Tracked Rapier
Tracked Rapier
In Team Yankee PLACEHOLDER TEXT
A division level support unit granted to your lowly company of heroes, the Blowpipe Section (Battery in Real Life sizes, a section would mean 2 blowpipe operators with their assistants) provides a versatile choice for anti-air at 1.5 points per vehicle, taken in a unit of 2, 4 or 6. Compared to its direct opposite the Tracked Rapier, Blowpipes provide less shots per point with a firepower of 4+, compared to the Rapier's 3+. In addition, it also has a lower range of 48 inches compared to the Rapier's 64 inches.
So why take blowpipes in the first place? Two reasons: You've gone mad and decided to waste precious points, or you find Rapiers far too specialized for your meta. Due to the tunnel vision of Rapiers, they provide excellent anti-air but nothing else, meaning that these units are literally worse than useless when facing a force without any air assets. Blowpipes however, retain the ability to threaten light armored vehicles and infantry with their Blowpipe missile and 7.62mm MG. In essence, blowpipes are a versatile choice for those who require anti-air but are willing to sacrifice some of that specialization for versatility. A blowpipe can function as a worse, overcosted Milan section if your opponent hasn't called in their air support yet.
Despite the open hatch, it retains a top armor of 1 suggesting that Blowpipe operators are either made of steel or utterly drunk from all that Irish Guinness they've been drinking off duty.
In Real Life
Unlike the ingame models, the actual Blowpipe AA Battery would almost always dismount rather than fire while standing out of an open hatch. In addition to being far harder to aim in the confines of a vehicle, Spartans are incredibly poor at hiding (most vehicles are). A dismounted battery has the ability to reach ideal anti-air positions such as hilltops or forest clearings, giving additional stealth and sometimes giving an easier time aiming against the target. After firing a volley or until an order to fall back is given depending on the mission, the Battery would then remount and displace to the next location. In the event that troops actually needed to fire from the hatch, it would typically be a result of the aircraft being spotted far too late; air defense units would almost always get a heads-up to prepare for incoming aircraft from a certain direction.
The Blowpipe model comes separately, so you may consider basing him and an assistant on a 2 man base to represent the section dismounting rather than firing from the back. Treat the base as absent for all purposes; the models commit suicide should their favorite teapot meet an untimely end.