Paratroopers

[ltccone]

I have never put anything but parachute infantry into parachute units, but I'm wondering if you can attach support equipment and they are still able to parachute.

I checked the wiki, but it wasn't helpful.

I want paratroopers like the 82nd and 101st, not parachute units like the Germans after Crete.

 

[PnGuin]

Yes - you can attach support companies. You can NOT attach artillery, anti tank or anti air battalions.

You'll see a parachute ICON on the division designer that tells you whether the design you're using can be parachuted or not.

 

[Lipscomb407]

My usual build for paratroopers is 6 paratroopers, 1 recon (for speed bonuses), and support arty for a little extra killing power. I then make 30 of them if I play as either Germany or Italy for Sea Lion. I land next to a couple of ports...take the least defended and once you own a port you send in your power units. Last game with GB turned up the Battle of Britain was pretty epic. I ended up bringing in over 60 divisions more (90 divisions total included paratroopers) and at one point was actually outnumbered by the Brits until I was able to separate them and surround and kill 20 divisions at once. A smart Russian player would have mauled me while I was occupied in Britain. I only had 70 divisions in all of the mainland at this point with most of those occupied in keeping resistance down.

The biggest issue is winning the air war. I'm positive this strategy WOULD NOT work against a human opponent because there is no way a British player would ever let you get air supremacy over England/English Channel OR leave the ports defended with only 1 weak infantry unit.

Usually this strategy will lead to a peace conference but sometimes the war will continue with the Raj taking lead. There is no consistency in which outcome you get as far as I can tell.

If every thing goes right the war with the west is over by mid to end of 1940...and with your flank secure (and no longer needing to be sat on for resistance) the war against the Russians is generally a walk in the park.

 

[Zwirbaum]

Any support unit is a fair game. You can have for example - 10 Paratrooper battalions and Support Artillery, Support Rocket Artillery, Hospital, Support Anti-Tank and Engineers. Division will be able to perform paradrop.

In vanilla as long as the default icon/sprite will remain paratrooper division can paradrop (because of extremely low priority score of paratrooper battalion, only 2.)

 

[GSP Jr]

You can use any Support column units, but only PARA Combat side units.
There will be a green check mark if you can airlift the unit, a big red X if not.

 

[ltccone]

Thanks everyone. I figured support units were OK, but I wanted to be sure.

 

[IrationalFear]

An exploit, if you wanted to get around this in singleplayer (obviously don't try to pull this in MP), is to create a separate template for paratroopers with attached frontline brigades that can't paradrop. Build the pure divisions, then convert them to the other one after they've paradropped behind the lines. It's best for simulating paradropped tank prototypes or other more complicated operation thought of or implemented in post-war years.