I mashed together organization from FM 100-3 Infantry Based OPFOR, and various GCS ratings from High Tide and HNR 2003 to create a modern Russian/FSU type of paratroop battalion. The battalion consists of a HQ element, 3x paratroop companies, a mortar battery, a SAM platoon, and ATGM platoon, and finally an AGL platoon. This heavy weight weighed in at 18.63954 as veteran, and 15.53295 as competent - one of the stronger forces I have seen in my brief GCS experience.

 

Being anti-social as usual during lunch in my pov, I braved the oppressive heat and worked out a sample air drop. I loaded the battalion up on 8x An-12A, which has a cruise range of 3078nm.

 

Coming in at low altitude (only special forces type units can HALO/HAHO in GCS) and over a combat box or link designated as DZ capable, these daredevils landed and automatically become disordered. While disordered, it cannot attack. If attacked it defends in a hasty defence at 50% strength. If routed, it immediately surrenders. Once no longer attacked (enemy can still be in the box, just not attacking), it can attempt a regroup die roll on 1D6, 6 being an automatic failure. Units consult the Regroup Chart and find their regroup number based upon that units Quality Rating - in this case "competent". A result of <=3 regroups the competent unit. The ratings are 1/2/3/4/5 - Untrained/Inexperienced/Competent/Veteran/Elite.

 

Even disordered, the unit, when adjusted for the relatively "flat" terrain (x1.1) defends at 8.5431225. For this play through I had a competent rifle company being the most local quick reaction force - and it had a 100% chance of earning an attrition point if it attacked, and only a 3-% chance of inflicting any damage on the battalion inspite of its disordered state.

 

It looks like one would need to maintain a highly-mobile armored reaction force to counter-act the paratroops. If not, the company should not attack byut try to block the battlions advance on whatever the apparent objective is, while waiting for relief.

 

I intend to flesh out the paratroop brigade, and also conduct an MV-22 insert of 2x USMC rifle company reinforced to be counter-attacked by an OPFOR mobile reserve

 

Pretty cool.

I mashed together organization from FM 100-3 Infantry Based OPFOR, and various GCS ratings from High Tide and HNR 2003 to create a modern Russian/FSU type of paratroop battalion. The battalion consists of a HQ element, 3x paratroop companies, a mortar battery, a SAM platoon, and ATGM platoon, and finally an AGL platoon. This heavy weight weighed in at 18.63954 as veteran, and 15.53295 as competent - one of the stronger forces I have seen in my brief GCS experience.

 

And you haven't posted the ratings here yet!

it sounds fun, thanks for sharing it Pete.

 

(...)

It looks like one would need to maintain a highly-mobile armored reaction force to counter-act the paratroops. (...)

 

 

mech infantry is usually good at that game and having friendly artillery smashing the LZ as soon as the ennemy troops landed help to prevent their reorganisation

 

btw, iirc, the doctrine is to have the paradrop closely preceded by an air strike.

 

cheers,

 

Jan

And you haven't posted the ratings here yet!

Peter - You got me!

 

I am not positive that this message board provides for attachments which the form 40 is done in excel. If one of the "staff pukes" shows me how, I will post it here. I will however email it to you tonight to take a look at. I have hesitated to do so over on yahoo AT because I did not want to proliferate potentially wrong information before someone else looked at it, saving myself the embarassment of wrong calculations.

(...)

It looks like one would need to maintain a highly-mobile armored reaction force to counter-act the paratroops. (...)

 

mech infantry is usually good at that game and having friendly artillery smashing the LZ as soon as the ennemy troops landed help to prevent their reorganisation

 

btw, iirc, the doctrine is to have the paradrop closely preceded by an air strike.

I have been giving considerable thought to how to employ fighters/strike aircraft to achieve at least local air superiority, just prior to the fat, dumb, and happy An-12's come along - all within the the two or three paragraphs given to interaction between H4 and the GCS map. Should be doable in the form of assigning fighters to CAP over the specific box and conducting strikes on any known defensive positions within the box or on those mechanized infantry "quick reaction forces" which may be in adjacent or otherwise close-by combat boxes.

