowing them to be a powerful pressure unit against stationary enemy units. The grenades that the launchers fire are practically impact grenades and are highly accurate, making them deadly weapons against enemy squads in cover and against stationary troop concentrations. This upgrade may not be as consistent as other upgrades, but its ability to effectively force most enemy units to move or take heavy damage. Whether or not this is a good option is largely up to personal preference and its effectiveness can vary, it is still a potent upgrade regardless.



Hazard Removal Package

 * 30 Munitions


 * Grants mine-detection and wire-cutting capabilities

The Hazard Removal Package replaces one of the squad's M1 Carbines with a mine detector and grants them the ability to cut barbed wire. This upgrade is pretty straightforward, it reduces the utility of the squad while giving them additional utility. At least one squad that is equipped with mine detection is a must if you are facing an opponent making heavy use of mines, but otherwise it isn't really that important to have.

Pros

 * Versatile for an engineer unit
 * Decent combat-capacity
 * Moderate squad-size
 * Cheap to produce and maintain

Cons

 * Poor durability
 * Lack-luster damage output
 * Reliant on weapon upgrades

Repair
Repairs the targeted vehicle or structure at a rate of 6 HP per second. Repair speed is increased by ~25% when equipped with Hazard Removal Package.



Wire Cutters
Quickly tears down the targeted segment of Barbed Wire; Requires Hazard Removal Package.



Volley Fire
20 munitions; The squad stops moving and fires rapidly at the targeted enemy squad, suppressing them over time. Rate of suppression is based on the number of bullets fired, so squads with automatic weapons will suppress at a much faster rate.



M23 Smoke Rifle Grenade
15 Munitions; A squad member fires an M23 smoke grenade at the target location, laying down a smoke-screen shortly after impact.

Constructions
''Rear Echelon Squads can construct a wide array of field defenses. These range from sandbag walls to Guided Missile point-defense systems.''  Razor Wire 

Standard barbed-wire segment. Blocks infantry movement but can be destroyed by light vehicles.

 Tank Traps 

Heavy metal obstacles that block all tank movement but can be traversed by infantry; can only be destroyed by heavy gunfire or explosives. Provides heavy cover to squads behind them.

Sandbag Wall

Builds a standard sandbag wall. Provides heavy cover to units behind it and can be built rapidly.

Sandbag Fighting Position

Builds a long wall of dirt and sandbags. Provides heavy cover to units behind it and can accommodate more troops without clumping models together; takes long to build than a basic Sandbag Wall.

Trench

Provides heavy cover and damage resistance to units within it and can accommodate up to two infantry squads, HMG teams, or mortars. Vulnerable to incendiary munitions and can be destroyed by gunfire.

Fighting Position

125 Manpower, requires Riflemen Field Defenses commander ability.; Provides heavy cover to units garrisoned inside and can be upgraded with a forward-facing M2HB .50 Caliber HMG for 60 munitions. Can garrison one normal squad, but cannot accommodate team weapons.



 Repair Station 

70 Munitions; Constructs a stationary repair point staffed by five engineers that will repair any damaged vehicle within their repair radius. Vulnerable to incoming fire so it is best to build these units in the back-lines.

 'Patriot' Defense System     

Costs 180 Manpower and 90 Munitions to build. Requires Heavy Ordinance specialization and both Platoon and Company Command Posts unlocked.

Constructs a large missile-armed static defense system that can effectively shoot down aircraft and deals heavy damage to almost any vehicle it fires at. This emplacement has mediocre anti-infantry performance and is rather vulnerable to heavy artillery and cannon fire due to its size.

Veterancy Levels
 Veterancy One 

320 XP: +20% accuracy

Veterancy Two

640 XP: -23% received accuracy; -20% weapon cooldown

 Veterancy Three 

1280 XP: Increases the squad size to 7; +.5 HP/s repair speed.