Support Companies: which, where and when?

[Antediluvian Monster]

Mortars are support weapons in HoI4, and aren't apparently manufactured nor allocated at all (or are, at best, abstracted to infantry equipment). Para artillery would be like the US 75mm pack howitzer allocated to both para and glider artillery.

 

[Secret Master]

I see your list, and raise it:

Artillery
Why?

Because inflicting damage to equipment and manpower is more important than anything else.

Who?

Everyone, except countries fighting in the lowest infrastructure areas.

When?
All the time. No other support units required. If enemy recon shows up, we shell it with howitzers. If Engineers show up, they get shelled. If anti-tank guns are spotted, they get shelled. If signals units are located, they are shelled. If Tigers are spotted, they are shelled. If Churchill tanks are spotted, they are shelled. If Maus show up, they get shelled. If 88s are spotted, they get shelled twice, just for the lulz. If Stukas are spotted, they are shelled. If B-29s are seen, they are shelled. If the French Resistance shows up, they get shelled.

I got 99 problems, but shellin' targets ain't one.

 

[Premu]

The field hospital could be quite useful for majors, too, though. In HOI 4 it's not a nobrainer to switch to the highest draft-law anymore. With field hospitals, you could keep more of your men working in the factories instead rotting on the battlefield.

 

[mursolini]

Usefullness of AA really depends on how AA mechanics would work. In HOI3, AA mechanics was poor.

But, if AA does decrease damage taken from air attacks, as it did IRL, it could be usefull for everyone, as normally you can`t garantee air superiority everywhere, all the time. Germany had AA guns, France and GB had AA guns, Soviets had AA guns.
Just not for every division, but for important ones.

Artillery, you can use proper battalion. Hospitals, signals, logistical and maintenance companies seem obvious choice, engineers may also be used. But, we will only know after the game releases, as in HOI3, plenty of stuff that looked good, didn`t work out in practice.

 

[Victor Cortez]

The field hospital could be quite useful for majors, too, though. In HOI 4 it's not a nobrainer to switch to the highest draft-law anymore. With field hospitals, you could keep more of your men working in the factories instead rotting on the battlefield.

Sure, for several reasons field hospitals can be useful to majors as well (preserving experience, keeping laws that increase factory output, role-playing...) but minors do need them.

 

[griffor]

Sure, for several reasons field hospitals can be useful to majors as well (preserving experience, keeping laws that increase factory output, role-playing...) but minors do need them.

i believe johan stated that every nation needs field hospitals except the us and soviet union because manpower is so precious in this game

 

[fdl]

What is the different of put a artillery in suport and put the artillery in a battalion ???

 

[Ivan_W_S]

I don't know whether it's wise to max up support companies in a division, since each one will reduce organization. I'll probably stick 3 support companies, not all 5 for my divisions.

What is the different of put a artillery in suport and put the artillery in a battalion ???

One difference is support companies like artillery reduces division organization, whereas artillery battalion doesn't. Support companies doesn't slow a division, so you can stick support artillery to a motorized division with no speed penalty, whereas artillery battalion will slow them down (you need SPG battalion for motorized)

 

[griffor]

I don't know whether it's wise to max up support companies in a division, since each one will reduce organization. I'll probably stick 3 support companies, not all 5 for my divisions.



One difference is support companies like artillery reduces division organization, whereas artillery battalion doesn't. Support companies doesn't slow a division, so you can stick support artillery to a motorized division with no speed penalty, whereas artillery battalion will slow them down (you need SPG battalion for motorized)

wait where does it say it lowers org did i miss something?

 

[shri]

I think i will go in with the below combos (may vary drastically depending on actual performance)
For Me (as Germany) -
Tanks, Mot Infantry and Mechanised get- RECON, Engineers, Maintenance, Logistics and SP-AA.(or motorised Art) (need Maintenance and Logistics more than the Field Hospitals for my crack troops).
Till Russia- you do not need the Logistics and Maintenance and thus you can have the AA & AT in your divisions (motorised versions) and then switch over to these units esp. for Heersgruppe Sud which needs to travel to the Caucasus and Heersgruppe Nord which has to traverse Forests etc.
Heersgruppe Mitte needn't change much, perhaps can keep the AT and lose AA for Maintenance.

