Transport class

[Der Kuenstler]

I don't understand the transport class rating for different units in the game. For example, an infantry squad and a sharpshooter are both rated at a "1" - but a squad has 9 men and a sharpshooter has one. Vehicles have a transport rating too but I don't understand how that relates to the men they carry.

[hoolaman]

Isn't the transport rating of vehicles also related to towing capacity?

[Joachim]

The class relates to the equipment, the number of men is important when it comes to "team = max 6 men in one unit" or "full squad = max 12 or 13 men in max 2 units" transport capabilities.

You can't load 2 sharpshooters in a 250/1 or 3 of them in a 251/1.

Gruß

Joachim

[Kingfish]

Originally posted by Der Kuenstler:

I don't understand the transport class rating for different units in the game. For example, an infantry squad and a sharpshooter are both rated at a "1" - but a squad has 9 men and a sharpshooter has one. Vehicles have a transport rating too but I don't understand how that relates to the men they carry.

The number relates to how easily a unit can be transported. Obviously, infantry-type units have the lowest numbers since any vehicle that can act as a transport, including most tanks, can carry infantry. The heavier weapons, such as big Howitzers and AT guns, need much larger vehicles.

With regards to vehicles, the transport rating serves as an indicator of the vehicle's transport capacity, the higher the number the bigger the unit it can carry. Thus, a jeep (transport class of 6) can carry only a team or small to med-sized gun, while the German Sd Kfz 7 gun tractor can transport the big 88mm Flak or Pak guns.

[JasonC]

Right, main issue is just that a tow vehicle can't carry units with a higher transport class than the vehicle itself.

You may find it a bit confusing, but there is a separate item for the size unit a vehicle can carry, which has settings "none", "team", and "squad". That is at right angles to the transport class, an additional item. It reflects physical space on or within the vehicle, rather than its overall size and physical power to pull things.

Other factors - any item with transport class 2 or less can ride on tanks. Examples - German HMGs, Russian 50mm mortars, ATRs. But an 81mm mortar with transport class 3 can't ride on the back of a tank. They need something they can actually go inside (to hold the ammo etc).

Unit size in number of men has a separate effect. 7 or more men means it counts as a full squad. This includes e.g. the Russian company HQ and Russian 82mm mortar. Insane bit of unfairness than the German ones are teams but the Russian ones are squads, but that is how it works. Note this is present manpower, not original. If a Russian 82mm mortar loses 1 man, it will fit in a universal carrier, e.g.

And one unit of 2 men or less can always go in any squad-carrying vehicle, in addition to a full squad. So e.g. you can put in one truck at 12 man Recon A squad plus a 2 man ATR. No "freebie" unit like this for vehicles rated only to carry a "team" - with those, even a single 1 man unit tops them off.

Full squad transports can carry a max of 2 units, and if one of them is a squad the other must be a "2 man counter". Team transports can carry only 1 unit, and it must be less than squad size (6 men or less).

Also, line FOs as opposed to radio FOs can't ride vehicles. Riding and laying out commo wire don't mix.

There is one additional effect of transport class for units rated "very slow", which is less well known. Their absolute speed in meters per minute goes as 100/transport class. So a transport class 4 infantry gun or 20mm Flak, is considerably faster to push around (25m per minute) than a transport class 7 heavy PAK (14m per minute).

[jBrereton]

One thing that I've found useful is that if you split a squad, you can put both teams from it in Jeeps, to move them around quickly, and then reform them later.

You're taking a bit of a risk due to the poor morale of split squads, but if you're doing some reconaissance, it's priceless.