Best Breakthrough Template 2026
Article · Breakthrough template
Best Breakthrough templates in Hearts of Iron IV
Four ready templates for when the front is there to be ripped, not held: which tanks to field, when Motorized Infantry is enough, and why a minor puts one Medium Tank into infantry.
Which template you need
First
Tanks 36 CW
For a major, and not from 1936. Germany by 1941 can comfortably run 40–48 of these if Military Factories are not smeared across everything. Rips the front, makes huge pockets. Too early for a minor: look at Combat Width 20 first.
Second
Tanks 20 CW
Same idea, fewer tanks. 4 Medium Tank battalions and 6 Motorized Infantry. Crushes a minor and a weak major. Against another great power’s dense line it is already thin. The minor’s real pain is not factories, it is research slots: tank, trucks and companies have to be unlocked before the war.
Third
Motorized Infantry 20 CW
Infantry on trucks, no tanks. Speed is huge: find a hole, punch, run the pocket. It will not crack strong defense. It wants a lot of Trucks, and Rubber too. After hundreds of games I would rather give those trucks to the 20 CW tank template.
Fourth
Armored infantry 20 CW
9 Infantry battalions and 1 Medium Tank battalion: 50 tanks per division. Moves at infantry speed, so no blitzkrieg. For a minor before the world war: Argentina vs Brazil — yes; the USSR in 1941 — no. The gap between naked infantry and real tanks.
How to pick. Unsure, but you have at least a few Military Factories on Medium Tanks — take the second template, Combat Width 20. The first is when you are already a major and can outfit 36 CW. I rarely field tankless Motorized Infantry: Breakthrough is higher than infantry, but tanks are another planet. The fourth is if tanks are catastrophically scarce and you still have to attack the neighbor.
Which template to field
Four tabs. Breakthrough in the designer is not the Breakthrough line on the map (that is a separate order). Here it is the division stat: almost all of it sits in tanks. Two or three battalions of proper Medium Tanks in a mixed division often do more than a whole Motorized Infantry division without them. Combat Width is how much room the division takes in a fight: a typical tile is around 80, a 20 CW division takes a quarter, 36 CW almost half.
Tanks, Combat Width 36
- For a major
- Offense
- Tank
The gold standard I run as a great power once the factories have stopped complaining. 8 Medium Tank battalions, 10 Motorized Infantry battalions, companies built for attack. Supply is not “it’ll be fine”: without a Logistics Company the column is on starvation rations fast, and Breakthrough on paper stays on paper.
8× Medium Tank
10× Motorized Infantry
Support Artillery
Assault Engineer Company
Armored Recon Company
Why not regular engineers. Assault Engineer Company is built for forts: without it and without Medium Flame Tank Company, terrain starts punishing you as if the tanks were plywood. The flamethrower is not cosmetics. Armored Recon Company eats Light Tanks (24) and slightly eases those same terrain penalties.
Logistics Company matters more than pretty camouflage here. A 36 CW tank division eats Supply like a herd of elephants. Without logistics you sit out of supply a lot, and then even 400 Medium Tanks in the division still drive like a tractor with no diesel. Armored Cars for logistics: 20 per division.
Per division: 17 900 Manpower, 1000 Infantry Equipment, 360 Trucks, 400 Medium Tanks, plus 15 Medium Flame Tanks, 24 Light Tanks for recon, 12 Towed Artillery, 40 Support Equipment. Plenty of soldiers in it, but on the attack it actually loses few of them: Breakthrough is high, the enemy often cannot answer. Not much of a defensive template — though in practice it holds well. Later you swap Motorized Infantry for Mechanized Infantry: slightly tougher stats and more vehicles, even more expensive.
This is not a minor’s starting template and not “spam it by September 1939.” Mid-to-late game, a major, lots of Military Factories. If the industry is not there, do not play hero: open the Tanks 20 CW tab.
| Resource | Per division |
|---|---|
| Manpower | 17900 |
| Infantry Equipment | 1000 |
| Support Equipment | 40 |
| Towed Artillery | 12 |
| Truck | 360 |
| Armored Car | 20 |
| Light Tank | 24 |
| Medium Tank | 400 |
| Medium Flame Tank | 15 |
| Combat Width | 36 |
Total for all divisions
Totals from the table above, for the chosen number of this template.
- Manpower
- 214,800
- Infantry Equipment
- 12,000
- Support Equipment
- 480
- Towed Artillery
- 144
- Truck
- 4,320
- Armored Car
- 240
- Light Tank
- 288
- Medium Tank
- 4,800
- Medium Flame Tank
- 180
Pros
- Rips the front so hard that holding this division is very difficult.
- Loses little manpower on the attack.
- Can make huge pockets if infantry closes the flanks in time.
Cons
- Very expensive: 400 Medium Tanks per division.
- Ready by mid-to-late game, not the first national focus.
- Majors only: a minor goes bankrupt here.
