Best/favorite unit in this game

[DefiantXYX]

Something for the summer slump
Whats your best / favorite unit in this game?
Of course strength is very important, but it doesnt has to be the strongest unit in this game.
I would also consider the look, stats (core slots!), importance for the army/ in the year and whatever you wish.

I think I start with a really boring choice.

Its the Tiger I!
Its such a unique units, you see it in so many games or movies.
When it comes out it the first "Wunderwaffe", almost undestroyable and worse all the extra core slots. And finally you can surpass the russian tanks.
The stats are just great, amazing defense and offense, its fast (enough for tanks). You can run this unit almost until the end of the war.

As a "insider tip" I would like to mention the FockeWulf 190A.
In my first panzergeneral game you could get this unit in 1940 sealion and this fighter was just amazing until 1944, almost untouchable. And the model was locking very grim in this game

[bebro]

In the absence of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, I have a thing for lotsa early/mid-game units, like early series T-34s (before the 85er), Pz III L, Somua S35 and Crusader tanks and lots of armoured cars, from French Panhard 178 to Brit AEC and Daimler ACs (latter isn't in) and the various German 8 wheelers.

None of them is a super unit, but I like them anyway.

[Tassadar]

First of all, I assume that for now we are limiting ourselves to German equipment mostly, as it is available in the campaigns, but since Allied ones are coming and there is also captured stuff, I guess it can be more universal.

From the German side, my favorite is the StuG IIIB (and later Brummbär) for that light suppression, marginal core slot cost and how it helps both infantry in close terrain as well as captures, being an efficient way to gather prestige. It's not the best and especially later the game my core will not have much space for it, but I still have soft spot for these vehicles.

As far as the best unit is concerned, I agree with the Tiger I taking the spot, not just due to raw stats, but the time it appears plus how much of an upgrade it offers over previous tanks. It's that exact timing that makes him a unit that changes the way battles are fought.

On the Allied side, you can't go wrong with the SU-152. It's powerful, very flexible and relevant all the way until the end if needed, even without an upgrade to the ISU-152.

[milliethedog]

Hi, i have looked back over my old games, i understand the Draw of the Tiger as well as the Panthers. The Pz IV f2 is another favourite as well as the Me262 but the real killing machines for me in EVERY DLC and from Spain to the USA is the Russian 230mm and the German 21cm heavy ART. Not sexy but they are the kings of the battlefield, you can take the same unit from the first to the last game, racking up thousands of kills of almost every type of enemy unit.
Just my thoughts.
martin

[88Flak]

Unsurprising to anyone, it’s the Flak 88 for me. Effective and flexible,it’s the best AA and AT unit in the game early on and an ok artillery unit in a pinch. It holds up until late war and provides the offensive punch for some of my other favorite units - the Tiger and Jagdpanther and eventually the King Tiger and Panther II. Put a fast deployment, camouflage and maybe tank killer hero on it and it devastates AI tanks columns.

[adiekmann]

Hmmm...I am thinking of this in terms of which units, regardless of what heroes I have gotten, are important moments in the game. The units that really make a difference at the time they become available and remain important for the whole game, or at least a long while thereafter.

Several have already been mentioned, Tiger I, Pz IVF2/G, FlaK 88, and the 21cm/230mm guns, and I am in complete agreement with those so I am trying to think of some that have not...

I would add the Stuka Ju87B/R/D, the Azul Infantry, the Verdeja 2 tank.

[adiekmann]

If you turn this question specifically to "Which captured/foreign unit do you most consistently use?" that becomes just as interesting.

The Russian 230mm gun is first to come to mind. Next would be the two French tanks, and then later the T-34. Oh, and since I often play some select early DLCs with "No Air Force" I make use of the Spitfire II in 1940-41 too.

Overall though, I actually rarely use non-German equipment in my core unless forced to by Traits or Limited Core or some other reason like that.

[Thunderhog]

Arty: My favorite arty has to be the 21cm Morser. You can make them into serious powerhouses with things like double attack and the hero that gets more damage from suppression.
Infantry: Paratroopers, they just offer some fun play around taking enemy airfield and cheeky actions.
Tanks: T-34/40 is definitely one of my favorites. Early ability to kick the heck out of everyone.
Armored Car: The Puma is just the best scout in the game to me.

[BarbarianHunter]

Flammepanzer II
I buy 2 new limited-stock Italian flame tanks at the end of '40 and arrange overruns for the steamroller trait then buy 2-3 more green units for the training scenario before Raseiniai & get them up to 4-4.5 stars.

The image without the "WOOOSH" sound doesn't do justice to the unit that makes '41 a breeze.

[adiekmann]

Flammepanzer II
I buy 2 new limited-stock Italian flame tanks at the end of '40 and arrange overruns for the steamroller trait then buy 2-3 more green units for the training scenario before Raseiniai & get them up to 4-4.5 stars.

