Guardian GI



"Tanks are no match!"

- Guardian GI

The Guardian GIs are Allied anti-tank heavy troopers that appear in Yuri's Revenge.

Background
Undeployed, they carry an automatic rifle that is effective against other infantry. Their rifle, while effective, only fired in bursts that were a few seconds apart, meaning that even against a standard soldier the Guardian GI would be the slower fighter and probably die.

Like the standard GI, they are able to deploy into personal fortifications; instead of sandbags however, the Guardian GIs use collapsible steel emplacements that not only protected them from small arms fire but also render them immune to the crushing treads of tanks and other vehicles. Once deployed, they swapped their rifles for anti-tank Javelin RPG launchers. A group of three Guardian GIs with Javelins can turn enemy tanks (and aircraft) into scrap metal in seconds.

The primary weakness of the Guardian GI's is the slow pace at which they are forced to move while undeployed. This is due to the heavy weight of their anti-munition armor, anti-vehicle weaponry and the collapsible steel fortifications which they carry on their backs when not in use. The fact that the Guardians are able to move at all is testament to the grueling physical training each soldier undertook prior to his use in battle, training that made them physically bigger than the standard soldier.

Tactics and Counters
The Guardian GI is a formidable anti-tank unit, especially against vehicles that lack anti-personnel weaponry. Wise Allied Commanders have found these infantrymen useful when it came to defending against tank rushes, as a small group of these soldiers could neutralize a tank rush in no time flat.

However, they are even more versatile when placed in a Battle Fortress. Inside the heavy vehicle, they are completely immune to anti-personnel weaponry and can fire on the move. Coupled with this method, they are excellent counters not only against tanks but also slow-moving aircraft such as Kirov Airships and Yuri's Floating Discs.

Anti-infantry units such as Viruses, Desolators, Snipers or Gattling Tanks can easily make short work of them without fear of retaliation.

Aftermath
The Guardian GI was replace by Javelin soldier in the War of the Three Powers due to Anatoly Cherdenko changing the time stream.

Pros

 * Effective against other infantry when not deployed.
 * Powerful in numbers.
 * Strong against tank and aircraft when deployed.
 * Immune to the crushing treads of tanks and other vehicles when deployed.
 * More versatile and deadly when placed in a Battle Fortress.

Cons

 * Anti-infantry units such as Viruses, Desolators and Snipers can easily make short work of them.
 * Slow moving.
 * Don't fare well either against high-technology vehicles such as Apocalypse Tanks either unless massed in unbelievable numbers.
 * If the target moves out of their range, the missile will disappear and not hit anything.

Trivia

 * In the mod Mental Omega, the Guardian GI still carries the RPG although it is undeployed.