Editing T55AM2 (section)

==T-55AM2==
===East German===
[[File:T-55AM2_Stat_Card.jpeg|300px|left|thumb|Die Statistikkarte des Volkspanzers!]]
While the T-72M began phasing-in to replace the aging T-54/T-55 in the 1970s, the majority of East German tankers were still riding in these old things in 1985. Of those men, only the luckiest got the T-55AM2; it's estimated that out of over 2,000 T-54/T-55s in the 1980s East German arsenal, a mere 300 were upgraded to be T-55AM2's.

The T-55AM2 combines sturdy armour and a moderately powerful gun with bargain basement point cost. While NATO tanks and ATGMs can penetrate the T-55AM2, most other enemy assets on the battlefield cannot, this makes the T-55AM2 a priority target as they close the distance with the enemy, tying up enemy anti-tank assets that may otherwise be shooting at something else. The D10T 100mm can't frontally penetrate the NATO MBTs but can be dangerous if you can enter a melee where the gun can be brought to bear against side armour. The slow firing rule discourages firing on the move, once your T-55s have reached an advantageous position you'll want them to keep them stationary to fire. Dash mobility and Cross-Rating is sub par, however the poor cross can be mitigated using Movement Orders which synergizes with the NVA's superior skill rating over the Russians.

Two schools of thought have emerged when including T-55AM2s in a Volksarmee force. The more instinctive approach for horde force players is to take multiple large companies of tanks to push down the field in a wave of guns and steel in a display of might that would make the [[Imperial Guard|Astra Militarum]] proud. Simply providing more targets than the NATO opposition can hope to kill, until you can enter a messy melee fight or tie up objectives all game. But alternatively, due to a quirk in points costing, a minimum strength T-55AM2 Battalion of 10 tanks (1+3+3+3) can be taken for 7 points, making each tank cost less than a single point. While these small companies can be erased by NATO tanks in a single salvo, they can operate independently (rather than an unwieldy mess of a 10 tank parking lot) and, when taking multiple minimum strength T-55AM2 Battalions provide extra command tanks to issue more orders.

East German armies make take T-55AM2 Kompanies ranging in size from 3 tanks to 10 tanks, starting out at 2 points and topping out at 16. Basically every time you add a tank to the original 3, tack on an additional 2 points. And yes, this does mean that you can take 10 tanks where a US Player could only take 2 Abrams (and base Abrams at that).

With the new Warsaw Pact book coming out, DDR T55AM2s can be outfitted with AT-10 Stabber missiles now, putting them roughly on par with Soviet T55AMs.

===Polish===
[[File:Slide6.JPG|300px|thumb|left|Polish Stats, towarzysz!]]
Just like in East Germany, the T-54/55 was the workhorse of Polish tank forces well into the 1980s, and while the T-55AM2 is currently the only official variant featured on Europe's battlefields, the majority of Polish T-54/55s had not been upgraded to that version in 1985. The Polish People's Republic ''really'' liked these things, producing some 10,000 T-54/55 tanks between 1956 and 1979. They sold many of them to foreign customers, including (ironically) East Germany.

The Polish T-55AM 'Merida' is Poland's locally-upgraded T-55, the best obsolete tank the Polish People's Republic has to offer. Its crews are brave and well-trained, and they'll need both to overcome the far better tanks the <s>capitalist dogs</s> NATO forces to the West are using. Unlike the East German version, which is affordable enough to fill the role of a spam tank even in multiple small units, the Polish version is designed to make you take large tank units: unlike the East Germans, your smallest company size begins at 5.

As with any version of the T-55 used by any country, the 'Merida' is a cheap old tank that is really good at exploding. Unfortunately, the Polish profile favours units which can survive a beating: 3+ remount and rally help you get back in the fight after getting pinned or bailed, but the T-55 is guaranteed to explode when touched by most dedicated anti-tank weapons. Your Polish T-55 crews won't live that long once NATO gunners start going after them, so their skill and courage is almost irrelevant. ATGMs, tank cannons and even man-portable anti-tank weapons like the Carl Gustav and the RPG-7 will punch through your front 50% of the time, and a 105mm or 120mm shot from a NATO main battle tank will mean instant death. There is little reason to invest in the Polish T-55 unless you are a fluff player: the points you spend for stats which will never be used with the exception of mine-clearing could be better spent on additional weapon systems. The Polish T-55AM2 is nonetheless devilishly cheap for what it can do if given a chance, so if you're a Pact player, it might be worth trying out sometime.

The Poles may take 5 tanks for 6 points, up to 10 tanks for 17 points.

{{clear}}

===Czech===
[[File:Slide5.JPG|300px|thumb|left|I may not want to be here, but at least my tank is very, very old.]]

The T-55AM2 'Dyna' is the Czech version of the modernized T-55 platform and is arguably the best T-55AM2 variant of the PACT countries for a competitive player.

Where the Polish profile excels on the defensive, the Czechs are unmatched on the offensive where firepower decides the success or failure of your attack. For a significant discount, you can bring about 30% more units to the field. The reason that the Czechs are suited for this role is the simple fact that T-55s will never survive any fire whatsoever. Aside from autocannons, the majority of anti-armour weapons will go through your front without any issue whatsoever and you have just enough armour there to attract their attention. The Czech 5+ remount becomes irrelevant in this case, as anything which hits you is probably going to result in a kill and not a bail. 

The Czech point costs make T-55 hordes more appealing than the other lists since your discount in comparison to the East Germans and Poles only grows the more tanks you take. Taking entire ten tank companies makes it more difficult for your opponent to claim a kill point or to force your unit to run away, but once any terrain becomes involved you may find your unwieldy ten tank parking lots blocking their own movement and shots more often than not.

Do note that with units larger than five tanks your sixth, seventh, and tenth tank cost two points instead of a single point. So assuming you aren't playing at some ridiculous point level and have run out of slots you will find that taking as many small units of T-55s as you can will maximize the number of tanks you can bring. Unfortunately you are only saving a single point per unit compared to East German and Polish lists also bringing five tank units. East Germans can actually bring more thanks than you if they take them as three tank units and don't run out of slots. You will be giving up kill points more easily this way, but your alpha strike will be stronger and you will likely have an easier time spreading your tanks out and keeping them out of each other's way. 

When building a Czech T-55 spam list. your 4+ skill is far less terrifying than the sheer numbers you can bring to the field.

Keep in mind when building your list that you are still spamming T-55s: these are not units which can take objectives unsupported. <s>5+ courage means that minefields will stop your companies dead in their tracks</s> Your cowardly czechs can run gleefully through mines now, and you do not have ''Brutal'' to shred through entrenched infantry. If you are lucky or play well, you might kill a couple of Leopards or Abrams', but will need to rely on your infantry to close in for the objective. 

The Czechs may take 5 points for 5 tanks to 13 points for 10 tanks. Interestingly, tank battalions may also bring one company of the other version (T-72M or T-55AM2) in your third company slot.