Albania (mission)

Albania is the penultimate GDI mission in Act III, as part of their preparations to renew their siege of Temple Prime.
==Background==
GDI Director Redmond Boyle ordered the annihilation of Nod's Temple Prime for the GDI press to rally on. However, as the temple was the best-guarded Nod installation, extensive preparations were required to minimize fallout from the operation. After establishing a strong foothold in Croatia, GDI next set their sights on the destruction of Nod's Albanian supply depot, which would vastly weaken the firepower of the Temple Prime defenders and any reinforcements they could hope to receive.
==New Units==
*Firehawks
==Events==
===Incursion===
Two GDI Grenadier squads accompanied by two Riflemen squads were inserted into the area to take out the Laser defense turrets before the heavier armor could arrive. The team made short work of the border outpost, and a team of four APCs, two Pitbulls and four Predator tanks escorting a Battle Rig entered the area. As they proceeded toward the bridge leading to the supply depot, however, they encountered a Nod patrol, who warned the compound of the raiders while they traded fire. Though the GDI forces prevailed in the small skirmish, the defenders destroyed the bridge before it could be crossed. GDI command sent a reinforcement team via Ox Transport to remedy the situation, though their aerial nature would mean the SAM turrets in a nearby outpost would have to be demolished first. Nevertheless, the strike team trashed the turrets, and the rest of the base for good measure. The newly dropped Engineers repaired the bridge, and the strike force proceeded across the ravine into the main Nod base.
===Establishing a Foothold===
The GDI team was greeted none too nicely - two Laser turrets blasted the team and Scorpion tanks peppered the group as they advanced across the bridge. The GDI armor prevailed, and continued to fight their way through the outskirts of the compound, toward a Reinforcement Bay. The infantry squads and Shredder Turrets proved to be no match for the attackers, who quickly demolished them and captured the Bay they were protecting. This allowed them to establish two Airfields and ship in a Mammoth Tank - finally, the long-awaited counterattack could begin.
===Retaliation===
With the proper firepower now secured, the GDI troops began launching airstrikes against the Nod assets. This was not missed by the supply depot's commander, who began mobilizing troops in an effort to dislodge GDI from their position. To prevent this, the GDI commander set the previous offensive troops on defense, and backed by a Battle Base, they demolished everything that Nod threw at them.
Nod forces were thrown into complete disarray as the Firehawks seized on the opportunity presented by the minimal anti-air protecting the compound. Large caches of vehicles were reduced to flares of orange and yellow, then to ash as the Firehawks burned up group after group of the neatly arranged vehicles. Nearby Nod Venoms attempted to stop them, but quickly found - to their expense - that they were equipped with equally effective anti-air munitions that easily blasted them out of the sky.
After the destruction of the depot's valuable assets, the GDI Firehawks proceeded to systematically raze the main Nod base, taking out all of their remaining active forces and important infrastructure. GDI had won the battle, and the renewed assault on Temple Prime would be that much easier.
Kane mocked the commander for targeting defenseless vehicles, a taunt that would be forgotten - mostly.
==Aftermath==
The destruction of Nod's main supply depot was a devastating blow to the morale of the Temple Prime defenders - the loss of outside assets meant that they would not receive assistance of any kind, and would be forced to rely on only themselves to hold out against GDI's attack. However, Nod's fighting spirit had not died yet, and they began making extensive preparations in anticipation of the inevitable assault.
==Walkthrough==
The player is initially given command of two Riflemen and Grenadier squads. Destroying the initial outpost is relatively easy; the Riflemen can eliminate the Militant squads and the Grenadiers can handle the Laser Turrets, which are largely ineffective against them (Grenadiers being infantrymen).
After the initial objective is completed, a reinforcement team of a Rig, two Pitbulls, three APCs, and four Predators will arrive. The survival of the APCs is important, as Nod patrols consist of infantry that the Pitbulls, Predators, and Battle Base would have difficulty handling without support. While the initial Riflemen squads are capable of eliminating them with relative efficiency, their chances of survival against the heavily armored Black Hand troopers in the area is rather low unless defended in some way. 
As the player's forces reach the bridge, it will be destroyed by the Nod depot's troops, and the player will be redirected to a nearby outpost with SAM turrets instead. Use the Predators to punch through any armor or structures guarding the outpost, and unpack the Rig into a Battle Base to support the Predators with repairs and additional firepower. The base also has two money crates, with a total value of 2000 credits. After all the designated SAM turrets are dismantled, a reinforcement team of Missile squads and Engineers will be airlifted into the area. An Engineer can be used to repair the bridge via the repair hut, which opens up the next "stage" of the mission.
Crossing the bridge is more difficult; its narrow nature means that only a limited selection of units can charge toward the waiting Laser turrets and Scorpion Tanks, and that the Rig cannot support them. Use the Predator Tanks to spearhead the push, as they have the heaviest armor and can punch through the defenders with relative efficiency. Any damage sustained can, of course, be repaired by the Battle Base after the immediate defenders are destroyed. Keep the Engineers away from combat, as they are important to the mission progression.
Proceed to the Reinforcement Bay, as designated by the main objective, and try to avoid straying too far into the base - the inner compound is protected by powerful Obelisks of Light, which are capable of eviscerating or at least severely damaging your troops. Optionally, the player can proceed a little ways north to the secondary objective, and capture the Reinforcement Bay there. The Shredder Turrets defending the area are not very effective against vehicles, and the Predators can take apart any vehicles assembled from the War Factory. Capturing it will grant the player two additional Predator tanks and an extra Rig. However, if the player only has one Engineer left, it is better to ignore the secondary objective - capturing the one indicated by the primary objective makes the mission far easier.
The main Reinforcement Bay is protected by three Shredder Turrets, a few Militant squads, and a Rocket squad. Assuming the attack is led by Predator tanks, most of these are relatively inconsequential, except the Rocket Squads - either bring the APCs forward to kill them, or crush them with the Predators. The Militant squads can be dealt with in a similar manner, and the Turret Hub can be dismantled with the Predators. The Reinforcement Bay can them be captured. Keep infantry and fragile vehicles away from the Shredder Turrets during the attack, but also away from the entrance of the ridge - a team of Flame Tanks and Rocket Squads will attempt to destroy the GDI troops.
Capturing the primary Reinforcement Bay will grant the player a Mammoth Tank and two Airfields, and eight Firehawks will fly in and land on the Airfields. Due to the relative lack of AA in the area, the Firehawks more or less have free reign; switching their loadout to AA on their UI allows them to eliminate the patrolling Venoms that may prove to be an annoyance - while their cannon is rather ineffective, an unfortunate mix of conditions may end in a loss of a Firehawk. The Firehawks can then be switched back to their anti-ground loadout, and proceed to level the supply base and the valuable assets within it. The two Air Towers fielding Venoms are in the back of the base, but the AA defenders can be avoided by flying in the left side of the map.
Note that the Nod defenders will continue to send troops to destroy the Airfields. The units previously given, supported by the Mammoth Tank and the Rig(s), should be enough to repel them, though the incendiary-based troops that Nod deploys means it is often better to either garrison infantry within the APCs or keep them away from combat altogether.
== Trivia ==
* In total, there are 32 stealth tanks, 48 Raider buggies, 24 flame tanks and 24 Scorpion tanks in the depot for a total of 128 vehicles.
* The vehicles in the supply depot will not attack, and are oddly explosive - likely to make the mission less tedious.
* The primary Reinforcement Bay will construct two Airfields, while in all other missions they merely construct units.