Beginners questions

alaric99x · 09-08-2007, 11:32 PM,

I just got Sicily '43 and decided to start the campaign scenario to see where the parachute drops and amphibious landings took place. I noted that most airborne units landed disrupted, that makes sense. Many units also landed with high losses and some units seem to have disappeared entirely during the drops. The losses seemed to be kind of high, is that normal or is there something I could do to reduce such losses?

In a related question pertaining to all the PzC games, do destroyed units ever return? I would guess not, but if they do return, where do they arrive?

**Ricky B** · 09-09-2007, 12:01 AM,

Welcome to the PzC games, enjoy them!

Regarding airborne drops, Sicily does suffer high losses on landing, and their isn't anything you can do about it except suffer! The losses represent both casualties and men seperated from their units. They will replace their lost men if they get a chance to rest, which represents the men wandering around looking for other men to join and fight with.

However, lost units, with the exception of HQs, are gone for good. So personally, in a longer scenario like the campaign anyway, I try to save even small remnants of units unless there is a need for the unit to die, so that it can rebuild at least part of its strength and return to battle as a useful force.

Rick

alaric99x · 09-09-2007, 12:15 AM,

Thank you, the PzC series is excellent, I've got 5 of the games now and am working on collecting the entire series. Sicily just came in the mail today so I only loaded it and took a brief look. The drop takes place at night, so it makes sense that units will be scattered all over the countryside. Still, some units really get depleted at landing, ending up with about 10% strength.

I thought that the units that disappeared might have tried to land on top of enemy units, but I didn't check the hex locations to see where they would have landed, if they had survived.

von Waldenburg · 09-09-2007, 01:23 AM,

Sicily is a very special game in the series in the sense that has several unique caracteristics:

- the airborne losses come to match those taking place during historical landings in 1943. Probably the highest airborne losses in the whole PzC series. In general I regard airborne operations as a waste of lives, but this one should have deserved some general or field marshall court martialed.

- you have the most dramatic height diferences that I remember in Si'43 and this is a key point of this game as long as I can tell. And the height advantage modifier is -25%!!

Probably allied intelligence had a good estimate on Axis forces in Sicily cause they didnt really land too many divisions. Just enough to do the job I would say.

In general an excellent portrait of this little known battle.

Heldenkaiser · 09-09-2007, 01:28 AM,

Historically, the airdrops in Sicily were a disaster with horrific losses--to the extent that briefly the US army contemplated never again to use airborne troops in batte. After the Sicily experience it took some convincing to have them used again in Normandy.

One the main reasons for the high losses, IIRC, was that the transport pilots had very little experience. Also apparantely the army/navy cooperation worked badly and the transports were being fired at by Allied naval units.

It's very enlightening to read the recollections of General Gavin of the US 82nd Airborne in his book "On to Berlin". :)

alaric99x · 09-09-2007, 01:46 AM,

Thanks for the info, I didn't know that the Sicily operation was so bad for the airborne. Now, when I get around to playing, I'll be happy about any airborne that actually survive, even if they are at 10% strength.

I'll check out Gavin's book, I haven't read that one yet.

Sgt Fury · 09-09-2007, 01:55 AM,

I believe some of the airborne units "drifted" in high winds and landed as far as 2 miles out at sea. I thinks some of the losses you will see in the game are units that scatter on drop and land in the water (and are eliminated). Welcome to the club and the series!

Fury

alaric99x · 09-09-2007, 02:06 AM,

Sgt Fury Wrote:"drifted" in high winds and landed as far as 2 miles out at sea.

That could ruin your whole day, I hope they had life preservers.

Thanks for your welcome, glad to be here.

Lowlander · 09-09-2007, 03:02 AM,

Played this some time ago so excuse me if l'm wrong but l believe the para sections can be combined, use the Highlight Organization button on the toolbar and when two or more units of the same organization are in the same hex use the Combine/Breakdown button on the toolbar.
Hope this works OK.