Best Mountaineers Template 2026

Article · Mountain infantry template

Best mountain infantry template in Hearts of Iron IV

Two working templates for Mountains and Hills: a cheap “three divisions from any opening” and a heavy one for the USA, the Soviet Union, Germany. Not the mountaineer role — finished templates.

Reading time ~ 8 min Updated 20.08.2026

Summary

Mountain divisions live on Mountain and Hills tiles. Those terrains have their own Combat Width: 50 in mountains, 70 on hills. You build the template so several divisions fit a tile without an extra overflow penalty.

A minor and most majors are fine with 8 Mountaineers battalions plus three companies: Support Artillery, Engineer Company, Cavalry Recon Detachment. Combat Width 16 — 3 such divisions fit mountains, 4 fit hills. The special forces cap usually lets you field at least three.

The heavy template is for the USA, the Soviet Union, Germany and similar: 11 Mountaineers battalions, line Artillery, the same three companies and a Field Hospital. Combat Width 25. Exactly 2 fit mountains, almost 3 fit hills. They attack well. Cheap they are not.

In one sentence: start with the cheap template sized to the terrain width; take the heavy one only if industry and the special forces cap can support it.

Mountains, hills and Combat Width

A Mountaineers battalion gives 2 Combat Width. A line Artillery battalion gives 3. Support companies do not eat width — so the cheap template of eight Mountaineers battalions is exactly 16.

Mountains 50: three divisions at 16 occupy 48, two points of slack. Hills 70: four at 16 occupy 64. The heavy template at 25: two divisions fill mountains flush (50); on hills that is 2.8 — a third already nicks over 70 and takes the penalty. In HoI that matters more than a tidy designer layout: the overflow penalty hits everyone in the tile, not just the extra division.

And do not skip the special forces tree. Mountaineers II gives +5% Soft Attack — for mountain troops that is a real punch, not cosmetics. Level one unlocks the battalion, level two already hits. After that — follow industry, not “finish the whole tree today”.

Mountaineers — 2 Combat Width per battalion, 140 Infantry Equipment instead of 100 on line infantry

Which template to use

Two templates, that is it. The first (for a minor) works for minors and most majors — it is already good. The second (for a major) is for big powers like Germany, the Soviet Union, the USA.

8 Mountaineers battalions, Combat Width 16

This is the template I almost always build when I play a minor or a weak major. Fairly cheap, sits well on Combat Width, and even a poor opening can field three of them.

8× Mountaineers

Support Artillery

Engineer Company

Cavalry Recon Detachment

Support Artillery in the companies gives Soft Attack, Engineer Company — Entrenchment, Defense and terrain bonuses, Cavalry Recon Detachment — terrain bonuses as well.

Mountaineers already cost more than line infantry: 140 Infantry Equipment per battalion versus 100. Eight battalions — that is 1120 rifles in the line alone, plus companies.

A few of these divisions are still fine. Forty of them instead of all your infantry is another conversation, and the special forces cap will say no.

Cost of the mountain infantry template for a minor
Resource	Per division
Manpower	9100
Infantry Equipment	1170
Support Equipment	40
Artillery	12
Combat Width	16
On a tile with no penalty	3 in mountains, 4 on hills

Total for all divisions

Divisions

Manpower: 27,300
Infantry Equipment: 3,510
Support Equipment: 120
Artillery: 36

Pros

Cheap, but it works.
The minimum special forces cap already lets you field 3 of these from any opening.
Almost a perfect fit for mountain and hill Combat Width.
Holds the terrain and sometimes attacks — not just standing there looking pretty.

Cons

It will not print thousands of Soft Attack and Breakthrough — this is not an armored spearhead.
You need Artillery and Support Equipment, not rifles alone.

If Germany or any other strong country is coming at you, and the heavy template on the other tab (the second template in this article, the major one) is out of budget — you can add 1–2 Heavy Weapons Companies in the support regiment once the column already has three battalions. Watch Organization: below 50 the template starts gasping in a long fight. Heavy Weapons Company is column Defense, not a substitute for engineers.

Short version: cheap, fits Combat Width, fights. Almost any country can raise three. For most campaigns that is plenty — the rest is Division Designer greed.

11 Mountaineers + artillery, Combat Width 25

This is already an expensive tool. Not every major can afford it. Think USA, Soviet Union, Germany and similar industry. To field at least 3 such divisions you need around 660 ordinary non-special-forces battalions — that is how the cap works, not because it looks nice.

Division Designer: mountain infantry template for a major, Combat Width 25, Field Hospital in support — 11 Mountaineers battalions, line Artillery, four companies. Combat Width 25, Organization about 51.8.

11× Mountaineers

1× Artillery

Support Artillery

Engineer Company

Cavalry Recon Detachment

Field Hospital

Line Artillery plus Support Artillery is already serious Soft Attack (about 113.6 in the designer versus ~68 on the cheap template). Mountaineers battalions hold Organization, cavalry recon helps move on the terrain, engineers give Defense and bonuses in mountains and hills. Field Hospital protects an expensive lineup: after each fight you leak less experience. The template works without it, but with it you lose fewer men — and this one costs 13,100 Manpower per division.

Cost of the mountain infantry template for a major
Resource	Per division
Manpower	13100
Infantry Equipment	1590
Support Equipment	70
Artillery	36
Trucks	20
Combat Width	25
On a tile	exactly 2 in mountains; 2.8 on hills (a third takes a small penalty)

Total for all divisions

Divisions

Manpower: 39,300
Infantry Equipment: 4,770
Support Equipment: 210
Artillery: 108
Trucks: 60

Pros

Attacks and holds mountains and hills very well — usually the king of the tile.
Combat Width 25 fills the 50 of mountains with nothing left over.
One such division in mountains calmly holds several enemy “just infantry” stacks.

Cons

Expensive: Infantry Equipment, Artillery, Support Equipment, Trucks for the hospital.
More than two divisions — only if the regular army is already large.
You need Field Hospital researched, not just Mountaineers and artillery.

If you want, you can add another 2–3 Heavy Weapons Companies for Defense. In mountains ordinary infantry will almost never kick this division out head-on — so Heavy Weapons Company is not required here, unlike the minor staring down Germany on the cheap template.

Minor or major: how to choose

The question is not “which template hits harder on paper”. The heavy one always hits harder. The question is whether you can field three divisions without breaking the special forces cap for a tidy designer.

Comparison of the two mountain infantry templates
Stat	For a minor	For a major
Line	8 Mountaineers battalions	11 Mountaineers + 1 Artillery
Companies	Support Artillery, engineers, cavalry recon	The same + Field Hospital
Combat Width	16	25
Soft Attack at the start	~68	~114
Manpower	9100	13100
Who	Minor and most majors	USA, Soviet Union, Germany and similar

Mountaineers can attack — on this terrain that is the job, not “stand and wait”. The cheap template attacks “confidently, sometimes”; the heavy one “pleasantly, often”. Do not drag either onto plains: no terrain bonus, and you already paid special-forces prices for the rifles.

Bottom line

For mountains and hills you size the template to the tile width, not “more battalions, more patriotic”. Eight Mountaineers plus Support Artillery, engineers and cavalry recon — the working answer for almost everyone. Eleven Mountaineers, line artillery and a hospital — if factories and the special forces cap can support it, and you actually fight in the mountains instead of collecting divisions in the designer.