Verdict. Insanely strong, but not everyone can feed it. For attack, for a major, around mid-game. With Mechanized Infantry it gets meaner. No factories — do not copy it “to look pretty in the Division Designer.”
How to use it
Do not stretch 12 of these one-by-one across Europe. Make a fist: several divisions on one tile, you punch through — immediately into the rear onto supply hubs and railways, infantry closes the pocket. This is not a defensive wall: if the enemy counterattacks a starving wedge with no logistics, the “gold standard” turns into scrap metal fast.
Tanks, Combat Width 20
- For a minor
- Offense
- Tank
The slimmed-down brother of the 36 CW template. 4 Medium Tank battalions, 6 Motorized Infantry, the simplest companies: Engineer Company and Support Artillery. Stats are humbler, terrain punishes you more. A minor can still stamp out a few by the war — enough to stop grinding the front with naked infantry.
4× Medium Tank
6× Motorized Infantry
Engineer Company
Support Artillery
On Breakthrough this is still tanks, not “Motorized Infantry with hope.” 36 CW leans on other majors; this one is Breakthrough against a minor and a weak major: blitzkrieg, hole, pocket. You will not chew through a great power’s super-dense defense with one of these — hit with several on one tile.
Companies are simple on purpose: they sit in almost every infantry template, so a minor does not need to unlock a flame tank. If industry can take it, add Armored Recon Company — terrain penalties ease a bit. Logistics Company too, if a research slot is free: the division eats Supply noticeably.
Per division: 9800 Manpower, 610 Infantry Equipment, 12 Towed Artillery, 210 Trucks, 30 Support Equipment, 200 Medium Tanks. Early game a minor rarely affords this. By the war — yes, if you do not smear research across everything at once. Trucks need Rubber: no Rubber — no Motorized Infantry, tanks crawl.
| Resource | Per division |
|---|---|
| Manpower | 9800 |
| Infantry Equipment | 610 |
| Support Equipment | 30 |
| Towed Artillery | 12 |
| Truck | 210 |
| Medium Tank | 200 |
| Combat Width | 20 |
Total for all divisions
Totals from the table above, for the chosen number of this template.
- Manpower
- 39,200
- Infantry Equipment
- 2,440
- Support Equipment
- 120
- Towed Artillery
- 48
- Truck
- 840
- Medium Tank
- 800
Pros
- A minor can afford several divisions by the war.
- Breaks a front against a minor and a weak major.
- No heavy research like a flame tank.
Cons
- Will not crack super-strong defense.
- Terrain penalties sting: few companies to cover them.
- Usually cannot be built at game start.
Verdict. For a minor — a solid working wedge. A major can go fatter. The hard part is not “drawing” the template, it is researching the tank and trucks and putting them on factories before the war. Do not forget Supply: it eats a lot.
How to use it
A wedge of several divisions on one tile, then speed into the rear. Do not smear them one-by-one along the front: you get an expensive column that bumps into someone else’s infantry and stops. Against a major holding 5–10 divisions per tile this is not enough — stack more wedges, or stay off the main sector.
Motorized Infantry, Combat Width 20
- For a minor
- Flexible
- Fast
Ten Motorized Infantry battalions, companies — artillery and engineers. It is in the article honestly: Breakthrough is higher than naked infantry. I do not always recommend it. Almost always those same Trucks and factories are better spent on Tanks 20 CW. This template does not rip a front like tanks. It looks for a weak spot, hits it, and makes a pocket with speed.
10× Motorized Infantry
Support Artillery
Engineer Company
Speed is its only real trump card. Stats are modest, cost is high: 350 Trucks per division. Trucks need Rubber. It eats less Supply than tanks — already a plus. Terrain penalties exist; if factories allow it, add a recon company.
You can slot in 1–2 Medium Tank battalions. It becomes “even more okay.” I still usually build a proper Tanks 20 CW: Breakthrough there is not “a bit above infantry,” it is another class. This template is a compromise when there are no tanks and you already have to run.
Per division: 12 600 Manpower, 1010 Infantry Equipment, 12 artillery, 350 Trucks, 30 Support Equipment. More people than the 20 CW tank, zero tanks. Breakthrough without tanks exists, but a tank wedge is a long way off. It does not crack dense defense. It can stand on defense, though.
| Resource | Per division |
|---|---|
| Manpower | 12600 |
| Infantry Equipment | 1010 |
| Support Equipment | 30 |
| Towed Artillery | 12 |
| Truck | 350 |
| Combat Width | 20 |
Total for all divisions
Totals from the table above, for the chosen number of this template.
- Manpower
- 75,600
- Infantry Equipment
- 6,060
- Support Equipment
- 180
- Towed Artillery
- 72
- Truck
- 2,100
Pros
- Huge speed: a pocket on legs, or rather on wheels.
- Breakthrough without tanks — better than naked infantry.
- A minor can field it if Rubber and Trucks are there.
Cons
- Will not crack strong defense.
