Editing DShK AA MG Platoon

The DShK AA MG is basically what one would call today a [[Tank|Technical]]: A heavy weapon, in this case a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, mounted on the flatbed of a (Soviet-era ZiS-5) truck. That's really all there is to it.

==Mid War==
[[File:DShK Stat Card.jpg|thumb|Da Stats]]
The DShK AA MG is a Support Unit consisting of 3 trucks for 3 points. You don't get any other AA in Mid War, since the [[M15 & M16 AAA Platoon|ZSU M17]] isn't available yet, so the choice is simple: you either take them or you don't. It's not like a measly HMG is going to ''reliably'' shoot down a plane, but a few lucky potshots can save your day. Failing that, you can engage infantry or half-tracks and generally be a nuisance, but 5+ Cross makes it a problematic unit. There are worse way to spend 3 points, but don't expect much of them.

==IRL==
The DShK (nicknamed 'Dushka' or 'beloved one') is the Soviet standard heavy machine gun and the first of many to use the 12.7×108mm cartridge that's still in service today, and the communist shadow of the M2 Browning (Technically it was preceded by the DK-32, but nobody cares because less than 100 were made). Entering service in 1938, it quickly became a workhorse of the Red Army and was used by infantrymen teams, tanks, other vehicles and even patrol vessels and heavier ships as point-defense guns. Over 11k were produced before the end of WW2 and many more have been made after that in form of DShK-M (the only noticeable change was the drum-feed mechanism being replaced with a shuttle type one), since it remained the standard HMG of any Soviet tank up to the [[T-72]]. Even today, in spite of no longer being manufactured and being heavy as hell compared to its' successors like the NSV and the Kord, the DShK stubbornly soldiers on in the 21st century and demonstrates why it got its nickname: just like its smaller cousin the AK-47 it is sturdy and reliable as fuck, and will serve you well no matter the circumstances. It also helps that the .50 cal cartridge is still an excellent anti-vehicle round against technicals and light vehicles.
 
When used in AA role on the back of a truck during WW2, it had one defining quality shared only with its smaller cousin the M4 (which was basically 4 Maxim machine guns strapped together): mobility. While the Soviets did experiment with mounting actual AA guns on mobile platforms, the results were... mixed. 3-Ks (a 76mm AA gun) mounted on a YAG-10 heavy truck were briefly produced in 1933-1934 with a total series of 61; and similarly, roughly 200 72-Ks (a 25mm quick-firing gun) on a GAZ-MM truck were manufactured in 1941. Obviously, these numbers were insufficient to deter the Luftwaffe's CAS, and since Soviet Air Defence Forces lacked their own fighter wings until early 1942 it was up to these humble trucks and their crews to protect their comrades from those nasty [[JU-87 Stuka|''fascist vultures'']]. And before you ask, even though a staggering amount of 100k 20mm ShVAK cannons were produced in 1942-1945, they lacked proper carriages and ammo to be used in this role. Soviet doctrine differed from the German exactly for that reason: AA has always been high-tech, so AA guns were considered too precious to deploy on the frontline, and heavier guns, like 85mm 52-K ([[Flak 88mm]] analogue) were transported by tractors, not heavy half-tracks, limiting their mobility. While they could engage tanks, Soviet commanders saw it as a last resort, unlike their Nazi counterparts, for whom rolling out the AA to deal with heavy armor had become routine since the French campaign. This may be the reason the Red Army doesn't get anything heavier than HMGs on the tabletop.

AA Platoons were organized with 1 officer and 37 men to drive the trucks, shoot the guns, [[Meme|shout ura]], carry ammo, and other important tasks within the unit... like actually carrying the thing, because paired with its' general-purpose mount boasting a folding tripod and with removable gun shield and wheels attached this big girl weights 147 kg (that's 324 lbs for you Yanks). There were three trucks per platoon, each being either a ZiS-5 or GAZ truck. While it was widely reported that Russian trucks were often cannibalized after they pretty quickly broke down, remember that A. Russian logistics is a fucking nightmare <s>even</s> '''especially''' today more than 3" away from a rail line and B. it isn't like the Russians were the only ones doing this. 

{{Soviet Forces in Flames of War}}