U.S. Motorized Infantry Still in Limbo

  • We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Yes, he (and others like him) want a free template for a division that the US Army has NEVER used. No US Infantry Division A) had organic motor transport permanently assigned to it and B) was trained in their use for anything other than redeployment and resupply.
The U.S. did oddly enough have an experimental mechanized unit though. The only problem with this is that HOI4 pretends half tracks didn't exist before 1940.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions:
Yeah, mechanised 1 research should probably be 1939 or 1938.

The tech years are based more on when something became more common than when it first saw use.
 
  • 1
Reactions:
The tech years are based more on when something became more common than when it first saw use.

That doesn't sound right. If you make the tech years match when something became common in reality, then ingame you'd have to research the thing years ahead of time to mirror reality, since research and factories getting up to speed both take time.

Better to have the research year be the year the thing was first produced, that way we actually get to play with toys like mechanised. Another weird gap is the seven years between heavy tank models (1934 and 1941) - where's my KV?
 
That doesn't sound right. If you make the tech years match when something became common in reality, then ingame you'd have to research the thing years ahead of time to mirror reality, since research and factories getting up to speed both take time.

Better to have the research year be the year the thing was first produced, that way we actually get to play with toys like mechanised. Another weird gap is the seven years between heavy tank models (1934 and 1941) - where's my KV?

I think that would be implausible since the production of the game is much faster than what was happening in reality, therefore I think the system is fine, although more technologies such as artillery and other fields that currently exist should be inserted.

I find KV this game as a 1939 Soviet heavy tank powered artillery variant
 
That doesn't sound right. If you make the tech years match when something became common in reality, then ingame you'd have to research the thing years ahead of time to mirror reality, since research and factories getting up to speed both take time.

Better to have the research year be the year the thing was first produced, that way we actually get to play with toys like mechanised. Another weird gap is the seven years between heavy tank models (1934 and 1941) - where's my KV?
I think it is right where it is, if you want more and realistic development dates for some equipment and real names, there are some mods out there that will satisfie your needs.

The problem here in vanilla is you have different nations building different equipment at different times and using it in different doctrines but the game has just 1 tech tree for all nations and the names in it are just flavour. just think about the PZIV beeing a 1941 design ingame when it was develpod same time as the pzIII...

also the combat abilities the mechanized 1 already have ingame are ok well presented in 1940 and balanced.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions:
The U.S. did oddly enough have an experimental mechanized unit though. The only problem with this is that HOI4 pretends half tracks didn't exist before 1940.
Not exactly. The US (and other nations) had units that were called mechanized, but in fact were not.

The first 'mechanized' units were actually used in WWI by Germany (small units of Stormtruppen mounted in/on A7V tanks). 'Mechanized' warfare was also used by the US during the Pancho Villa expedition (armored cars).

During the interwar the UK had the Experimental Mechanized Force but since they were mostly equipped with tanks (Carden Loyd Tankettes) and armoured cars, they wouldn't be considered mechanized in game.

The US experimental mechanized cavalry units were equipped with combat cars (what they called tanks to get around Congress which limited tanks to the army) armored cars and motorcycles.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions:
The US Army had a powerful lobby of cavalry officers who did their best keep cavalry alive and to block motorized and armored formations up until about late 1940, when it was obvious cavalry was obsolescent in modern warfare. In fact, the 26th Cavalry Regiment was probably the best unit Macarthur had in the Philippines in 1941/42.

In 1936, the US Army had no motorized formations and no doctrine to use them.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions:
That doesn't sound right. If you make the tech years match when something became common in reality, then ingame you'd have to research the thing years ahead of time to mirror reality, since research and factories getting up to speed both take time.
I think there is nothing wrong with AOT research mirroring reality. If a country wants to be among the first to have a technology, they'll have to invest more research. Once that's done, it becomes easier for other countries. In some ways, the AOT penalty reaching zero means that short of stealing blueprints, it could not possibly get any easier over time for other (even minor) countries to recreate the technology.
The problem here in vanilla is you have different nations building different equipment at different times and using it in different doctrines but the game has just 1 tech tree for all nations and the names in it are just flavour. just think about the PZIV beeing a 1941 design ingame when it was develpod same time as the pzIII...
That's a very good point. The initial order of battle is designed to be (relatively) close to history while the tech tree is more coarse-grained and one-size-fits all. There will necessarily be limbo between the two.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: