What's the minimum amount of stuff in a paratroop stick?

[jrv]

E9.11 "Each Stick is composed of one 5∕8"parachute counter and up to one 1∕2" parachute counter. … Each stick can consist of a maximum of one squad (or its equivalent), one SMC, and one separate SW."

E9.11 gives a maximum, but not a minimum that I can see. Can a stick consist of one halfsquad? One crew? Even if there are other crews/halfsquads that are available to be joined with the first crew/halfsquad? One SMC? No Personnel but a SW? No Personnel and no SW (a dummy Stick—gummi Falschirmjäger)?

JR

 

[zgrose]

Seems you need at least one Personnel to have the 5/8 counter, I'm going with 1 SMC as the minimum.

 

[Stewart]

whatever exceeds the 5 MMC...

 

[Eagle4ty]

Usually the given OB pretty much answers the question but I do not believe on must have at least a Sqd to be represented by a 5/9" parachute stick counter. I believe it could contain crew/HS if available for inclusion and in fact this is almost a sure thing as early war German para squads are represented by infantry crews. My guess is that like much of the Chapter E rules this one was brought forward with little change or review from SL where all MMC were called squads or at least the term was used more encompassing fashion (at least until GIAoV when there was a clearer differentiation between the terms HS, Crew & Squad). As to the use of a 5/8" stick counter to represent just a SMC or nothing at all I would be less certain, but believe the rule may imply that such is possible but probably with an SSR to specifically allow it.

 

[jrv]

I believe it could contain crew/HS if available for inclusion and in fact this is almost a sure thing as early war German para squads are represented by infantry crews.

German partially-armed paratroop squads have 2-2-8 strength factors (which is also the strength factors for an Infantry Crew) but I believe are considered full squads for stacking purposes and all other purposes, e.g. CCV value, etc. Similarly a partisan halfsquad and a vehicle crew (most anyway) share the same strength factors (1-2-7) but that does not make a partisan halfsquad a vehicle crew. If you were playing a game and didn't have suitable third-party counters you might use infantry crews to play the unarmed squads but it would be only because you didn't have the right counters, and you would have to do something creative for the partially-armed halfsquad (1-2-8{7}) and crew (1-2-8{8}).

JR

 

[Gordon]

If you were playing a game and didn't have suitable third-party counters you might use infantry crews to play the unarmed squads but it would be only because you didn't have the right counters, and you would have to do something creative for the partially-armed halfsquad (1-2-8{7}) and crew (1-2-8{8}).

JR

Or print your own. ?