SD:Spahis

 is a French Recon unit. They're the French equivalent of the ubiquitous Allied Scout units. Spahis / Scouts are absolute staple units in every battegroup, providing the player with vital reconnaissance information on the ground. They usually come in lightly armed armoured personnel carriers such as the universal carrier or the jeep, unlike Recce, two-man teams who have more potent vehicles at their disposal. Usually composed of four men, the average scout unit has reasonable survivability but cannot survive protracted engagements with enemy infantry units.

Overview
Reconnaissance is a vital branch of warfare. An army's ability to gain information beforehand can sometimes fundamentally impact the course of a battle or a war, as can be attested throughout history. Lack of information about the enemy and his whereabouts has resulted in momentuous defeats, while accurate reconnaissance has led to decisive victories by much smaller forces.

Steel Division, like the Wargame series, puts a heavy emphasis on recon units. Armoured cars, infantry recon and aerial reconnaissance all play their part in revealing the enemy's strength, whereabouts and disposition. By doing so, an effective response to the enemy player can be devised beforehand. Recon infantry is the bread-and-butter field reconnaissance, as it is the stealthiest, least expensive, most numerous and most survivable of the three recon categories.

Strategy
Your army must at all times have some form of reconnaissance. No player has ever lost by knowing too much about the enemy. Spahis are staple units in that they provide the most bang for your buck: cheap, effective and reasonably expendable, they form the vanguard of the French battlegroup & scout ahead of the bulk of your troops. The Spahis is to be used throughout the game and at no point should a player neglect to fill their ranks with recon units.

The unit is lightly armed and possesses enough firepower to kill or damage small enemy squads such as tank hunter teams and enemy recon - they would be the first to spot such units. They will, however, not last long if pitted against regular infantry or repeated tank fire, though the one-star experience does help the the recon unit in holding their ground. The Jeep the Spahis come in can also provide some small amount of firepower. Their task is to spot enemies and let supporting troops deal with them. Here it benefits from its reasonable survivability as a four-man squad, being on the front line.