Slitherine

In my scenarios, I like having the US heavy infantry transported by M3A1 half-tracks so they can run down fleeing armed Fascists and shoot them with their machine gun-equipped half-tracks. Unfortunately, if during a campaign, you upgrade the US infantry from 1942 to 1943 before October 1943, the M3A1 goes away and you can't replace it with an M3A1, you must replace it with an M3 halftrack, which doesn't have a machine gun.

Apparently, the forces-available updater won't let you update units with anachronistic transports (from the future in this case) without taking away the anachronistic transports. I don't want to do a mod, so I guess we'll have to wait for the M3A1 until October 1943, which means no half-track run-downs during Operation Husky.

Grrr!

conboy

+1

In general I think a number of early-war unit types should not have an expiration date (or at least a much later one).
This would give the player more purchase options (= more fun).
Historically some factions used early models quite late in the war (Germany is a good example).

I'm actually trying to do it in reverse of what you describe -- I want to use a model that's not available for 4 more months. Scenario designer lets you select them and deploy them, but if you try upgrade the associated unit, it forbids you to keep the newer model.

It makes sense -- I'm just making a record of it for other would-be scenario designers.

In reading about the campaign I am working on, a Division Commanding General describes A26 Invaders being used during Operation Husky -- they aren't available in OoB until Nov 1944. Husky of course occurred in July 1943. Quite a disparity!

As for the reverse aspect you're talking about, the older models shouldn't expire, agreed. Many active US Divisions did not (could not) stop to upgrade equipment in the middle of a campaign, and some campaigns were quite lengthy. But replacements for those out-of-date units during a campaign can be drawn from the dead units column if one declines to allow purchases in particular scenarios. I think that is correct, anyway, per my recollection.

Thanks for the response,

conboy

ps, I fixed the issue in my scenario by advising the players that Supply will confiscate their "unauthorized" M3A1s if they try to upgrade the associated units.