Albania OOB (55)

[Jaakko]

Okay, this is a minor country OOB but is in the game and should be taken care of like the rest. Besides, it enables some rather exceptional Cold War what-if scenarios (vs. Yugoslavia/NATO/WP/all). So let's get started.

The Albania OOB file seems to lack a lot, especially from the Cold War era, presumably due to the lack of English language information on the subject.

There are several units with Soviet equipment. I find some of them questionable, especially those made available after the open Soviet-Albanian split early 60's (the relations had been deteriorating from late 50's already). Of course, this doesn't mean they're automatically wrong - just questionable. For example:

SPG-9, units 056 and 269 available from 1/75. These are set available several years after Albania had officially left the Warsaw Pact (1968). So who would've supplied this? Edit: And who is supposed to have supplied BRDM-2's (unit 294) in 1975?

ZU-23 (unit 352), available from 1/65. 1965 is after the Sino-Soviet split which started to develope in 1956 and culminated by 1961, but before 1968, so I consider this possible but questionable. Stay or go?

Then a surprising lack: The SKS Carbine or its Albanian copy (produced from 1969 onwards).
This weapon was common in Albania but this doesn't show in the game. Any suggestions how to add it and from what dates? Here some sources:
http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting...2333/index.asp

Here are some addition/change suggestions with information sources:

Change availability of the Type-59 tank (unit 019) to 1966. According to SIPRI, it was ordered in 1965 and delivered from 1966 to 1975.

Type-69 RPG (weapon 015) should be made consistent with the Chinese OOB weapon data: Penetration decreased to 26, although I wonder if it really should be one point less than Type-56?
"Because the Type 56 was unable to penetrate the armour of the new generation Soviet tanks such as the T-62, the PLA desperately needed a new individual anti-tank weapon to replace the aging Type 56."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_69_RPG

"The weapon entered service with the PLA in the mid-1970s"

So I'd make sure Type-69 equipped units aren't available before 1976, although wikipedia could very well be misleading here. What do you think? In the arsenal of this OOB, the availability of this RPG makes a big difference in game play too.

Copy of the China OOB unit 035 Type-62 light tank, to be made available from 1/71
"75 including 35 ordered in 1970 from PRC and delivered in 1971."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_62

YW-531 / Type-63 APC (unit 045) availability changed from 1/69 to 1/73
http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade...e_register.php

Questions:

-Was the WZ-532 APC (unit 046) really delivered to Albania in 1988, considering the Sino-Albanian split of 1978? Same issue might affect other post-78 issued units employing Chinese export equipment, although I really don't know any hard facts. Assuming I searched the SIPRI database correctly, there are no weapon imports from China past 1978.

-Were Chinese copies of the ZPU-2 and ZPU-4 flaks (Type 58 and 56) delivered to Albania? At the moment the OOB only has the ZPU-1(unit 350). Talking of AA guns, what type is this?
http://www.communisme-bolchevisme.ne...s/Shkip_25.jpg
Didn't find anything resembling that in the OOB.

-Did the Albanians have their Type-59 tanks (unit 019 updated in any way at any point? As it is in the game, they remain significantly less effective than the T-55 (017) and T-54 (014 & 015), with less effective ammo, less fire control value and no stabilizer value. This is important due to the relatively significant numbers in which the tank was exported to Albania (721 according to SIPRI).

-Did Albania have RPG-2s or its Chinese copy Type-56 RPG? This is important due to the relative lateness of arrival of the Type-69, before which infantry lacks any serious AT-capability with the absence of RPG-2/Type-56.