Guards Airborne Divisions

[morvael]

I wonder whether it's worth keeping the airborne brigades to form them into Guards Airborne Divisions in 1943. First of all I think GAD is weaker than Guards Rifle Division, because it lacks most of artillery. The bonus it has in the form of 100% SMG infantry is only available in the 1944 TOE, and I don't know if it is really that strong. The final nail in the coffin is what I have read yesterday in the manual - only regiments and brigades can be airdropped. Since GAD is not splittable to regiments/brigades, like a German division would, it can't be airdropped. So it's main function is not available... Is it really true?

Does anyone wait with the brigades to form airborne divisions or would you just make guards rifle divisions from them? I admit, I'm not a fan of using brigades (even though it's gamey to have them on the frontlines, as they take less casualties on retreat and thus are good "buffer" units) - I miss the ZOC projection and don't like higher ZOC movement costs.

[jaw]

My answer is that when in doubt do as the Russians did. In this case that means forming the airborne brigades into divisions as soon as you can. I'm probably bias by my own experience but I have never found an occasion to actually drop these brigades in any game I've played. Every game I try to save some hoping for the chance to drop them and they end up in reserve forever. I'm now leaning towards considering Soviet airborne operations pointless and converting all the brigades into divisions ASAP.

[morvael]

But at least the Russians were able to rebuild them when they wanted to. In WitE there is no such possiblity. Once converted they are gone. This should be done in such a way that there should be a limit for building (let's say capped at 30, with brigades "building up" existing divisions counted properly) and/or the option to "unbuild" such divisions back into brigades. Now it's just one way operation.

[turtlefang]

I tend to save them. The Gds Airborne Divisions don't count toward your Gds limit. And the BGs are fairly useful for digging, last ditch defense, potential airdrop (although I haven't done an effective airdrop), until the end of 42.

And the big issue to me is the not counting against the Gds limit. In effect, you get 10 "free" Gds divisions.

[morvael]

Now that is a very, very good argument for waiting and building GADs. Too bad in my game I was too cautious with winter attacks, and got very little guards as result, thus I badly need them and can't wait a year for those. If there will be next game I will reconsider this.

[Wally Wilson]

My current thinking is to use the initial airborne units on the front or for digging defenses during Barbarosa. If they survive, good enough, otherwise, the Soviet player still gets five more airborne corps in December '41 that he can place in reserve to be upgraded to Guards units later. Possibly reserve six to nine brigades for actual airborne operations.

[morvael]

It looks like no one makes any airborne operations (even if there are some plans to)... which is sad. Maybe this could help break the front once in a game, rather than steadily banging head on into closed doors. Not that this happened historically - the Kanev airdrop was a disaster - but since when playing this game the SHC never repeats any historical mistakes (which some of users on this board like to complain about), maybe once per game a successful operation could be mounted?

[BIG ERN]

I tried to use it but could never make it work.. I agree..in 43/44 it could be awesome.