Airbourne, Not All The Way!
Picture the scenario: The game just loaded in, the deafening sounds of a somewhat large cargo plane blast into your ears as a colourful plane shape appears on the minimap. This is a tall tale sign that the opponent has elected to use a well thought out game mechanic of the minute zero paradrop.
This guide is all about spotting, and combating minute zero paradrops along with airbourne units in general.
Boss I Don't Think Their Falling At 9.8 M/s
In essence, this guide concerns itself with the AIRBORNE and LUFTWAFFE battlegroups, from hence forth Luftwaffe will be called luftwaffle. LAND AND SEA and SPECIAL OPERATIONS will be mentioned but not have the same attention as the other two.
This guide will go over what to do when:
Airdropped MG/Luftwaffe Pioneers Minute Zero
Combat Airdropping
How to actual airdrop in actual combat
Units that are airdropped
Coping with Minute Zero Airdropping
Without further ado, let us join Bravo Beta company and drop into the actual meat and potatoes (salted with the finest tears).
The Suspects
The following two units are imposters and should be considered on the voting list at all times:
They are (from left to right) the Luftwaffe Pioneer from the Luftwaffle Battlegroup and the 1919 (♥♥♥♥ HMG btw) HMG team from the Airborne Battlegroup. Notice the HMG team is from the 82nd instead of 101st, a subtle reference to the fact the 101st is no longer an airborne division.
they both share the same trait of being available from minute 0 (costing zero command points) and are able to be airdropped immediately upon selecting them. The luftwaffle pioneer costs 280 manpower (MP) to drop while the HMG costs 240 MP to drop.
These two are responsible for many complaints, seething, and quite perhaps malding. Most of them for good reasons I assure you.
Luftwaffle pioneers are basically panzer pioneers that learned to fall gracefully. They function like panzer pioneers expect in blue (collar) clothes. They can be upgrade with a MG15 for 90 munitions and a nade launcher (that can wreck light vehicles) for 85 munitions. They have a free mine sweeper and can throw a stachel charge for 45 munitions. Obviously they will not throw a satchel charge at minute zero but keep it in mind. They can also build emplacements, but that is more of a concern at release when they could literally paradrop and start building a flak 38 emplacement.
the 1919 HMG is an 1919 HMG... that can land gracefully. Any anti-mg tactics that doesn't involve weapon team support is applicable to them. It has the smallest cone of the four MGs (solely because it isn't a protractor).
OH JESUS CHRIST MARY AND JOEPSH THE PLANE JUST APPEARED
When the plane enters the field (via the magic of announcing its presence due to its 150 dB engines), STOP what you are currently doing and look at its heading on the minimap. It always travel in a straight line. It will (near 90% of the time) drop its cargo at the MID POINT of its flight. The other times are when it either drops off its cargo at its base OR the section just outside its base. Planes always arrive from its home base and flies to its opponent's base and kindly and gently leaves the map, forcing you to deal with its rotten childern.
Once you have gauged when the luftwaffle worker or HMG has dropped, RUN towards the landing size, don't mosey around take your starting unit and the unit you are building at the moment and GO to the landing size or suspected landing zone.
Royal engineers, assault engineers, and pathfinders will drop a luftwaffle pioneer when handled correctly. Scouts need support, what this support is anything other than another scout. For axis, any unit will quite literally violently touch a HMG when flanked. Otherwise two units AT THE FLANKS OF ITS CONES should suffice when approaching from the front, which because you are a tactical genius, don't do right?
THE PLANE JUST LEFT OH GOD THERES MEN HERE HOW DO I MATCHUP
As stated previously, royal engineers and assault engineers will beat the luftwaffle pioneer on the approach. However with a scout support or another unit it will rout the luftwaffle pioneer.
If you think a single scout can beat a luftwaffle pioneer, then sit yo ass down. If you think two of them can beat a luftwaffle pioneer then leave, exit this guide immediately, for only Jesus can save you at this point.
A scout backed by a engineer, assault engineer, or royal engineer will defeat a luftwaffle pioneer handily. Its beefier cousin, the pathfinder, will be able to achieve polarity with the luftwaffle pioneer. If you both retreat at the same time, then its a victory for you, since the opponents strat did not go as planned.
The 1919 HMG on the other hand, as a quirk that it would auto setup upon landing. It is entirely possible for it to be shoot at first before it starts deploying. Remember to maneuver around the HMG or general HMG flanking maneuvers. If you can't make it to the landing zone in time, look through the fog of war to see where the MG is likely to setup and flank that area. Help wouldn't arrive in some time.
Hold Up Lads, The Geneva Convention Says Don't Shoot Me Yet
There is around a five second grace period from when the first model is dropped in the squad to being able to control said squad. Larger squads take a bit longer. What this means is:
The squad is considered combat ready when the last model has landed and the chutes are on the ground
The HMG does not instantly start deploying until the last model is 'active'
They appear one at a time
When you see green smoke on your screen, that means there is an active paradrop INCOMING so hold on to your butts. Upon seeing the smoke or seeing that it is indeed in your line of dudes, bunch of your men or huddle CQC units (royal engineers, MP40 grens, etc) around the green smoke. Since they drop one model at a time, you can drop the squad if the opponent decides not to retreat. This is doable as long as it isn't a single pioneer trying its hardest to prove its 120 MP worth.