- Lots of Trucks: 350 per division.
- Tanks 20 is almost always better Breakthrough for the cost.
Verdict. It can hold, and it can fake a blitzkrieg. It will not chew a dense line. More often, field Tanks 20 CW and drop the idea that ten trucks equal four Medium Tanks.
How to use it
Do not hit the fattiest sector. Find a thin spot, slip through — immediately into the rear while the enemy turns the reserve. If there is no hole, this template will not magic one up with speed. Speed helps after Breakthrough, not instead of it.
Infantry with a Medium Tank, Combat Width 20
- For a minor
- Flexible
- Slow
Armored infantry: 9 Infantry battalions, 1 Medium Tank battalion, engineers and Support Artillery. Speed like regular infantry — no blitzkrieg. Infantry is the backbone and the defense, the tank gives the whole division Armor and a little Breakthrough. You can attack, just not like a tank wedge.
9× Infantry
1× Medium Tank
Engineer Company
Support Artillery
Only 50 Medium Tanks per division. Not 200, not 400. A minor often can field this before the world war, even on an Inter-War Medium Tank chassis: most countries have it researched at start. You will not beat the USSR in 1941 with it. A neighbor a rank below — yes. Terrain penalties stay: one tank battalion puts them on the division.
This is the in-between template between real tanks and regular infantry. Mid-game you still attack with it until the wedge is stamped out. Later it usually becomes Tanks 20. Manpower 10 100, rifles 910, artillery 12, Support Equipment 30. No Trucks — you do not spend Rubber on it, and you will not outrun a counterattack either.
| Resource | Per division |
|---|---|
| Manpower | 10100 |
| Infantry Equipment | 910 |
| Support Equipment | 30 |
| Towed Artillery | 12 |
| Medium Tank | 50 |
| Combat Width | 20 |
Total for all divisions
Totals from the table above, for the chosen number of this template.
- Manpower
- 80,800
- Infantry Equipment
- 7,280
- Support Equipment
- 240
- Towed Artillery
- 96
- Medium Tank
- 400
Pros
- It has Armor: the division melts a bit less under fire.
- Breakthrough is decent for infantry — you can attack a weak enemy.
- A minor often fields it before the war, even on an Inter-War tank.
Cons
- Low speed: you will not outrun a pocket.
- Will not crack a strong enemy.
- You still need tanks: without the battalion it is naked infantry again.
Verdict. An acquired taste. A minor, a weak neighbor, a bit of Armor and a bit of Breakthrough. Not a replacement for a tank wedge. When factories grow — move to the Tanks 20 tab.
How to use it
Slow pressure on weak or medium defense, not a raid through the rear. Let regular infantry close the flanks: this template will not run if it starts getting surrounded. Do not expect a blitzkrieg — infantry speed is not enough, no matter how pretty the Medium Tank looks in the designer.
Which of the four to take
Do not look at “who has the bigger number in the designer.” Look at who you are and who you are pushing. A major by 1941 — first template, Combat Width 36. A minor that actually stacked Medium Tanks — second, 20. No tanks, Rubber is there — third, and I would still haggle. Almost no tanks, weak neighbor — fourth. You can “break through” with infantry, but it is slow, bloody and usually wasted: Breakthrough as a stat barely grows.
| Parameter | Tanks 36 CW | Tanks 20 CW | Mot 20 CW | Armored infantry 20 CW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In the regiments | 8 Medium Tanks, 10 Motorized Infantry | 4 Medium Tanks, 6 Motorized Infantry | 10 Motorized Infantry | 9 Infantry, 1 Medium Tank |
| Companies | Artillery, assault engineers, flame, recon, logistics | Engineers, artillery | Artillery, engineers | Engineers, artillery |
| Combat Width | 36 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Medium Tanks | 400 | 200 | None | 50 |
| Trucks | 360 | 210 | 350 | None |
| Manpower | 17900 | 9800 | 12600 | 10100 |
| Speed | Like Motorized Infantry with tanks | Like Motorized Infantry with tanks | Very high | Like Infantry |
| When to take it | Major, mid-game | Minor by the war | No tanks, Rubber is there | Few tanks, weak enemy |
After Breakthrough do not stand in the punched tile “admiring it.” Go for the rear: railways, ports, supply hubs. A pocket works when the enemy has nowhere to retreat and nothing to eat, not when you simply won one fight. Tanks 36 does this loudly. Tanks 20 — quieter, same idea. Motorized Infantry can drive around if the hole is already there. Infantry with one tank widens the hole slowly and almost never closes the pocket itself.
Bottom line
If you need Breakthrough — you need tanks. Not necessarily a 36 Combat Width division right away: a minor is fine with 20 and several divisions on one tile. Motorized Infantry without tanks is faster than infantry, but those Trucks often feel wasted on it. One Medium Tank in infantry is a crutch until a real wedge. Field what the factories can feed, and do not try to replace with infantry what tracks do in HoI.