Favourite Unit?

[Figmo]

My favorite is a combination. I like to use the KubelWagen (with MG if available) and motorcycle squads (full 10 men) as recon.

The motorcycles go first to reveal the infantry and hopefully survive with a few men. Once that's established I'll move up the Kubelwagens which the AI Armor cannot resist shooting at - it will sometimes avoid shooting at the motorcycles or infantry but not the Kubelwagens.

It so much fun to find them and adjust to their location without having to use a plane - that's too easy. Good recon wins battles.

I'll even use them on my flanks as an advanced warning for an attack from anywhere.

Figmo

[bigtroutz]

USA 4.5" rockets or
Brit LandMatress rockets

8-12 units @ under 100 pts each can keep an effective offensive from starting or pave the way for your offensive along an entire BIG map front.

Combine them with ammo dumps/trucks when playing with limited ammo on and they can continue the havoc for the entire game.

My only beef is that the ISN'T a single unit which can carry them (carry weight = 255) or ANY amphib which can carry them, which is totally outrageous. Clearly SOMETHING was used to move them during WWII.

My experience is that they are relatively impervious to counterbattery fire and rally easily.

I also agree that ranger w/bazooka are excellent units but marine assault units are pretty good too.

RE: the brit 17lber, why buy an artillery unit for 109 when a firefly with the same 17lber can move and then fire costs 128 and is armored to boot?

[Colonel von Blitz]

Originally posted by Hades
Airsupport-
Ju-88 with a 7.5cm gun or a Ju-87 with dual 37mm. Awesome against tanks.

For some reason, in my H2H games, Ju-88s have proved to be VERY inaccurate. I've yet to see them score a hit in actual combat situation.

I mean: I've tested it by placing several enemy tanks on top of a hill and those Ju-88s score hits quite nicely. But in battle, when enemy tanks are moving and Ju-88s are being fired at, the hit percentages seem to drop down more than for example with Ju-87 Stukas or Stormoviks. I've almost given up on these Ju-88s because of this

Also, those german 37mm guns mounted on aircraft seem somewhat inaccurate and/or ineffective. What I learned from the book Stuka-Pilot by Hans-Ulrich Rudel, those 37mm guns were deadly...somehow this is not very well portrayed in the game, IMO.

Back to the topic of the thread. My favorite equipment (for the countries I've played with more than once or twice):

Finland:

Has to be Ski Infantry. They're fast, well equipped and elite!


Germany:

1) 28cm Flame Rocket: can kill tanks even when fired to adjacent hex!

2) Fallschirmjägers: Excellent weaponry and elite!

3) Elefant: though expensive, has incredible frontal armor and awesome optics. Can engage very succesfully from distances over 30-40 hexes.

4) Pz Ib: Though lightly armored, this tank has awesome firepower against soft targets!


Soviet Union:

1) Il-2 Stormovik: rockets + cannons, what a firepower with deadly accuracy.

2) 203mm Off-Board artillery: no need to explain


No matter the country, I love those units with multiple MGs attached, they are incredibe meat-choppers! Though I usually try not to use AA-units (but rather try to stick with Pz-Ib and other this kind of units) for this, because I find it somewhat ruining the game if they're over-used.

Colonel

[fontenoy]

I,too,am a big fan of the 28cm flame rocket(Wurfrahmen)The American P-47D "Thunderbolt"and the Marine Corps"Skyraider"both carry napalm and are equally detrimental to the health of units in adjacent hexes;)
Regards,
Fontenoy.

[Commander Klank]

I just love those pesky 12.5mm hvy mg squads the Soviets have. There is little more satisfying in the game than to trash a German halftrack full of troops with a good 10 hex side shot......

It's almost sexual

(just kidding guys)

(about the sex thing that is....LOL)

[Hades]

Last time I really used the Ju-88 was in vr 6. I havent played many battles with air. And for what Ive heard the 37mm guns were great. One pilot, I can't remember his name got like 370 tank kills with his Stuka and those 37s.

[Sonni]

The pilot in question would be Hans-Ullrich Rudel, who indeed scored 519 tanks, 150 gun emplacements and 800 combat vehicles of various types. He also damaged or destroyed three large warships and 70 smaller craft. He was wounded about seven times and scored 9 kills to russian aircraft's with a Stuka! He flew over 2000 sorties and survived the war.

IMO Rudel should be a "special" reinforcement costing about 400 points That's because not many German stuka pilot's were that effective with the JU-87G armed with 37 mm guns.

As to my favourite unit... It is the german medium panzer Pz-IVg+ just because it looks great, costs a little and has a decent gun and decent armor.

[Colonel von Blitz]

Originally posted by Sonni
IMO Rudel should be a "special" reinforcement costing about 400 points That's because not many German stuka pilot's were that effective with the JU-87G armed with 37 mm guns.

Actually, there were quite a number of Ju-87G Stuka pilots who killed 100+ tanks with 37mm guns.

As to my favourite unit... It is the german medium panzer Pz-IVg+ just because it looks great, costs a little and has a decent gun and decent armor.

Isn't StuG III (with 75L48 gun), which has similar or even better qualities, bit cheaper than regular Pz IV ?

