I would like to host a discussion on each of the unit types (or even individual units themselves, when the circumstances call for it) to gain some community insight and hopefully give newer players some tips/pitfalls to avoid.
With the new unit slot system in PC2 as opposed to the original, new equipment may no longer be a straight upgrade with regards to efficiency.
I will attempt to give an overview on the topic in question, along with any relevant stats or anecdotes from personal play, then it's up to you, dear readers, to participate. The primary focus will be on campaign play, which I assume is what most people will be playing. Also, given the absence of other faction campaigns for the current state of the game, Wehrmacht units will be taken as the baseline, though captured equipment will be mentioned if relevant. Prestige costs will not be factored in as I believe they are mostly irrelevant in the context of a reasonably skilled player.
First off I would like to start with the veritable god of war: artillery. These can be generally be split into a few broad categories as below;
- Towed guns (7.5 cm FK nA, 10.5 cm leFH, 15 cm sFH, 17 cm K, 21 cm Mrs)
- Self-propelled guns (ie. Sturmpanzer I Bison, Wespe, Hummel etc.)
- Assault guns (Stug IIIB, StuH 42, Brummbar etc.)
- Rocket artillery, both towed & self-propelled (Nebelwerfers, Wuhrfrahmen, Panzerwerfer etc.)
- Special units (Karl-Gerat, Schwerer Gustav)
As a matter of personal playstyle I use only towed guns of 105 calibre and up. The 7.5 cm lacks range which makes it inconvenient, though many have managed to work around this. I must admit I have never actually used these, though I see how they could be useful fighting in predominantly hilly terrain which alleviates their primary shortcoming. The main draw would be the slot cost of 2 which is very cheap though I remain unconvinced because of the difficult set-up & relatively low punch.
The 10.5 cm is the next step up and one I usually employ in 2’s & 3’s once the fighting starts in Russia. They provide only infantry support, cost 3 slots, fire at range 3, and have a nice balance between power & ammunition to ensure your own units are adequately protected from infantry assault. These are very efficient in scenarios featuring urban combat/defensive scenarios where you need to hold city objectives. As a rule of thumb from mid-war (1941 on) your armour doesn’t need cover against infantry in the open & your infantry doesn’t need cover against armour in the rough. Special mention goes to the Soviet 122 mm M1938, which has the same traits, slot cost, and trades 1 ammo for slightly higher soft/hard attack.
Moving on, the 15 cm is notable for being the only unit in the roster which offers both artillery & AT support. Coming in at a slot cost of 4, identical range to the 10.5 cm, and a general bump in stats, its defining characteristic would be versatility. From observation, a lot of people use these as the backbone of their artillery corps throughout the war, though I prefer to take a different approach. I generally employ the 15 cm exclusively from Poland through to France, then gradually phase them out through upgrades in favour of the 10.5 cm. Early war the 15 cm generally has enough kick to cover your troops against enemy armour, though once the theatre shifts to the Eastern Front it begins to lack somewhat, especially against the more modern Soviet armour (T-34, KV-1 etc.). The burden of protection from armoured counter-attacks then shifts to the dedicated AT’s, heavy flak (like the 88) in AT mode, or large caliber guns like the 17/21 cm. Against infantry the 10.5 cm is entirely sufficient and allows me to spend slots elsewhere.
I’ll group the 17 cm & 21 cm together for simplicity’s sake since the only differences between them are slot costs (5 & 6 respectively) and a few points in soft/hard attack. They both come in range 4, provide AT support as with the 15 cm, but also provide counter-battery fire. These are adequate against armoured targets, feature ease of use due to range 4, and are very useful due to the counter-battery trait in minimising chip damage. On the first instance of counter-battery fire, your 17/21 cm is ‘un-masked’ and I have never seen an instance where the AI chooses to fire another gun within range for fear of retaliation. I usually buy an early one in Norway (only the 21 cm is available), bench it during Low Countries/France for lack of slots, then convert to the 17 cm once Barbarossa begins and gradually add more as the campaign progresses. Personal preference is for the 17 over the 21 since they both fill the same basic function and I usually prioritise slot savings.
Since this has turned out to be quite the wordy post I’ll leave discussion of other artillery for another time.