Airdroppable units are suspect to Anti Air (AA, or ACK ACK as the brit bongs say) fire. If there is AA on the field, any airdrops not in base will not arrive in time (and if they do, it would be in a million pieces).
They Are In The ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Walls Private
If the minute zero airdropped unit is in the building (that it conveniently located to make your day worse), it is not in fact the end of the world.
Buildings are scary in that they provide high cover bonus (extra 10% accuracy in addition of stripping cover off of targets) they aren't invincible.
Luftwaffle pioneers are harder to dislodge in buildings than HMGs in the early game.
Luftwaffle pioneers will destroy even assault engineers and royal engineers in a building. However, if either of them are supported by a scout squad and huddled around the side of the building WITH THE FEWEST WINDOWS the luftwaffle pioneer will be forced out.
For HMGs in the building, you will have to master the ancient art of RING AROUND THE ROSIE, besides being a possible stand name the HMG will be forced to 'relocate' target as your squad circles the building.
Other alternatives is waiting until flamethrowers, mortars, nades (if you are brits/USF) or going around the building. Remember, they are isolated after all...
Sir, A Second Plane Has Hit The Minimap
Let us discuss timings for a bit
It takes around 45 seconds for the luftwaffle pioneer or 1919 HMG to be able to be called again. You have around an additional 15 seconds to get ready for the drop zone and five seconds after that for the unit to be ready to be commanded.
If the wehr player has elected to build tier one or build a ketten then it will take around a minute to gather up 280 PURE STRONG GERMAN MEN to be able to call in a luftwaffle pioneer. The second HMG team will be faster to call in since it requires 20 LESS AMERICAN CHADS to be requested and no one builds a second scout squad (I do hope).
This is enough time to deal with the minute zero luftwaffle pioneer or the HMG and be prepared to deal with the follow up paradropped buddy. Meaning they will be alone each engagement. If they manage to find a hide hole like a bedbug (read: a building) then this becomes more tricky.
By the time the second plane enters the map, your mainline should either be finished building, or just entered the field. The luftwaffle pioneer can fight off but loses to sections and rifles. The HMG on the other hand can be flanked by panzergrens, regular grens, or the speedy italy boyos. If you are feeling spicy a 250 halftrack loaded with a panzerpio (to be upgraded to a flamethrower) will roast any HMG it gets it hands on.
Other Chuters You May Encounter
There are in fact, other airdroppable units and abilities that causes a PLANE to appear from thin air.
From left to right, we have the USF airborne, the British LMG commando and regular commando, and the wehr Fallschrimjager. Not listed here is the US 57mm AT gun call in, the M1 Pack howitzer (for brits), and the LG40 recoiless gun (for Wehr). DAK does not get such a unit because rommel is quite famous for staying on the ground (and is in fact, six feet under as I am typing, no undead rommel as far as I am aware).
Paratroopers, commandos are six man squads, the LMG commando and fallchrimjagers are four man, while the 57mm and M1 pack howies are weapon crews. The LG40 drops with just the gun.
SPECIAL OPERATIONS also has a supply package, that drops a fuel crate, AT gun, and a 1919 for 180 munitions. This should not appear at the frontline and always should be dropped at base. Airborne battlegroup has airdropped munitions for 125 manpower.
LMG commandos are exclusive with M1 Pack Howitzers.
The standard tactics apply when dealing with these being airdropped. The Fallschrimjagers and commandos are noteworthy due to them being able to bite (at close range). But if they are dropped unsupported then I grant you permission to chew them up.
A note on the LG40, it is an AT gun that can retreat, but it is quite possibly a rather ♥♥♥♥ AT gun, I had hellcats bounce the shell of this thing. It is however cheap, and allows you to skip to tier 4 as Wehr.
Combat Dropping For Absolute Dummies
The key to airdropping is to NOT AIRDROP DIRECTLY ON TOP OF AN ENEMY UNIT. This is how you get your boys STUFFED AND CHUCKED.
You should aim to airdrop units a bit behind your lines, your lines being defined as the point were your furthest unit is. Weapon crews should definitely be dropped behind your front line, the pack howie should be dropped a bit further than your weapon crews. Uncrewed weapons and packages should be dropped at base no questions asked. You are asking for trouble otherwise.
If there happens to be AA on the field (m16 halftacks, AA crusaders, the weird ass AA truck brits get, the not 251 AA truck the DAK gets, the whirbelwind, the flak emplacements, the flak 88 towed), then airdrop EVERYTHING at your base. They will shoot down anything that flies no ifs or buts. The seagull might make it past but your fast arse of a plane will not.
A Giving Tree
Blessed be the trees that hold paratroopers in their caring branches and may your paratroopers never get stuck in the trees and may theirs be eternally stuck in the trees.
Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2971135723
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