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-Mud
ex-Jade Falcon
Bounty Hunter
Joined: 04-Nov-2003 00:00
Posts: 1082
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 Posted: 17-Jul-2004 02:37 Post subject: RE: On a related topic |
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Hot-dropped battlearmor is good in both raids and planetary assault. The Clans commonly use Elemental soldiers as head-hunters and shock troops. A DEST team would be an elite team of KAGE battlearmor, along with a few heavy-weapons specialists. A portable gauss will certainly put a hurtin' on Clan Elementals, if you can ambush them.
The other nice thing about Battlearmor is that it is relatively stealthy. Even if the planet's defenders know you have dropped, they will not know exactly where you are. The stealth factor makes hot-drops an excellent tool for creating a diversion. If the defender sends some of his troops out to track you down, you can always send a second wave down right on his now underdefended headquarters. (always keep a reserve). If the defender decides to defend his citadel, your battlearmor and light 'mechs can ravage the countryside around, destroying industries and valuable fertile land.
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Alexander
Heavy Horse Merc Brigade
Commanding Officer
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 828
Location: Canada
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| Posted: 17-Jul-2004 15:25 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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I've used them with 'Mechs a few times.
The first time I tried, I allowed my Second in Command to talk me into using overized industrial parachutes (DISASTER!!!).
I have an infantry battalion which I have as Airmobile / Airdropable, using a bunch of Karnovs for transport. It's nice to be able to put troops behind enemy lines to go after Arty, supplies, etc...
I also like to air-insert BA early in a campaign to act as roving reconnaissance. The enemy usually doesn't bother trying to hunt down a few BA troops, leaving them free to spot for follow on forces.
Alexander
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War is God's way of teaching geography.
*******
Commanding Officer, North West Armoured Cavalry
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Rarich
Federated Suns
Leftenant General
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 991
Location: United States
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| Posted: 17-Jul-2004 16:58 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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You HAVE to have good pilots! Camacho Caballero good, or you end up all over the map. The unit has to be very well drilled in the maneuver. That way the unit does not end up like the Paratroops on D-Day, scattered and taking awhile to form combat effective units.
It is a favortite maneuver the guys used when objective raiding, any open area near the target. That way you are only having to shoot your way out and the dropships can strafe big concentrations after drop and before pick up.
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Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side & a dark side, and strings also lie under it all.
Life is a sexually transmitted terminal disease.
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Rarich
Federated Suns
Leftenant General
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 991
Location: United States
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| Posted: 17-Jul-2004 17:03 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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That surprise and confusion is great, it usually lets lances form and nail the nearest assault mech with a volley. Then again a light mech somtimes ends up with only a jump modifier, at close range in front of an assault mech, but you can't win them all.
With Veteran and elite units you can make it a worthwile maneuver, otherwise use conventional landings.
_________________
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side & a dark side, and strings also lie under it all.
Life is a sexually transmitted terminal disease.
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Nightmare
Lyran Alliance
Kommandant-General
Joined: 03-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 2214
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| Posted: 17-Jul-2004 22:15 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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On 2004-07-17 16:58, Rarich wrote:
You HAVE to have good pilots! Camacho Caballero good, or you end up all over the map. The unit has to be very well drilled in the maneuver. That way the unit does not end up like the Paratroops on D-Day, scattered and taking awhile to form combat effective units.
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Actually, some of the D-day paratroopers never managed to form up. A British batallion that was to take out a German artillery position lost something like 70% of their men and all the heavy weapons just by jumping out of the plane. To this day no one knows what happened to the missing men.
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A tree fall in the forest, and no one is around, and it hits a mime. Does anyone care?
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DarkAdder
Clan Star Adder
Star Commander
Joined: 10-Jan-2004 00:00
Posts: 604
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| Posted: 18-Jul-2004 01:34 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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Just as a side note. Some historians that the scattered troop deployment was actually a benefit. Rather than getting 'concentrated' reports, the germans were getting reports of small and mid sized units all over the place, forcing them to split up and hunt down each report. True, the paratroopers were scattered all to hell and breakfast in their drops, but they forced the germans to be just as spread out (and thus weakened) to counter them.
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Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
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-Mud
ex-Jade Falcon
Bounty Hunter
Joined: 04-Nov-2003 00:00
Posts: 1082
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| Posted: 18-Jul-2004 21:25 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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Fast 'mechs would be great for this purpose, especially if you could send in some battlearmor with them. Even if a company gets spread all over the map, so long as they have an advantage in speed they can still partially regroup and cause chaos before the enemy can do anything about it. These are classic Hussar or Locust tactics really. Once you've got the enemy trying to hunt down your light forces, you can probably safely land your ship and disembark the assault battlegroup.
The need for good pilots is a good point though, especially if you want to try and use hot-drops for for any sort of surgical strike. Scattering an assault lance all over enemy-held territory is BAD! The defenders will just pick 'em off one at a time, before they can regroup.
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SaberDance
Federated Suns
Colonel
Joined: 07-May-2004 00:00
Posts: 837
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| Posted: 19-Jul-2004 21:46 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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Quote:
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On 2004-07-17 22:15, Nightmare wrote:
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On 2004-07-17 16:58, Rarich wrote:
You HAVE to have good pilots! Camacho Caballero good, or you end up all over the map. The unit has to be very well drilled in the maneuver. That way the unit does not end up like the Paratroops on D-Day, scattered and taking awhile to form combat effective units.