 

Thanks for taking interest and joining the discussion.

It looks like one would need to maintain a highly-mobile armored reaction force to counter-act the paratroops. (...)

 

mech infantry is usually good at that game and having friendly artillery smashing the LZ as soon as the ennemy troops landed help to prevent their reorganisation

 

btw, iirc, the doctrine is to have the paradrop closely preceded by an air strike.

 

Jan, et al.

 

A few more limited experiments, I swapped out the rifle company with a competent M2 Bradley mechanized infantry company from SAW II. It came in at 17.99 or 2:1 odds on the CRT. That coupled with a 2D6 roll of snake eyes "2" resulted in "2A, 2D" changing the orders of the paras from "Hasty Defense" - past "Withdraw" - and onto "Rout" Which causes the surrender of the entire force. An extreme 8% chance of that happening, but it happened in one fell swoop today.

 

Also looked into interdiction. For ground attack mode aircraft, it would need to be in sections of four aircraft. I started to test Su-25 Grach (Rook or FROGFOOT) with each's GSh-30-2 (2.65) and either 8x UB-32-57 rocket pods (0.44 each), or 8x FAB-500T (1.8 each)500lb GP iron bombs. Since it is not a combined arms attack the GCS must be x0.5. I went with the FAB-500T's combined with one GSh-30-2 ((((8x1.8)+2.65)x4)/2). In my one interdiction attack on the mech company moving along the link (road), I rolled 2D6 = 6 on the 2.8:1 row which resulted in an "Attrition Point". This calculates, during interdiction attacks only, as the defender's GCS rating taking a 0.5% loss. This caused the 17.99 mech company to be be multiplied 17.99 x0.995 so it became 17.90005. A "Distruption" adds a 30min delay on the defending unit. I did not have time to see what type of US CAP, or US air defense was available to the mech company.

 

More to try at a later time.

Jan, et al.

 

A few more limited experiments, I swapped out the rifle company with a competent M2 Bradley mechanized infantry company from SAW II. It came in at 17.99 or 2:1 odds on the CRT. That coupled with a 2D6 roll of snake eyes "2" resulted in "2A, 2D" changing the orders of the paras from "Hasty Defense" - past "Withdraw" - and onto "Rout" Which causes the surrender of the entire force. An extreme 8% chance of that happening, but it happened in one fell swoop today.

 

Also looked into interdiction. For ground attack mode aircraft, it would need to be in sections of four aircraft. I started to test Su-25 Grach (Rook or FROGFOOT) with each's GSh-30-2 (2.65) and either 8x UB-32-57 rocket pods (0.44 each), or 8x FAB-500T (1.8 each)500lb GP iron bombs. Since it is not a combined arms attack the GCS must be x0.5. I went with the FAB-500T's combined with one GSh-30-2 ((((8x1.8)+2.65)x4)/2). In my one interdiction attack on the mech company moving along the link (road), I rolled 2D6 = 6 on the 2.8:1 row which resulted in an "Attrition Point". This calculates, during interdiction attacks only, as the defender's GCS rating taking a 0.5% loss. This caused the 17.99 mech company to be be multiplied 17.99 x0.995 so it became 17.90005. A "Distruption" adds a 30min delay on the defending unit. I did not have time to see what type of US CAP, or US air defense was available to the mech company.

 

More to try at a later time.

And you haven't posted the ratings here yet!

 

Here you are Sir, enjoy it or post your comments please.

 

Russian_Paratroop_Battalion_GCS.xls

I have been trying to integrate the Trilogy New Air Rules into this scenario. I have an A-50M EAW craft supporting a strike package of 12x Su-35 and 8x Su-25. The Flanker's mission is to sweep opposing CAP from the skies while the Grach's will conduct interdiction on ground units moving within the ground "theater". This is all in support of the para battalion dropping in one of the combat boxes. I'm waiting for an answer on a question posed regarding solve large missile attacks. AA-12 Adders and AIM-120's were all over the place last night.

 

Also hope to expand the para battalion to brigade strength sometime later this week.