The Sergeant is a German World War I support unit in Empires: Dawn of the Modern World. It gives morale to nearby friendly units, causing them to take less battle damage. It can also detect stealthy units. Its Panzerfaust ability is good against ground vehicles (100 power, hotkey P).
Description[]
The backbone of any army is its corps of non-commissioned officers. Nowhere was this truer than in Germany in the 20th century. Occupying a niche somewhere between the private soldiers and the commissioned officers, the Sergeant was the glue that held the German Army together through two world wars. Whether spearheading the attack, or anchoring a defense, Sergeants gave motivation, encouragement, and examples of heroism to inspire the rank and file. In tough battles like Verdun in WWI or Stalingrad in WWII, Sergeants would often find themselves at the forefront of the battle, sometimes doing jobs normally reserved for much higher-ranking officers. In combat, as casualties thinned the ranks, and the enemy closed in, the leadership and experience of a veteran Sergeant outweighed his lack of commissioned rank.
Discipline is what separates an army from an armed mob, and the Sergeant's primary job was to motivate and lead. A group of soldiers bolstered by these NCOs was more effective, and suffered less from the enemy's fire, than a similar group without such leadership. A few Sergeants, carefully allocated among the assaulting troops, could turn an ineffective probe into a devastatingly effective thrust. Soldiers that would normally be shredded by enemy fire would, under the Sergeant's prodding, find better cover, and take better defensive actions, and thus arrive at the objective with enough power to win the day. If the attacking force encountered armor, the Sergeant had one more trick up his sleeve-his Panzerfaust anti-tank rocket. Though he could only carry a couple of these devastating short-ranged weapons, the Sergeant used them with devastating effect against enemy tanks.
In practice, a German assault would include enough Sergeants to motivate and lead all of the attacking infantry. Spaced carefully to provide emergency anti-tank support as needed, the Sergeants would advance with the troops, encouraging them and increase their morale. Closing with the enemy, Sergeants would fire furiously with their light weapons, but their primary job was to eye the battlefield and make sure the troops kept up the attack. When they ran into enemy armor, the Sergeants would use their Panzerfausts to blast a way for the oncoming foot soldiers. One the defense, the Sergeant made sure the line held, moving rapidly to reinforce threatened areas and destroying any tanks that made it through the anti-tank gun screen. Whether attacking or defending, though, the Sergeant's steadying effect and command of the situation resulted in fewer friendly casualties and much tougher going for the foe.[1]
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