Paradropping Guide

[apudzuf]

Since the version 1.12 update, there have been a number of repeated questions about paradrop orders in general, and transport plane requirements in particular, so I've created a guide to address how paradrop orders work, linked below.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2927550291

[SdtiGst]

Thanks much for the great guide. I read it with interest. I would give the paratroopers only a anti-tank instead of anti aircraft (cause the own air sovereignty must be ensured that the troopers can jump of ... so in my opinion no air defense is needed and anti-tank defense helps to resist for longer time against motorized and/or armored enemy units which will attack your untis in the ai game immediately after drop off.
However the reauirements for a successfull air landing mission is on my opinion too high. Mostley my paratroopers get lost after the drop off therefore I prefere to promote the Marines and Mountaineers.
To make matters worse it would helpful the game supports a better reconnaissance to not drop the troopers directly on enemy forces and to expand the radius of the transport aircraft - like other planes in the game on a later stage.
But anyone who want to use paratroopers is well served by your guide!

[Furball]

The guide was a nice read and covered the main points well and concisely.

As @SdtiGst noted AA seems a waste considering you in effect need air superiority to land them and i never put AA on mine.

I find dropping them in clumps to be best (they can disperse afterwards if that is the plan). This ensures that if any do land on enemy troops and more than likely need to retreat they have a safe tile to retreat to. If attacking a supply hub for example i will tend to drop paratroops in a cirlcle around rather than on it. This serves to cut off the supply hub and also provides numerous safe tiles the paratroops can retreat to if needs be.

If your paratroops are going to be isolated for a while it is best to grab as many uncontested tiles as possible to provide as much space as possible to retreat to as units are generally only killed if they can't retreat or are overrun. You can then play cat and mouse with the enemy if needs be to stop them being detroyed.

[apudzuf]

These are all very good points, thanks for adding.

[Bored Peon]

1. Not sure about your chart for planes required. The game used to tell you division weights and such to figure out how many transports you need. The data display went away, but I think the weight limits still apply.

I would check out the number of transports needed for 20 width divisions and then increase them to 30 width and see if that number changes.

I noticed this while doing my Snakes on a Plane achievement.

2. Template design should be based upon the timeline. As the war goes on division sizes increase. So your 1939 10 width would be quickly overrun in 1944.

3. Supports do not follow airdrop rules. As in you cannot airdrop artillery brigades (god I miss HOI 3) but you can drop artillery supports.
I would recommend
- Motorized Recon (1.5 recon) (if you take Ambusher on your general you gain a much greater advantage)
- Support artillery
- Engineer (paratrooper have an insane entrenchment/defense.
- Logistics (you can skip this if you can easily keep them supplied via supply transports.
- Hospital - Both Marines and Paratroopers take large losses in their assault. This ensures a reduction in xp loss replacing people. If you are Democratic and award a medal for -25% loss reduction you can remove it later.

If you are replacing any of the above supports I would go with:
- Anti-Tank support to bring your hard attack and piercing up.
- Signal support.
- Anti-air support.

[apudzuf]

Originally posted by Bored Peon:

1. Not sure about your chart for planes required. The game used to tell you division weights and such to figure out how many transports you need. The data display went away, but I think the weight limits still apply.

Weight doesn't apply in version 1.12. It affects convoy requirements for naval invasions, but does not affect transport plane requirements for paradrops.

Originally posted by Bored Peon:

I would check out the number of transports needed for 20 width divisions and then increase them to 30 width and see if that number changes.

Already tested this. Paradrop orders require 50 planes for one division, 90 for two divisions, 135 for three, and so on, whether those divisions are 2 width or 50 width. This correlates with the following two variables in the defines.lua file for version 1.12.x:

MIN_PLANE_COUNT_PARADROP = 50,
BASE_UNIT_WEIGHT_IN_TRANSPORT_PLANES = 45.0,

The only thing that I've seen affect the plane requirement is the glider ability, as mentioned in the guide. Not saying there may not be other buffs/debuffs in the game, but division weight/width is not among them.