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Actually, some of the D-day paratroopers never managed to form up. A British batallion that was to take out a German artillery position lost something like 70% of their men and all the heavy weapons just by jumping out of the plane. To this day no one knows what happened to the missing men.
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Some of them, and not necessarily these some of them, were dropped out of their aircraft too low to the ground. Their chutes never opened.
Others were dropped in a swamp and drowned.
In general, D-Day was probably THE Definition of FUBAR.
But hey, it worked.
_________________
"Politics is the Art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, misdiagnosing the problem, and applying the wrong solution."
-Groucho Marx
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Nightmare
Lyran Alliance
Kommandant-General
Joined: 03-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 2214
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| Posted: 20-Jul-2004 09:09 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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Quote:
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On 2004-07-19 21:46, SaberDance wrote:
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On 2004-07-17 22:15, Nightmare wrote:
Quote:
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On 2004-07-17 16:58, Rarich wrote:
You HAVE to have good pilots! Camacho Caballero good, or you end up all over the map. The unit has to be very well drilled in the maneuver. That way the unit does not end up like the Paratroops on D-Day, scattered and taking awhile to form combat effective units.
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Actually, some of the D-day paratroopers never managed to form up. A British batallion that was to take out a German artillery position lost something like 70% of their men and all the heavy weapons just by jumping out of the plane. To this day no one knows what happened to the missing men.
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Some of them, and not necessarily these some of them, were dropped out of their aircraft too low to the ground. Their chutes never opened.
Others were dropped in a swamp and drowned.
In general, D-Day was probably THE Definition of FUBAR.
But hey, it worked.
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Worked, yes. But I don't think any Btech mercenary company would survive taking losses like that. Clanners would probably be very upset too.
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A tree fall in the forest, and no one is around, and it hits a mime. Does anyone care?
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DarkAdder
Clan Star Adder
Star Commander
Joined: 10-Jan-2004 00:00
Posts: 604
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| Posted: 20-Jul-2004 12:06 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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I dont think clanners would be as put out if they lost troops during a hot drop. Granted it would make it tougher to achieve their mission goal, but their mentality of 'Its a good day to die, and its not even lunch time" would come into play. If a pilot failed the check and splattered his mech across the landscape...well, he wasnt all that great of a piolt, anyway.
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Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
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Alexander
Heavy Horse Merc Brigade
Commanding Officer
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 828
Location: Canada
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| Posted: 20-Jul-2004 20:31 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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I doubt Clanners would use hot drops. I see them bargaining for the fight, setting the location, and both sides meeting behind the bike racks at 3 o'clock to settle their differences like the good bullies at the schoolyard.
Alexander
_________________
War is God's way of teaching geography.
*******
Commanding Officer, North West Armoured Cavalry
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Kiris65
Draconis Combine
Tai-i
Joined: 17-Dec-2003 00:00
Posts: 371
Location: Panama
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| Posted: 21-Jul-2004 07:32 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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On 2004-07-20 20:31, Alexander wrote:
I doubt Clanners would use hot drops. I see them bargaining for the fight, setting the location, and both sides meeting behind the bike racks at 3 o'clock to settle their differences like the good bullies at the schoolyard.
Alexander
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Not completely sure about that, recall reading (don't remember the novel) about Clan dropships swooping down to low level, opening their cargo doors and dropping Stars of mechs and elementals off the landing ramps into hot landing zones.
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Anata no gosenzo sama ni kao o awase rare masuka! - (Get ready to meet your ashamed ancestors!)
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Wanallo
Federated Suns
Leftenant Colonel
Joined: 02-Jan-2004 00:00
Posts: 671
Location: United Kingdom
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| Posted: 21-Jul-2004 12:48 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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On 2004-07-21 07:32, Kiris65 wrote:
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On 2004-07-20 20:31, Alexander wrote:
I doubt Clanners would use hot drops. I see them bargaining for the fight, setting the location, and both sides meeting behind the bike racks at 3 o'clock to settle their differences like the good bullies at the schoolyard.
Alexander
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Not completely sure about that, recall reading (don't remember the novel) about Clan dropships swooping down to low level, opening their cargo doors and dropping Stars of mechs and elementals off the landing ramps into hot landing zones.
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I would of thought that clan honour would allow the dropship to land without being fired upon.
I would'nt be surpised if these tactics were used against the innersphere however.
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Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them-Seneca
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DarkAdder
Clan Star Adder
Star Commander
Joined: 10-Jan-2004 00:00
Posts: 604
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| Posted: 21-Jul-2004 13:08 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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If the atacker invokes Safecon, then they can land without being fired upon on the way down. Once they are down and the troops deployed, all bets are off.
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Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
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-Mud
ex-Jade Falcon
Bounty Hunter
Joined: 04-Nov-2003 00:00
Posts: 1082
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| Posted: 21-Jul-2004 13:17 Post subject: RE: Combat Drops-'Hot' Drops |
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The clans are very aggressive when it comes to using Hot-Drops. After all, it's always a good day to die for a Clanner, especially if you can bring victory through an honorable death in battle.
The use of pirate points and hot-drops was one of the major advantages the clans held over the Inner Sphere during the initial invasion, allowing the Clans to hit planets before the defenders were able to muster their defenses. Not the most honorable tactics perhaps, but even the Clans will generally sacrifice honor to expediency.
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