91st Air Landing Division (LL) balance

[Son of a Duck]

So I get the whole "super elite Fallschirmjäger infantry with decent AP weapons" but how do I manage phase A vs light and medium tanks? LL can only start out with a Pak 36 in phase A, which isn't really the best of AT guns in the game. At the same time you're able to field 2 outdated French tanks, but these are not very cost effective against early enemy armour.

Any tips?

 

[Graphic]

Hs 129 is another option, though the price of it is astronomical for early game.

This division seems suited only for infantry engagements; it's the worst tank and anti-tank lineup I've seen out of the six divisions I've got to play. At best it can use PaK and Marder II guns to secure the flanks of its zone of control. I think this division is good proof that the game is meant to be much more team focused than Wargame was.

 

[TGApples]

Does the FK 39(r) from the artillery tab do anything meaningful? It's not clear from the stats tab alone what it actually does, but it has an AP score.

I think the real answer is likely to avoid battling in areas where the tanks are. How possible this is depends on the map, but tanks are quite a large investment in phase A, so often your opponent will be weak elsewhere.

I agree with Graphic though. AT is a problem with this group.

 

[Graphic]

Does the FK 39(r) from the artillery tab do anything meaningful? It's not clear from the stats tab alone what it actually does, but it has an AP score.

It's a howitzer that can use direct fire in close quarters with AP shells. I thought it performed well as artillery but I didn't use it as an AT gun.

 

[ZhukoDim]

Also they have crazy good recon infantry with panzerschrecks.

 

[holoween]

you can get a pak 40 at the start, you get the best schreck squads ive seen in the game and the pak 36 is a cheap light vehicle killer.

your at may not be the greatest but its adequate

 

[Souroy]

Personally I've been really digging the Panzershreck Recon and AT infantry.
Moreover there also a single PaK 40 available in Phase A.

The PaK 36 may seems weak but you have to take in account that the 5 AP is at 1000m, then you get +1AP for each 100m closer which mean a PaK 36 can pierce any Phase A tanks but the Churchill AVRE and Crocodile from 600m (then you are nearly at HEAT range). For these last two I prefer to let them enter my line, try to eliminate whatever recon/support they have and close the line behind them. If they stay back I put my troops in hiding behind bushes or in forest until they move somewhere else or finally advance.

The Henschel 129 can also do wonder but he's really vulnerable to fighters, so I prefer to use it against forward vehicles rather than going for tanks too far, which may led my plane to be countered by quicker Spitfire/P51.

As of my few games, i've only really been surprised once by a Command Stuart that happily entered the building blocks where my Grenadiers, Command Inf. and cannon fodd- I mean Ersaztruppen were and then happily proceeded to stun and wreck them in a few seconds, without any PzFaust/HHL3 used by my Grenadiers and Command Inf.
There I probably fuc**d up somewhere.

 

[Son of a Duck]

I've been using the HS 129 quite a lot, it gets easy kills early-mid game, but it can't get kills on Jumbos or even Churchills. It's slow turnrate makes it hard to line up for rear and side shots, and enemy fighters have a turkey shoot against it.

 

[Fussel]

Looking at 15th Infantry makes me jealous sometimes. There I have a luxury problem of cards I might not need. With 91. Airlanding it feels like you need every card in your deck and must optimize it very wisely. I would like to see them getting 2 more activation points.

 

[Kipsta]

Consider the map. Point Du Hoc has so many hedges and you get cheap anti tank scouts, overall very infantry based AT in phase A. After phase A you get option to go for Marder and Stug or playing dangerous you could even be taking the Hs 129 in Phase A, but it takes reeeeally long to replenish itself and if I know my enemy has taken a 200 points unit I'd push everywhere as hard as I could.

 

[Raventhefuhrer]

I do think the 91. Luftlande could use some improvement.

It feels like it has all of the disadvantages of an airborne deck without the benefit of elite infantry (outside of Phase A). That said, the Fallschirmjager are ridiculously good and the Grenadier are no slouches either. The problem is I don't feel they have much staying power in the later phases, and besides that infantry without half tracks are very static indeed. Often times I can secure my starting position (the factory town on Colombelle for example) but then can't advance further and can do relatively little to shift over and support my allies. Though, that's a problem with airborne decks generally and not just the 91st I find.

 

[BCGaius]

Yeah, I've been feeling very static and unable to push much until I roll out ze StuGs. Which makes sense for an infantry unit, but the game doesn't really account for that. Compare to say, Flames of War, where infantry companies defend by default against armored or mechanized companies who must attack by default, thus allowing either type of unit to shine in its intended role.

Perhaps the infantry-focused divisions which lack mechanized and armored support could have a small deployment bonus in phase A, allowing them to deploy a little closer to the front line than other divisions? So that they can at least get set up in their positions where they'll be stuck for most of the game.

 

[Son of a Duck]

The Fallschirmjäger are good, but they aren't cost efficient for what they do. 50 points is too expensive.
I feel like the Scottish infantry are better than the LL tbh

 

[Raventhefuhrer]

Yeah, the Scots feel really solid and cost effective.

 

[EUG_MadMat]

Yeah, the Scots feel really solid and cost effective.

How to face the Scots:

 

[Son of a Duck]

How to face the Scots:

Eugen, pls

 

[Razzmann]

I agree. The whole division has nothing outstanding in any regard. Even infantry is pretty meh compared to the scots. The Fallschirmjäger are INCREDIBLY cost inefficient.

 

[steelers708]

The 91st Luftlande division was only formed in January 1944 and by June 1944 only had a strength of 8,000 Officers & men, it's Fulsilier Battalion 91 was missing and had the 6th Fallschirmjager Regt attached. It's artillery abteilung were equipped with 10.5cm Gebirgs Haubitze 40's which was a mountain howitzer and it's ammunition was not inter-changeable with the standard German 10.5cm ammunition. When the division arrived in Normandy the artillery only had one basic loadout of ammunition for this weapon and during the campaign it received very little resupply of this ammunition which meant that the howitzers had to be sent away and replaced with other weapons.

The only reasons I can think off why Eugen chose this division over any of the other more standard and stronger infantry divisions are:

A) It has Luftlande in the name as it was originally intended for air-landing operations.
B) They will already have an standard German infantry division included and didn't want another.
C) It has a Fallschirmjager Regiment attached in place of the missing Fusilier Battalion.
D) It has yet more non standard German equipment.

 

[EUG_MadMat]

The only reasons I can think off why Eugen chose this division over any of the other more standard and stronger infantry divisions are:

It was reinforced with so much attachements that by the end of the Cotentin campaign, when it surrendered, it had lost MORE men than there was on its roaster on D-Day.
Hence the division brings a combination of Fallschirmjäger with regular grenadiers & reserve troops, French tanks, StuGs, Soviet gun-howitzers, ... to be found nowhere else.

 

[Son of a Duck]

I get the historical background and why this is important.

What I don't get is how bad the division is ingame, I understand this is a beta, and I suggest you listen to people who play with the LL div. There is literally 0 reason to pick this division over the 12. SS panzer div with the current balance, except for masochism or role-playing.