Colonel von Blitz

[Hades]

Originally posted by Sonni
The pilot in question would be Hans-Ullrich Rudel, who indeed scored 519 tanks, 150 gun emplacements and 800 combat vehicles of various types. He also damaged or destroyed three large warships and 70 smaller craft. He was wounded about seven times and scored 9 kills to russian aircraft's with a Stuka! He flew over 2000 sorties and survived the war.

Very impressive. Ive always wondered how some nations can have aces like this while the highest scoring American ace was what 46, 47? And many pilots had over 15 kills, while there were quite a few Japanese aces with over 20 kills, with the hightest being 86. I never got the nation with the "best " technology could have such low scoring aces or maybe I have missed something.

[Colonel von Blitz]

Originally posted by Hades
Very impressive. Ive always wondered how some nations can have aces like this while the highest scoring American ace was what 46, 47? And many pilots had over 15 kills, while there were quite a few Japanese aces with over 20 kills, with the hightest being 86. I never got the nation with the "best " technology could have such low scoring aces or maybe I have missed something.

I think American and British aces had limits for combat hours, or something like that. After the tour of duty was completed, they were sent back home, usually as instructors. Maybe someone who has _real_ knowledge could help me out here

German, Finnish and Japanese pilots on the other hand usually flew until they were KIA or until the war came to an end.

About japanese highest total, I believe 86 kills is way too low. It is of course difficult to estimate how many kills the top ace had, but I believe Tetsuzo Iwamoto had 200+ kills...after all, he flew and fought for 7 years on different fronts!

Of course, as we're talking about aces, I want to mention Finnish top ace, Double Mannerheim Cross winner, Eino Ilmari 'Illu' Juutilainen, who scored 94 1/6 kills during Winter and Continuation wars. No enemy pilot EVER scored a single hit into aircraft that Juutilainen flew.

Colonel von Blitz

[Sonni]

Originally posted by Colonel von Blitz


Actually, there were quite a number of Ju-87G Stuka pilots who killed 100+ tanks with 37mm guns.

Ok I should have checked some things before I posted my message.

Originally posted by Colonel von Blitz


Isn't StuG III (with 75L48 gun), which has similar or even better qualities, bit cheaper than regular Pz IV ?

Colonel von Blitz

That is true but there is something in the paintscheme of the Pz-IVg+ that really makes me feel good I like the StuG also... especially in Finnish colours.

[gainiac]

Airborne, Airborne, Airborne, rangers are great too......

Wolverines are schweet, those Airborne Recon squadrons that WBW made for his campaigns are awesome, 4 guys, m9 bazooka, thompson SMG, and grenades or a satchel charge........too cool.

Raiders ROCK, USMC Assault Infantry are quite scary.........

AFV's...........

Tiger is it, simply the best the earliest and a formidable contender the longest.

Shermans................You just got to love them, when used in coordination with Recon they can mitigate any advantage the Big cats had, they are tied to the hip with infantry......

Werframmen (SP)........those nasty Jerry rocket carts............

Flamethrowers are the absolute cheese.............

Dual 50's, Quad 50's......................

88's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Martin

[gainiac]

Re:
"I never got the nation with the "best " technology could have such low scoring aces or maybe I have missed something."

We didn't have the best technology, the Jerries retained the edge almost to the very end of WW2.

You definitely missed something......

"I think American and British aces had limits for combat hours, or something like that. After the tour of duty was completed, they were sent back home, usually as instructors. Maybe someone who has _real_ knowledge could help me out here ."

This is correct, American airmen had limited tours of duty, that is why they didn't rack up the incredible kill tallies registered by so many Jerry pilots.

Jerries flew until one of the following:

A- The war was over.
B- They were KIA or captured.
C- Injured hideously beyond the ability to fly.

Did you know that the American submarine force was much more successful in in the Pacific than the Kriegsmarine Wolfpacks could ever hope to achieve in the Atlantic?

U.S. subs sank something like 85% of Japanese shipping, meanwhile they accounted for maybe 5% of the total USN fighting force.

Martin

[Heide]

Rudel was the only receipient of Germany's highest award of the war, the Knights Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. His final tally:

Hans Rudel

-2530 sorties (including some 400 in a Folke-Wulf 190).
-11 air to air victories (in the FW-109).
-519 Tanks Destroyed (30+of these came when he was only flying with one leg).
-150 Artillery pieces destroyed.
-1000 vehicles destroyed.
-70 landing crafts.
-Sunk Battleship “Marat”.
-2 Cruisers and a Destroyer sunken.

Hmm, some conflict here, Feldgrau says the air-to-air victories were in the Stuka.

Feldgrau

The Knight's Cross with Golden Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds was the highest single grade of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and was awarded only once during WWII - an exception to the rule for this award which was only to be awarded 12 times once WWII ended. It was awarded to Hans Ulrich Rudel in honor of his unrivaled heroism as a Luftwaffe Stuka pilot. Rudel was responsible for the destruction of 530 Soviet tanks, enough tanks for five complete Soviet Tank Corps! He also destroyed 150 anti-aircraft and anti-tank positions, 800 motor vehicles, the Soviet Battleship Marat, a Soviet Cruiser, a Soviet Destroyer, 70 Soviet landing craft, and numerous bridges and bunkers. He also heavily damaged another Soviet Battleship, the October Revolution. Rudel flew 2,530 combat missions, claimed 11 air victories in his Stuka, and was shot down 30 times.


And yeah, the luftwaffe kept its pilots on duty almost continually for most of the war. Fly or die.