The image without the "WOOOSH" sound doesn't do justice to the unit that makes '41 a breeze.

OH YES!! How could I have forgotten that?! I definitely use the flame panzers a lot. One of the fastest units (the fastest on a tank) to get to +3 Soft Attack! With the right heroes attached, of course, which for me is usually Consolidator, Hit and Run/No Retaliation, Rapid Fire, and Lightning Attack.

[BarbarianHunter]

Flammepanzer II
I buy 2 new limited-stock Italian flame tanks at the end of '40 and arrange overruns for the steamroller trait then buy 2-3 more green units for the training scenario before Raseiniai & get them up to 4-4.5 stars.

The image without the "WOOOSH" sound doesn't do justice to the unit that makes '41 a breeze.

OH YES!! How could I have forgotten that?! I definitely use the flame panzers a lot. One of the fastest units (the fastest on a tank) to get to +3 Soft Attack! With the right heroes attached, of course, which for me is usually Consolidator, Hit and Run/No Retaliation, Rapid Fire, and Lightning Attack.

I was wondering the same thing. Did a double-take when I saw no one had mentioned them! I run 4 or 5 of them all the way through '41. Lots and lots of gimme soft target points from conscripts sitting atop fortifications. They all get +3 soft attack just about in time for Stalingrad in '42 . They're 251/16 Flamm's by then though.

[Sequester Grundleplith, MD]

Random units that are good compliments to the core force, at different times

Marder IID: its high movement and high initiative allows it to be a good capture vehicle, with hit & run and the 2 capture heroes

Bf110s: good utility units. can get the extra 1 or 2 air kills to finish off a plane, can do 1 or 2 ground kills to enable an overrun, great range to achieve these things

Do335: high quality fighter than can do serious ground attack

Panzer IIIN: an efficient vigilant anti-infantry/close terrain tank with its low slot cost vs late war tanks; and 6 ammo allows it to be protect neighboring soft targets with provocator or arty support
Similarly the Italian flame tank is probably the best flame tank because of its low slot cost

[BarbarianHunter]

In honor of alleviating some of the summer slump I'll post another, more exotic, favorite that's still generally actionable with a bit of planning and luck: The StuH 42 in 1941.

You'll need the General Trait Industrial Connections to get it in '41 (where the base hard attack of 19 in anti-tank mode bites hard). To be safe you'll want a field repair hero although it's ground defense of 21 makes it nearly immune from infantry and fair vs. armor. If you have a camouflage hero this thing becomes a killing machine though b/c it has 6 rounds. It gets even more fun with Tank Killer or Rapidfire hero which will translate to up to 6 dead tanks in 1 turn!

It's not particularly bad at being a mobile artillery piece either (especially if you have an AT Support & Tank Killer hero) but it's best as a camouflaged Anti-tank escorting that look attractive to armor (like Flame Panzers).

[canuckgamer]

In my opinion the most valuable unit is the Sdkfz 232 8 Rad. It only costs 170 prestige points and takes up 3 slots.

1. 8 movement points
2. Recon so using phased movement it can infiltrate and will never be ambushed.
3. If it is adjacent to an enemy unit being attacked it will add the recon attack bonus to any friendly attacking units.
4. Has rapid fire X 1.5
5. Spotting range of 3

In the Barbarossa Netscape scenario my opponent is the Germans and has at least 8 of them. He has used them to infiltrat, surrounding Russians, cutting off rail lines, taking airfields, unoccupied cities and towns etc. If anybody has seen this type of deployment for the Germans in the scenario and if so what is the counter? You could hit it with a tactical bomber if it is not defended by a German fighter or out of their AA range but looks to me like it is the easiest way to break any line.

Is there a western Allied recon unit that can match the above capabilities?

[DefiantXYX]

In my opinion the most valuable unit is the Sdkfz 232 8 Rad. It only costs 170 prestige points and takes up 3 slots.

Oh yeah, very nice unit that does a great job over several years. If you use overstrength and prudent hero its even gamebreaking.

[Bee1976]

Well, for ingame use its the KV-2 for me. Big bad tank with artillery-mode. Quite useful! And the iconic design !! ♥

2nd place is the 20/70 quadrouplo - bad ass anti air unit. Useful even in lategame and its cheap slotwise!

3rd place, just for the name: Möbelwagen which translate into "furniture trolley" or "furniture van"

[bebro]

That makes me think that transports are also kinda underestimated, since all the precious heavy guns would be somewhat less useful without these...

[cutydt02]

Definitely Panzer 4 F2, true savior of panzer force. Before summer 1942, it's pain in the ass in any war games to deal with France/Britain heavy tanks. T-34/KV just make things even worse. I must rely too much on arty, 88s or Stuka to slowly deal with them (historical accuracy).

Another savior may be 262, they come when the sky is flooded with allies aircrafts. Engineers are always considered as OP units in both PC versions.