The "mechanization" of my infantry will bankrupt me right..?

[SchDerGrosse]

Hello there,

Iam currently playing a Grand Campaign on FM difficulty and has just stepped on Soviet soil.

So far I have been using Opel Blitz trucks for every infantry unit, but the vast Ukranian fields are really tempting me to upgrade to the the recently available Sdkfz 250/1.

I have 24.500 prestige -an OK number- in the bank and could afford the expenditure without problem.

The thing I fear that that reinforcing those half truck-equipped units would cost me +200 prestige each (instead of the usual +50 for a simple lorry) which later on (Stalingrad) could constitute a serios money drain..

On the other hand, my infantry is constantly lagging behind my tanks on larger maps.

Any suggestions?

[charliedoom]

This comes down to personal tactical style. But one suggestion it to cherry pick vulnerable units that could do well with a half-track like artillery, or units that need to get close to the action quickly like Pioneers or Grenadiers. Also, create a specific group of mechanized units for fast, deep strikes that can support/clear the way for your slower moving units.

For example: An army can be organized into distinct fighting groups that each serve a unique tactical purpose. I try to have two motorized groups + one mechanized group.

Motorized Group (x2) -- a group like this isn't necessarily fast, but has heavy weapons that make it powerful enough to push to it's objectives. Works for me!
2x Infantry w/ Trucks
1x Grenadier w/ Trucks
1x Heavy Artillery ""
1x Heavy AA ""
1x Panzer
1x Auxiliary i.e. assault gun, anti-tank, addtn'l panzer, etc.

Mechanized Group (x1) -- Deep strike, fast assault to reach farthest objectives/enemy rear/flanks to support slower moving main forces. (I usually build this with my elite units)
2x Infantry w/Sdkfz Half Tracks
1x Grenadier w/Sdkfz Half Tracks
1x Mobile Artillery
1x Mobile AA
1x Panzer
1x Auxiliary i.e. assault gun, anti-tank, addtn'l panzer, etc.

[SchDerGrosse]

Excellent idea, thank you.

I'll try to organize my army into Kampfgruppe-s.

[captainjack]

Russia is a good place to have halftracks (especially in bad weather), but halftracks are expensive - both as an upgrade and because your reinforcement and overstrength costs more. From experience, the fast halftracks are a liability if you don't plan and scout well, as they can get caught ahead of supporting troops, so I use them sparingly, but that's more to do with how I play than a limitation of the transports.

CharlieDoom's suggestion to create different functional groups (and to think about which units will benefit from which transport) is sound.

If you want to see different views on the pros and cons of mechanisation, there were discussions on this about a year or so back.

[BiteNibbleChomp]

I use trucks most of the time, and occasionally the 1st halftrack. The second halftrack is far too expensive for the difference it makes.

In WWI, horses are virtually a must however.

- BNC

[proline]

When playing as the Germans, it is so, so important to be frugal with your money. The $200 transport more than doubles the cost of even the best infantry unit which will drain you via high replacement costs and the prestige cap hit. I only use them for units where getting into position fast is absolutely necessary and taking damage is rare. For example, bridging infantry and certain artillery.

For your infantry, you will find that for the "rapid advance" scenarios of 1939-1942 a mixture of fast infantry (horsies and bikes) plus slower infantry in trucks can work well. From 1943 onwards, you won't be moving very fast since virtually every hex starts off as a Russian tank of some sort, so moving around at a speed of 3 is completely viable (use your speed heroes on grenadiers and pioneers). I still have some infantry with trucks and $100 transports for flexibility, but the general idea is that you will save a lot of money by learning to minimize transport units.

[captainjack]

Some other points on transports:
In scenarios where you have air transport, troops without trucks/halftracks can travel by air. Usually air transport is from one airfield to another, but if you have gliders you can land on any vacant hex.
Some hexes can only be accessed by units without transport - high mountain hexes, and (I think) thick forest. Alpine troops can't use their mountain move when in a truck, so usually walking is best for them.
The AI usually seems to look for the most expensive target it can damage. That extra 200 prestige for the fast halftrack doesn't come with extra air or ground defence, which makes your unit quite an attractive target.

In my current army (Legacy of Versailles, just finished off France), all the wehrmacht infantry, gebirgsjagers and move-hero grenadiers (four of them) walk and the rest are a mix of trucks (slow grenadiers, pioneers and bridgies) and half tracks (newer pies and bridgies). The bigger battlefields in LoV tends to make air and rail transport more important (so trucks matter less), and the prestige is tight which discourages transport upgrades. In the DLCs I'd probably make everyone except for Bridgies walk until half tracks became available.