Specialized Units

BigJoe417 · Post by **BigJoe417** » Fri Dec 27, 2002 3:05 am

Hi, these posts are fantastic!

I would really appreciate it if someone could write about special units like, Sea Bees, Paratroops, Cavalry etc...

What do they do best?
How are they best used?
What makes them different from other units?

Thanks,
BigJoe

tanjman · Post by **tanjman** » Fri Dec 27, 2002 6:53 pm

For what its worth here is what I use them for.

Cavalry: I use them as Infantry since they are not mechanized.

Engineers (includes pioneers): There are basicly two types of engineer units; combat engineers are those with infantry, I use with infantry for assaults & defense. Construction engineers (mainly Engineer Aviation Battalins & SeeBees) are those without infantry and usually have engineer vehicles (bulldozers) I use for constructing/expanding bases.

Parachute Infantry: (2 Marine battalions & 1 Army Regiment) Are good for paradropping on inland bases that are not/or lightly defended.

Raider Battalions: (4 Marine) Are used with fast transports to take undefended beaches that I want to turn into bases. I also use them to reinforce some amphib ops.

I guess that is it, unless you have more you want to know about.

panda124c · Post by **panda124c** » Fri Dec 27, 2002 7:56 pm

Originally posted by tanjman
For what its worth here is what I use them for.

Cavalry: I use them as Infantry since they are not mechanized.

Engineers (includes pioneers): There are basicly two types of engineer units; combat engineers are those with infantry, I use with infantry for assaults & defense. Construction engineers (mainly Engineer Aviation Battalins & SeeBees) are those without infantry and usually have engineer vehicles (bulldozers) I use for constructing/expanding bases.

Parachute Infantry: (2 Marine battalions & 1 Army Regiment) Are good for paradropping on inland bases that are not/or lightly defended.

Raider Battalions: (4 Marine) Are used with fast transports to take undefended beaches that I want to turn into bases. I also use them to reinforce some amphib ops.

I guess that is it, unless you have more you want to know about.

A note about Cavalry since they do not have any vehicals they can be air transported so if you have an airfield they can be used as reinforcements.

tanjman · Post by **tanjman** » Sat Dec 28, 2002 3:22 am

Originally posted by pbear
A note about Cavalry since they do not have any vehicals they can be air transported so if you have an airfield they can be used as reinforcements.

All five US Cavalry regiments (5th, 7th, 8th, 12th & 112th) have 105mm Howitzers, which has a load cost of 12, the load capacity of the C-47 is 10. You can air transport them but only 6 75mm pack howizters will go along, the 12 105mm howizters will be left behind. Nothing larger than the 25 pdr (load cost of 10) can be air transported.

The 7th Australian cavalry regiment (part of 7th Aus Div) is completeley (81 ANZAC Squads & 114 Support) air transportable.

Note: The regiments attached to the 1st Cav Div & 7th Aus Div will suffer higher disuption if seperated from their HQ.

panda124c · Post by **panda124c** » Sun Dec 29, 2002 4:33 am

Originally posted by tanjman
All five US Cavalry regiments (5th, 7th, 8th, 12th & 112th) have 105mm Howitzers, which has a load cost of 12, the load capacity of the C-47 is 10. You can air transport them but only 6 75mm pack howizters will go along, the 12 105mm howizters will be left behind. Nothing larger than the 25 pdr (load cost of 10) can be air transported.

The 7th Australian cavalry regiment (part of 7th Aus Div) is completeley (81 ANZAC Squads & 114 Support) air transportable.

Note: The regiments attached to the 1st Cav Div & 7th Aus Div will suffer higher disuption if seperated from their HQ.

Oops forgot about the 105's, and no C-46 to be found, hey wait a minute I'm the theater commander how come I can't order them to trade those oversized 105's in for 75's. Oops forgot about regulations and the supply sergeant. This **** malaria is getting to me.

johnbruning · Post by **johnbruning** » Fri Jan 03, 2003 1:19 pm

Pbear,

Historically, those 105mm's, or lack of them, caused great angst during the Buna campaign since the 32nd Inf. Division left them behind when they moved up to New Guinea. George Kenney, the commander of the 5th Air Force, convinced MacArthur to let him move one regiment of the 32nd up to New Guinea from Australia. MacArthur's staff thought the whole idea nuts. Nevertheless, Kenney got the green light after a smaller-scale experiment. Indeed, Kenney got the troops to New Guinea faster than the Navy, and didn't lose a man in the process. Unfortunately, the trade off was the artillery got left behind. Kenney promised his aircraft would serve as flying artillery, but communication between ground and air units proved so inadequate, that close air support at Buna really didn't work. So, lots of GI's and Aussies died because they didn't have any heavy support to deal with the bunkers and pillboxes the Japanese constructed around Buna & Gona.

Later, Kenney's troop carrier guys figured out ways to move just about anything by C-47. They even took to cutting 2 1/2 ton trucks in two, packing one half in one C-47 and the other half in a second one, then fly them up to whatever remote jungle base needed them. Once unloaded, the support troops there welded them back together. Amazing stuff, really, but just one of a hundred examples of the dynamic & innovative nature of the 5th Air Force's leadership and men.

Regards,

JohnB

tanjman · Post by **tanjman** » Fri Jan 03, 2003 6:43 pm

JohnB,

Hopefully in WitP we will have the C-46, the Airspeed AS.51 Horsa and the Waco CG-4A Haig. That way we can haul more and with the gliders be able to move troops to non base hexes.

Though I will not complain if the patch them (after they've got them to work in WitP) into UV

johnbruning · Post by **johnbruning** » Fri Jan 03, 2003 11:01 pm

That sure would be cool! And Japanese gliders, too.

John