Usefulness of Logistics and Signal Companies?

[DapperSpino]

I've used both Field Hospitals and Maintenance companies, but I've never used either the Logistics Company or the Singal Company, how useful are they anyways?

[_WOMD_]

I wondered about the same, normally I only field engineers, recon, and support artillery + AT guns

[PuttBlug]

Logistics: Lower the need for supply, basically if you have those you can have more divisions in a single area without getting supply penalties. Signal companies: Give a higher chance that each division will join the battle.

When you attack with more than 1 divisions some of them are held back as reserves, signal companies allow your divisions to join the battle sooner. Signal companies are always useful, logistics are mostly useful in provinces with low or damaged infrastructure.

[DapperSpino]

Originally posted by Supreme leader Aladeen:

Logistics: Lower the need for supply, basically if you have those you can have more divisions in a single area without getting supply penalties. Signal companies: Give a higher chance that each division will join the battle.

When you attack with more than 1 divisions some of them are held back as reserves, signal companies allow your divisions to join the battle sooner. Signal companies are always useful, logistics are mostly useful in provinces with low or damaged infrastructure.

So Signal Companies are useful for consistant attacks, useful for Blitzkreig.

[Scharny]

Logistic companies can be very good for high supply divisions. Makeing you able to field stronger/more divisions in a low supply area. But i do find that Logistic companies mostly is a thing Germany, Japan and the Soviet Union needs.

Ive dont use Signal companies much (Since i dont care much for microing) but they are really good for small mobile armored divisions (10width - you can also use divisions with a higher width but then the bonuses from Signal companies (+reinforcement chance) are less likely to matter - dont put a signal company on anything over 20 width)
The 2nd bonus singal companies give is useless. Who cares about planning speed bonus.
So signal companies will make your small armored divisions able to quickly smash through enemy lines since they will join the fight quicker. This is somewhat negated if you fight someone who only use 40 width divisions as at least one enemy division will always join the fight when you attack.

So Logistic companies on 40 width divisions (dont if you play as France or UK since west Europe have good supply) and signal companies on small mobile armored divsions is really good.

[|H|H| Fr3ddi3]

Supply related issues always occour everywhere in this game, if it's not your own forces eating all the supply it's allied units and airforces doing it, and when you don't have control over a state to build / repair bases and infrastructure? you just have to deal with it. In seclusion -10% isnt much, but when you combine it with FM / General traits and doctrine bonuses. It gives you alot more breathing room.

For that reason, since 1.5 I've taken to putting logistics in every front line division and it's been one less headache to worry about ever since.

[PuttBlug]

Originally posted by DapperSpino:

Originally posted by Supreme leader Aladeen:

Logistics: Lower the need for supply, basically if you have those you can have more divisions in a single area without getting supply penalties. Signal companies: Give a higher chance that each division will join the battle.

When you attack with more than 1 divisions some of them are held back as reserves, signal companies allow your divisions to join the battle sooner. Signal companies are always useful, logistics are mostly useful in provinces with low or damaged infrastructure.

So Signal Companies are useful for consistant attacks, useful for Blitzkreig.

Yes, tanks should be in and out of a battle very quickly so signal companies help them break the enemy faster.

[bubbas]

Don't forget that the signal company also increases the divisions planning speed :)

[GenericArchangel]

I always put logistics on my tank divisions. It allows me to use them in places you normally couldn't use tanks, and if you fully research the logistic company upgrades you get something like a forty percent reduction in supply use, which can make a massive difference when applied to an entire army.

[Hellstorm901]

Logistics lower supply use which makes them perfect for heavier divisions such as tanks or in cases where you are fighting somewhere with extremely low supply like Russia, Asia and South America.

If you can afford it it doesn't hurt to put logistics in your main infantry divisions to reduce your supply consumtion on the front line and stop you having to build more infastructure and ports to help your guys

Signals help your troops get into battle quicker which is ideal for your mechanised/motorised or divisions who you are manually going to control and use as a quick reaction force to help your front line.

[Baldr]

My standard infantry setup is: Recon, Engineers, Logistics, Field Hospital and Signal. If I am motorized, mechanized, combined or armored I replace Field Hospital with Maintainance.

[PuttBlug]

Originally posted by Hellstorm901:

Logistics lower supply use which makes them perfect for heavier divisions such as tanks or in cases where you are fighting somewhere with extremely low supply like Russia, Asia and South America.

