Foreign SS and Legions

[Kriegs_]

will you be able as Germany, to create foreign SS divisions or the Freies Arabien and Freies Indien? the front was filled with foreign SS divisions, the SS Charlemagne (France), SS Handschar (Croatian), SS Wiking (Scandinavia), Legione SS Italia, SS RONA (Russian), XV Cossack Cavalry Corps (Cossack/Russians), Estonian SS, Finnish SS, Latvian SS, Belgium SS, Dutch SS... And the North African volunteers for the Afrika Korps aswell as the 2 Legions i've said earlier on the thread, will we be able to create them? What could be done is that it could be a diplomatic option with aligned, occupied or friendly nations that allows you to build said divisions and ask for volunteers that would boost your manpower by some thousands, and that not just for germany but for other countries aswell, and of course with that option you could create fictional foreign divisions aswell with any country you want.

 

[Gwayne]

You can name your units whatever you want.

 

[Anichent]

in terms of the "SS" divisions, there's nothing special about them. If you want them just name a unit that, and give it elite priority for equipment.

In terms of manpower that is more interesting. I'd say the best way to handle volunteers from other nations, occupied territories, allies, and enemies would be that all faction leaders should get an X% boost to manpower as some sort of modifier that all existing and new faction leaders get.

 

[rjohansen]

As said, you can rename divisions to what you want. But some units where not of division size? Will you be able to rename regiments? Also. I wish there was an event/choice that would let you get volunteers from occupied countries etc.

The "British Free Corps" however... That is a bit too small, they weren't even at troop size I believe

 

[rjohansen]

in terms of the "SS" divisions, there's nothing special about them. If you want them just name a unit that, and give it elite priority for equipment.

Not all SS divisions where elite though. Some where nothing more than militia, some where just normal, and a few where elite. I wish there was a better way to represent "foreign volunteers" than just an increase in manpower. Perhaps those units should have their own manpower pool? I would also like to see a tiny flag (of country of origin) on those units.

 

[Anichent]

Not all SS divisions where elite though. Some where nothing more than militia, some where just normal, and a few where elite. I wish there was a better way to represent "foreign volunteers" than just an increase in manpower. Perhaps those units should have their own manpower pool? I would also like to see a tiny flag (of country of origin) on those units.

everything you said is stuff this game does not represent. You have to use your imagination, but there is literally no gameplay reason what currently exists cannot support SS divisions and foreign volunteers. You maybe would just prefer it to feel more obvious, but thats sort of a whole other issue that could be solved by mods.

 

[Mannstien]

Basically you can create a division template, call them SS "Insert Type" and mark them as elite so they get all of the upgraded models and such first is how I understand it. Same thing with Red Guards, SAS, LRDP, Rangers, etc etc.

 

[Kriegs_]

well, i understand i can rename them whatever the name i want, but i feel like it should be represented at least with (as rjohansen said) some tiny flags on them, of course some of them were small but i was just citing examples, there were a lot of big ones, entire divisions and in the Cossacks case it was an entire Korps!

 

[Mannstien]

I've seen nothing to that effect than, probably a modding job.

 

[Orlunu]

Hmmm. Same mechanic that tracks national origin on equipment used for manpower. We know that individual manpower units are tracked because they retain their experience, so that should work. Then a mechanic for acquiring them... [x]% (where x is very small) of encirclement losses switch sides, and [X]% (where X is small and proportional to support of each ideology] of each country's manpower income goes to the nearest country of the corresponding ideology? Should account for it quite nicely, getting the proportions right could be a lot trickier.

 

[Gamer_1745]

It is interesting that the so-called 'A Black Officer from the Waffen SS' is wearing a Heer (Army not SS) enlisted uniform. Is he in disguise?

 

[rjohansen]

In my opinion, it should be at the size of a company (support) or battalion (fighting) at least to be represented in the game, perhaps a DLC later on?