Infantry get-
AA, AT, ART Battalions, Field Hospital and Recon. (why Recon? - i need to check before sending my troops, also Historically the Germans had the best Recon systems right until late 1944).
(also a few divisions without AT but having Engineers, to get into Caucasus and difficult terrain).

Mountain Troops/Marines and Paras-
Art, AA, Engineers, Recon and FH (no AT for these guys but Engineers to help in difficult terrain, cities etc)


For Holding Divisions (the ones you leave in Norway, France, Balkans etc)-
FH, AA, ART Battalions.

For - Whack a Mole divisions
Cav + MP + Art.

For static anti-partisan divisions
Art + MP.



If you play minors-
Infantry + Art + AA + AT is best combo, you cannot research more than that and you will be on the defensive most times.


For USA and USSR-
Field Hospital is useless and so, Signals can be added and maybe even Tank Support (if that is made available).

 

[Ivan_W_S]

wait where does it say it lowers org did i miss something?

From DD #22, Johan said:

Why does the signal company reduce Organization? Does that happen for all support companies?

Yes, any non-mainline does.

 

[panzerzombie]

Rockets:
Essentially artillery but more offensive-minded.

I´m not entirely sure but Rocket Artillery should not need Tungsten ( unlike regular Artillery ) so it may be a reasonable alternative for e.g. tungsten poor Germany

 

[Denkt]

Well the support brigades do offer useful abilities in limited fields, the question becomes are these abilities worth the cost? Can you invest these resources in a better way then the support brigades.

Like the field hospital reduce casulties but there are many ways to reduce casulties, like one could build divisions that are built around artillery instead of infantry or use tanks. Winning war quickly is probably the best way to reduce casulties so that ability should be prioritised above hospitals.

What I wanted to say is that everything have a cost and what give you the most for the cost should be prioritised above the rest. A division with 5 support brigades may look impressive but do the 5 support brigades help you enough to be worth their cost.

So this:

but minors do need them

Is not necessarily correct.

 

[CocoCincinnati]

It doesn't make any sense for support companies to lower organization, or at least not all of them. For example, a signals company should help communication between the different elements within the division, that would increase organization.

 

[Warhammer]

Rather than making a new thread, thought I'd ask the question here. I've read all of the DDs but I might have missed something somewhere. In terms of Artillery companies and other 'fighting' companies they will use the same equipment as the normal battalions, aka same arty/AA/AT etc. However for companies like field hospitals, engineers and so on, what equipment do they use? Because if they just use manpower, I don't see a reason Not to use these sort of companies in all your divisions, even garrison ones. Thanks

 

[teamgene]

Based on previous games, the single most important will be field hospitals as most games end around 1942 or 43 when either Germany or Russia run out of man power.

 

[GsusNSV]

Rather than making a new thread, thought I'd ask the question here. I've read all of the DDs but I might have missed something somewhere. In terms of Artillery companies and other 'fighting' companies they will use the same equipment as the normal battalions, aka same arty/AA/AT etc. However for companies like field hospitals, engineers and so on, what equipment do they use? Because if they just use manpower, I don't see a reason Not to use these sort of companies in all your divisions, even garrison ones. Thanks

All support companies (without the art ones) need support equipment. Which is pretty much the same as Infantry equipment for Inf.
Logistic e.g. need also trucks. Some need support + infantry equipment. All of this needs to be produced.

 

[griffor]

From DD #22, Johan said:

ty i must have missed that

 

[Warhammer]

All support companies (without the art ones) need support equipment. Which is pretty much the same as Infantry equipment for Inf.
Logistic e.g. need also trucks. Some need support + infantry equipment. All of this needs to be produced.

Right I see, thanks. So you do have to put aside some industrial power for them.

 

[fdl]

I don't know whether it's wise to max up support companies in a division, since each one will reduce organization. I'll probably stick 3 support companies, not all 5 for my divisions.



One difference is support companies like artillery reduces division organization, whereas artillery battalion doesn't. Support companies doesn't slow a division, so you can stick support artillery to a motorized division with no speed penalty, whereas artillery battalion will slow them down (you need SPG battalion for motorized)

But what that meens in battle???

More losses where and whats the diference.

I think that each column is a line, so we have 5 offensive/defensive lines. A artillery support don't get in battle, but the battalion artillery get in battle???