If you can afford it it doesn't hurt to put logistics in your main infantry divisions to reduce your supply consumtion on the front line and stop you having to build more infastructure and ports to help your guys

Signals help your troops get into battle quicker which is ideal for your mechanised/motorised or divisions who you are manually going to control and use as a quick reaction force to help your front line.

People have already said here exactly what you said before. No need to repeat it.

[GenericArchangel]

Originally posted by Baldr:

My standard infantry setup is: Recon, Engineers, Logistics, Field Hospital and Signal. If I am motorized, mechanized, combined or armored I replace Field Hospital with Maintainance.

I replace signal with maintainance. I find signal companies, while useful, are not useful enough to beat out hospitals. My standard set up for infantry is recon, engineers, and artillery, with hospitals/logistics if I can afford it. For tanks I use recon, engineers, hospitals, logitstics, and maintainance.

For research I prioritise hospitals and logistics, because 40% supply use reduction and 40% exp-loss reduction are too good to pass up. I then focus on engineers for the entrenchment.

[Dreyfus0414]

Originally posted by DapperSpino:

I've used both Field Hospitals and Maintenance companies, but I've never used either the Logistics Company or the Singal Company, how useful are they anyways?

Maintenance is a funny company, stealing enemy gear is a good meme. And field hospitals (due to the horrible coding of the game) make you lose less gear. Not just manpower, so it can be useful for tanks if you have enough org. Signals provide reinforce rate. Which is critical for defense. If you have a bunch of divisions on a tile, and the first ones de-org without the reserves entering active combat. Fully orged divisions just run away! Logistics reduce supply consumption. You'll never guess what they can be used for, guess. Oh yeah, fighting in ♥♥♥♥♥♥ supply. This can be used as Russia if you don't do deep battle. As supply is ♥♥♥♥ in Russia and you need to reduce consumption somehow

[IrationalFear]

Logistics:
A reminder that this reduces supply demand, not the rate of supply consumption / time to fight without supplies (supply grace). Once in a while some ignoramous comes on here and says to put them with paratroopers.
In the early game (pre-1941), logistics companies don't really provide enough of a reduction of supply to justify their use (-10 or -20% att his point), at least as far as the support equipment cost is concerned. Once you've moved past 1940 and start fighting in Africa or Russia or China (where supply limits are a very real problem), then they start helping, plus technology (both logistics and possibly a doctrine you are using...GPB and Deep Battle both offer a stacking supply reduction).
If you choose to use them, it is more important that they are used on divisions that have a high supply/combat width ratio rather than a high base supply consumption. You'll of course want them on you armored and mechanized divisions in bad infrastructure, but you may find more mileage out of helping out anything with an excess of artillery. Your call, and you can probably afford enough trucks and support equipment by this point for whatever you want. You might find that a bunch of frontline inantry with logs will free up more space (supply and division-designer wise) for your armor divisions than putting logs with armor.

Signals:
A reminder that they do three things (because initiative is poorly explained)
1) Increase planning speed. Can help a bit if you are fond of the battle planner.
2) Increase chance to reinforce per hour
3) From 2, increase the likelihood that the division will reinforce before other divisions
Signals are meant to be used on divisions that need to get into combat ASAP. These include your armor divisions in all circumstances, any divisions devoted to elastic defense (such as a motorized-TD combo, or a light tank reserve; these are atypical against AI, but they are a concept), any divisions intended to cycle in a long-term defensive battle (to avoid having all divisions knocked out of the combat width but some with full org).
You ever try to make frequent use of 40-width divisions (or higher, in some mods)? If you have, you'll notice they have a tough time joining combat with divisions that aren't 40-width (especially when used as volunteers). Signals really help to fix this by shoving the 40-width divisions to the front of the reinforcement queue with high chances.
In general, signals for armor divisions and anything over 20 width (27, 30, 40, etc). If you want a global increase to your reinforcement rate, you are better off with a doctrine choice than putting signals all over your army (unlike, say, Engineers, where the support company is more viable than the associated doctrine bonuses for the same effect)..

You're also going to be swapping out something else to use either of these. It is assumed that ever division in your army that is intended for combat already has ENG, REC, and Hospitals.
Anything greater than 20-width will get more benefit from signals than they will from any other support company left.
Generally, I've had more success with maintenance than logistics when left with the choice, but that's personal experience.
Furthermore, anywhere that supply has become an issue, logistics are more beneficial than support artillery. Whatever soft attack you are getting will be lost by that out of suppy penalty.