Oshawott (Russia) vs. Stef78 (Axis)

[charlie0311]

Hi guys,

Osha, can you provide the "perfect" link/thread/post for doing airdrops,thx.

[M60A3TTS]

Interface Change (Section 5.3.9.3) - To airdrop a unit, now you must go to air transport mode and then left click on the hex containing the airbase and airborne unit. Make sure the airborne unit(s) you wish to drop are selected in the unit bar. Next, shift-left click on a hex near the airfield. This will cause the pick air units mission window to be displayed. Close this window and you will now see the hexes where you may conduct an airdrop lit up, while those that are not possible will be displayed in. Shift-left click on the hex you wish to drop the airborne unit and the pick air units mission window will appear. Due to some issues with the interface, the only way to indicate the valid hexes to airdrop in is to click on a valid hex. If you click on an invalid hex it will not bring up the air window nor will it indicate the valid hexes. This is why we suggest you click somewhere near the airbase. Whenever the air window appears, you can execute the air drop. It is important that you select the airborne unit after you have entered air transport mode (previously the airborne unit was supposed to be selected while still in movement mode).

(Airborne unit minimum morale required is 40 to drop. Max range for drops is 8)

[Oshawott]

Osha, can you provide the "perfect" link/thread/post for doing airdrops,thx.

There have been many discussions but I don't know of a perfect thread. I recommend reading the manual on page 56 and trying it out in a solo game until it works. Maybe loki100 knows a good thread. He is using airborne brigades in his game against SigUp.

[charlie0311]

thx guys,

have read stuff and read stuff and read stuff and read some more, enough.

Osha, since you just did an airdrop why not just spell out how you did it?

Not to be too much of a pain, i hope.

[Oshawott]

Airborne unit minimum morale required is 40 to drop.

Experience of 40 is required. I don't know if morale actually matters. It's harder to calculated experience. Rifle Squad experience is most important for that calculation. If Rifle Squad experience is well below 40 it's not going to work.

[Oshawott]

deleted

[Oshawott]

T47 - North

My plan has already failed due to horrible recon. Suddenly I hit a regiment or brigade in heavy woods and my attack fails because there is also a reserve activation. The two airborne brigades I dropped are toast! Losses are limited and it's mostly the embarrassment that hurts. [:)]

[Oshawott]

T47 - Tula Sector

This was not totally unexpected but still a surprise. He creates a nice pocket but the problem is that I was expecting it and had 2 cavalry armies at the front and 3 armies and 2 tank armies in reserve. The clear/mud transition makes it easy to take advantage of the situation. I got a little bit excited about the situation and forgot to take a screen shot. I'm posting STEF78s screenshot here with some remarks.

[Oshawott]

T47 - Tula Sector

This is how it looked after combats. I'm not usually very good at herding but this time it was OK and four units are in the pocket. And yes one Axis unit retreated east because there was no other valid retreat path. Very important was that I moved a cavalry corps into the hex sealing of the pocket. The other two neighboring hexes are heavily fortified with CV of 20 and 22. Attacking the 10 CV hex is the only chance he has to free his units.

I also made sure to open a three hex gap so that some of my units can escape during the next turn.

[Oshawott]

T47 - Data

[charlie0311]

thx for the airdrop stuff, maybe only airdrop in clear when you get better recon.

questions as per your list.

1. 5 MPs or less from railhead as per air resupply?
8. shift, left click on which hex, the target, or the brigade? What is this business about highlighted target hexes?
9.is that the left click from 8, or something else, where should the mouse pointer be. Selecting units from unit bar on the right? the left part of the bar.

and even more, how about 2 brigades with the airbase? Is there something about transport cost (like sea movement) for air transport and what about capacity per plane?

there are so many airborne brigades how about 10 airbases and dropping 20 brigades, that would get the krauts attention real fast.

I'm a pretty mean bastard but even i wouldn't airdrop in 41. the reds were too worried about losing the war and getting shot. And not in blizzard. Airdrop in blizzard, huh, what are we talkin' here!! Maybe a little too windy, ya think.

Starting to blather, sorry

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: charlie0311

thx for the airdrop stuff, maybe only airdrop in clear when you get better recon.

questions as per your list.

1. 5 MPs or less from railhead as per air resupply?
8. shift, left click on which hex, the target, or the brigade? What is this business about highlighted target hexes?
9.is that the left click from 8, or something else, where should the mouse pointer be. Selecting units from unit bar on the right? the left part of the bar.

and even more, how about 2 brigades with the airbase? Is there something about transport cost (like sea movement) for air transport and what about capacity per plane?

there are so many airborne brigades how about 10 airbases and dropping 20 brigades, that would get the krauts attention real fast.

I'm a pretty mean bastard but even i wouldn't airdrop in 41. the reds were too worried about losing the war and getting shot. And not in blizzard. Airdrop in blizzard, huh, what are we talkin' here!! Maybe a little too windy, ya think.

Starting to blather, sorry

basically as above, select the airdrop mode, left click on an airbase with transports and paras, shift left click on a nearby hex, will show you all the places you can drop, pick your target.

Think carefully about night/day, depends on the number of fighters the Germans may have.

There are two main limits. One, you'll probably lose most of your brigades you drop and you can't rebuild. Second you lack for transport aircraft, which is why you often end up using Il-4s for the partisan war.

Soviets historically used airdrops in two distinct time frames. First winter offensive, lots of small, semi-botched drops in the AGC sector, but they kept the Germans worried. The large drop at Kanev in the 1943 Dniepr battles. Again botched (lack of transport aircraft) but again it threw the Germans off balance and added substantially to the partisan threat in that sector.

So yep, they did airdrops in the blizzard. They also did a naval invasion in temps of -10 and a gale - one reason why they were never that convinced about Allied caution over the Second Front.

edit - capacity etc. Every unit has a transport weight, every air unit has a transport capacity - number of planes * base value. Also the airdrop must be the first thing that transport unit does in a turn. So in combination, till you get the C-47s from lend lease, you'll struggle to get much more than a brigade or two a turn, the U2s being particularly poor due to low transport capacity (even if you can solve the range problem).

[Oshawott]

Starting to blather, sorry

charlie0311, would you please be so kind to move this discussion about airborne operations into a different thread. I will gladly answer all your questions there.

[Oshawott]

T48 - North

Forgot to take a screenshot of the north but the airborne brigades are gone of course. Another failed attack in horrible terrain so the Karelia offensive has been canned. eStalin is disappointed.

[Oshawott]

T48 - Tula Sector

He really tried everything to free his troops and keep them alive. The 10 CV stack was to much for his troops and the three Panzer divisions and the one Motorized divisions have surrendered. Goosebumps!

Displayed CV of the three division stack is 4 but that is based on fortification level of 1 which is reduced by my sappers before combat. There was also a massive bombing campaign on these hexes as I have 5 air armies in place in this sector.

[Oshawott]

T48 - Tula Sector after combat

This is how it looked after combat. Trying to get as many troops out of the original pocket and setting up a new defense line behind river.

[Oshawott]

T48 - Tula Combats

Here are the two combats. The second one was very sloppy. I did not use all the forces available and I did not reassign units to 4th army.

[Oshawott]

T48 - Data

[charlie0311]

ok and thx to loki too, always informative

[Oshawott]

T49 - Fiasco in the North

With the element of surprise gone and another failed attack I have to rethink my plan. Next goal is to simply clear the hexes adjacent to the rail line to improve supply and then to slowly grind north.