What kind of action by airdropping paratrooper???

[Snow Leopard]

Hello everyone, I was working on create some battle. I wonder what kind of action if paratrooper drop in and take action against enemy which had unprepare or little warning of paratrooper landing. For example Are action in Probe or Attack or Assult? I noticed many different result like Maginot Line action that France was not prepare for enemy gilders land on top of forts and 'Assult' blast them out as they are hopeless as can't fight back above. (maybe that Scenario Maginot Line as Allied may never able beat Axis). I am thinking of create battle that paratroopers drop in and capture enemy airfields like Norway/Denmark and Crete battle. I still struggle how I should put it as "Probe" or "Attack" or "Assult" and what defensive look like at emeny airfield even supply point behind battle line. Did anyone create Scenario like that with certain equipment what paratroopers carry and paradrop even what gliders can carry stuff. I wonder what rules can be allow to lowing the rarity to paratrooper's equipments and have extra hollow charge ammo for Pak36?

[Sirocco]

I think there's a Crete operation on the CD. You might want to play through it to get some ideas.

[JasonC]

It wasn't the Maginot line, it was the Belgian fort Eben Ebel, I think you are thinking of. Gliders landed on top of the fort.

Paras usually land all over creation in no sort of order. They generally are more disorganized than the people they land on top of. They are much better off if they land away from everything and have a chance to form up properly before they have to fight.

Gliders are a bit different, since at least they land by whole planeloads. Though crashes and such can disorganize them too.

[Snow Leopard]

Oh I see, Sorry for my poor History. I better read it more careful as I read it long time ago. My struggle for answer is How I will make "defensive" look like when paratrooper show up sort of behind them not frontal attack as defense troop expect them with all weapon point toward. Also same example with German paratrooper show up and captured Norway airfield as defense troop still there as try fight back with anti-aircraft guns even maybe small arm firing. Same thing what if German or Soviet paratrooper airdrop over emeny airbase or supply base as what their defensive look like.

Originally posted by JasonC:

It wasn't the Maginot line, it was the Belgian fort Eben Ebel, I think you are thinking of. Gliders landed on top of the fort.

Paras usually land all over creation in no sort of order. They generally are more disorganized than the people they land on top of. They are much better off if they land away from everything and have a chance to form up properly before they have to fight.

Gliders are a bit different, since at least they land by whole planeloads. Though crashes and such can disorganize them too.

[Snow Leopard]

Right now I have is CMBB, of course I had heard that CMAK have Crete that should be interest how it will look like but I want create battle for CMBB for both German and Soviet. I will order CMAK anyway. Thank you as me on way to order it via computer as my homeplace still not have CMAK on shelf at my stores.

Originally posted by Sirocco:

I think there's a Crete operation on the CD. You might want to play through it to get some ideas.

[General Bolt]

I just completed reading "The Lost Battle - Crete" by ???. The Brits knwew exactly where the Germans were landing and at what time - ULTRA- ya gotta love it. Thus Jerry landed right amoungst the prepared NZ, Brit and Greek troops...

I was thinking about paras that dropped right in a hot zone would come in as reinforcements ovr several turns in multiple very small, scattered placement areas. To represent scattered squads you could also use two split squads - I don't know if CMAK will support 1/2 squads as rienforcements.

Delaying the Platoon Leader for a turn or two could represent the initial confusion upon landing.

On the second/third day there were some JU-52 landings in a hot landing strip. I figured this could be represented by squads as reinforcements in trucks (soft skinned) right on a paved strip the battle area. Historically once the airstrip was free of Allied fire the battle was lost.

Also as Jason C stated upon landing paras are usually scattered and can't fight well until they form up. I figured that this initial period could be represented by bringing them in a less that RESTED/OK state such as tired/pinned or worse.

[Los]

If you want to design an airborne op showing the troops as they land do something like this:

1. Research the battle & design the map. Select and emplace defense.

2. If you have historical data on status of troops as they landed use that and attrit your purchased forces by X percent (i.e unit starts out at 70%). This represents guys kille dor wounded on the drop. Select your unit form the unit editor.

3. You can also attrit whole squads by deleting them off the OB. (units that landed off map or too far off the DZ by mistake. You can also spit squads on the map, then go back to the unit editor and delete half squads.

4. Determine scatter. Either you have historical info as to where they landed, or you can use ASL/TCS paradrop scatter rules or or you can develop your own scatter diagram using 2 dice:

Select release point for drop. (For ea plt or Coy) Scatter squads (or half squads)manually. You can randomize this by: Colored die + distance (1=20 meters or one tile 2=40 meters) and direction: (Other die equals distance 1 being direction of flight, 2 being 45% off direction of flight etc)

5. You can also set supression or fatigue levels higher than normal. I recommend doing this with heavy weapons crews. This represtents them stuck in place while they recover bundles or equipment canisters. After 5 mins on the ground they should be ready to move out.

6. Now you have before you an airborne force that had the misforturne to have landed amongst the enemy. Some units will be OK some will have to fight for their lives at the start. You will need to assemble forces before accomplishing anything significant.

7. You can purchase platoons (Suitably attrited for reinforcement) These represent guys that landed off map (Maybe the ones you deleted in set up). Paras are trained to form up with whoever's around and the highest ranking man takes charge and continues with the misison, so don't worry about cohesion at that point.

Anyway that's one way to do it.

Los