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stockwellpete -> RE: Inrease upgraded infantry de-entrenchment? (1/7/2021 10:00:38 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: mdsmall
I am glad that you have raised this idea, as I have wondered for a while why there is no explicit provision for the German stormtroopers (stosstruppen) in the game. They were a key part of German campaign strategy at the end of the war, in particular in their last great offensive in the West in April 1918.
Your suggestion would be one way of reflecting this innovation in German infantry tactics. Other ways that occur to me would be to allow Germany to have one higher level in infantry warfare tech than the other majors and when Germany reached that level, its infantry would have greater de-entrenching power, along the lines you suggest. This would explicitly recognize that doctrinal advantage that Germany developed in infantry tactics late in the war. (It could be balanced by giving the UK something comparable for tanks at higher level of armoured warfare tech which only they could achieve). Perhaps investment in these new higher tech levels could be time-limited - say only after April 1917.
The downside of this approach is that all German infantry would get this advantage, once the higher tech level was achieved. Another way of reflecting the German storm-troopers would be to give German infantry corps that have elite reinforcements additional capacity either to de-entrench and/or to advance after combat ignoring enemy zones of control. The latter capacity would well reflect the essence of German stosstruppen tactics, as I understand them. It would also give an important additional reason for the CP player to invest in elite reinforcements for his German infantry corps.
I am not aware if any of the Allied armies developed elite units comparable to the German stormtroopers. Perhaps the same capability could be given to certain designated Entente formations that achieved a high degree of skill in trench fighting later in the war, e.g. the Canadian and ANZAC corps - if the British players invests in giving them elite reinforcements.
I find these ideas interesting. I agree that the German Stosstruppen seem to have been qualitatively different from other German infantry and that they might be best represented by Infantry Warfare Tech 3 (probably only available to Germany in 1918). David Stevenson writes about The German infantry manuals "The Attack in Position Warfare" (which was distributed to officers in January 1918) and the "Training Manual for Foot Troops in War" which gave instructions for small assault squads of infantrymen (around 10 soldiers in each). He says that Ludendorf selected only a quarter of his infantry as "attack divisions" because he realised older soldiers could not operate as stosstruppen. 56 divisions were taken out of the line and given this stosstruppen training (using flamethrowers, machine guns, mortars etc), which lasted for 3 weeks. Artillery units were also trained to support these new infantry tactics (e.g. creeping barrages, use of gas to neutralise enemy artillery etc). At the beginning of 1918 Germany had 191 divisions on the Western Front so 56 divisions represents around 30% of the total.
So, in light of this, you wouldn't want all German infantry units to have this extra ability. At the moment Germany has differently named infantry units, but they all have the same basic stats. There are Guards units, infantry from various regions like Saxony, Bavaria and Wurttemburg, numbered corps units, and reserve divisions. To make things easy you could just set a numerical limit on the number of stosstruppen trained units available, however defined, but the Reserve Divisions could not be allocated this feature at all.
In terms of other elite infantry units, I think the Guards units were the main ones. Germany has Guards units and I think the Russians do as well. The British Expeditionary Force did comprise of Guards regiments in August 1914, but they are just presented as numbered corps in the game, presumably because these Guards regiments were only a part of the overall initial deployment. I don't know if there is a case for making these Guards units better than the other units in the game, or at least allow them to access "Elite Reinforcements" straight away. Something else to think about.[:)]
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