Because, just making a template won't do it in my opinion. There where good SS units and there where mediocre ones and then there where militia ones. I'd still would want to have them all in the game though. Same as numbers, they where even numbered even if the type of division wasn't the same. So a "one" template won't do the trick, you would have to rename them. I believe there where only three cavalry divisions for instance - is it worth using "points" making a template just for these three?

 

[Opanashc]

I wish there was a better way to represent "foreign volunteers" than just an increase in manpower. Perhaps those units should have their own manpower pool? I would also like to see a tiny flag (of country of origin) on those units.

That's just flavor, and pretty pictures. Nothing more.

 

[zyphial]

It is interesting that the so-called 'A Black Officer from the Waffen SS' is wearing a Heer (Army not SS) enlisted uniform. Is he in disguise?

At first I was incredulous but apparently there really were a very small number of blacks in the Waffen SS. That image, though, might be of something else.

As for foreign legions, 2% of total recruitable population (so, 2% of whatever percent your doctrines+manpower laws give) in occupied territories are added to your manpower pool. You can RP those into "foriegn" legions just as others have suggested with a special division template or just a unit name.

But no, there's no special unit type for foreign recruits, nor is it likely. They'd have to seperately track foreign units, redesign how recruitment works (it would have to have a check to limit recruitment to a specific subset of the pool for certain unit types, which it probably doesn't already do), and a bunch of other stuff all for maybe one or two divisions. Not likely.

 

[Gwayne]

Also the SS units who became good, where reasonable good because of experience. So if you create those units with a different template they start off as mediocre just like in the real history. After they do fight a lot they become experienced.

 

[raindirve]

There's interesting potential here for use of the ideological and world tension mechanics, with regard to foreign volunteers.

Many (I dare say most) foreign volunteers joined in this manner for ideological reasons, either to liberate their country or to fight against a percieved threat to their own country or the world. For example, I suspect you'll find most European SS volunteers joined up to serve on the Eastern Front against the Soviets, because they perceived either the Soviet Union to be a greater threat to their way of life than Germany, or indeed the only threat (because they held fascist or fascist-compatible views themselves).

Maybe this could be represented by party popularity, the faction leader of a given faction siphoning off a (small!) fraction of other countries' manpower depending on the popularity of that ideology in the country in question, when they're at war with another faction (edit - another faction or major of a different ideology). Preferably also modified by such things as overlordship (foreign cores or puppet status - Indians or Czechs wanting independence) and world tension generation (for example Germany, being at war with an aggressive Soviet Union that has taken world-tension increasing actions would generate more volunteers than waging aggressive war against a defensive Great Britain that has not).

Granted, I'm also of the opinion that the impact of this should be relatively small, and it shouldn't be a priority feature, but it would be a neat reward for managing politics and foreign policy well.

 

[kosmoface]

Not all SS divisions where elite though. Some where nothing more than militia, some where just normal, and a few where elite. I wish there was a better way to represent "foreign volunteers" than just an increase in manpower. Perhaps those units should have their own manpower pool? I would also like to see a tiny flag (of country of origin) on those units.

Because of their fanatisism they had some extra punch on the battlefield, but as Manstein put it "their losses where horrible".

And I think that fact is a great gameplay mechanic (overlooking the human drama here). A Divison with greater Attack bonus, but it comes at a price.

 

[rjohansen]

Because of their fanatisism they had some extra punch on the battlefield, but as Manstein put it "their losses where horrible".

Fanaticism should even be a part of the game in my opinion. Japan should have high levels on all their troops. And yeah, some units of the SS would also have high levels. Takes less ORG hits or something.

 

[jcd000]

Fanaticism should even be a part of the game in my opinion. Japan should have high levels on all their troops. And yeah, some units of the SS would also have high levels. Takes less ORG hits or something.

This is just morale bonus. Could be represented nation-wide by having the leader/emperor/NF providing those boni

 

[kosmoface]

This is just morale bonus. Could be represented nation-wide by having the leader/emperor/NF providing those boni

I think this is too big a scope for SS-Divisons.