Are German Paratroopers Elite in Terms of Armor Associated with Them?

[TimNiesen]

According to my previous knowledge, a question posed years ago, addition Special Ammo is limited to SS and Soviet Guard Units. Now by SSR any ASL unit can have extra ammo allocation. But were not German Paratrooper units also elite in terms of theeir actual abundance of ammo and SWs allocated to them. Is it simply an oversight that their AFV and Guns do not obtain as much special ammo as SS units. Should not also the German GD division have extra Special Ammo as well? Tim

 

[EagleIV]

While they are usually represented by Elite squads, in terms of C8.2 they are not Elite. Don't forget that there were a lot of shortages in Germany at the time. And any scenario designer can always give one side Elite status per C8.2 by SSR and there are such scenarios.

 

[TimNiesen]

You are accurate in terms of shells allocated, but the German Airforce supplied infantry usually had more than their fair share of resources allocated to them, both the paratrooper units and the HG division. The paratroop regiment on the Eastern side of the Italian peninsula position in late 43 and early 44 had an almost unlimited number of 75* RCL shells. For more than six months that unit in great defensive terrain help off the efforts of an Elite Canadian Division. There was that famous scene in the novel made into a movie about the Eastern Front where that unlimited ammo was allocated due to the dire threat to the German position. The lament in the book and film was that it was too late, but what a difference it earlier would have made. I accept your answer, however. Tim

 

[Robin Reeve]

According to my previous knowledge, a question posed years ago, addition Special Ammo is limited to SS and Soviet Guard Units.

It is in the rules (but the restriction is not strictly to Soviet Guards or SS).
Here is the C8.3 extract on the topic : "Elite for this purpose if so specified by an SSR or if the historical formation to which it belongs is either SS or Russian Guards."
EagleIV clearly answered the question.
German Fallshchirmjäger are not elite, but can be designated as such by an SSR, depending on the situation depicted.
All other considerations are not about the rule, but about design choices: try to focus on the rules in the rules folder.
You of course can open a discussion in the designers folder about your idea of what elite depletion means.

 

[TimNiesen]

Robin, I thought that Eagle answer was accurate, but was confirming what that I had remembered had been the answer from years ago, but not necessarily relating to German paratroopers. I have no objection to the answer. Tim

 

[TimNiesen]

Eagle, Don 1 agree with you two: The GD Division and the German paratroopers had their choice of high quality recruits and shinny new weapons, but they were under the same chain of command and had the same supply sources. They had special pipeline back to Berlin. Tim

 

[Robin Reeve]

Robin, I thought that Eagle answer was accurate, but was confirming what that I had remembered had been the answer from years ago, but not necessarily relating to German paratroopers. I have no objection to the answer. Tim

I understood you well.
I was just underlining that your historical considerations strayed from a discussion about the application of the rule, to wade into reflections about the design motives behind it. The fact is that we are not in the mind of the designers, so we are left to speculations.

 

[PresterJohn]

3rd FJ Div in Normandy was probably elite. 3rd FJ Div in the Ardennes was not.

But the same thing could be said about a few SS formations too.

 

[TimNiesen]

All the paratrooper units had gone through the basic drop training, however. What the later units lacked was the specialized courses of retraining in specialized combat of the earlier divisions. They also lacked actual drop experience due to the destruction at Stalingrad of most of the planes that would have dropped them.if that had been needed later in the war. Tim