Re: ammo cannisters buggers
 

Game Guide:
"AMMO CANISTER, crew is 1 and speed must be 0, usually transportable, supplies small ammo only (to WH size 3), low supply points per move (20 ammo points)"

Not quite as unrealistic as mentioned...

Re: ammo cannisters buggers
 

That's really in the game guide? I stand corrected. It's not as unrealistic as I believed. Looking in the game guide for information about a specific unit is nothing that would have occurred to me. As I mentioned before, I don't use ammo canisters anyhow so I haven't figured it out through the trial and error process.

Thanks for the information PopskiPPA. :)

Now I'm more puzzled than before. Why would someone want an ammo canister? Sounds like they are mainly useful for resupplying small arms and I don't think I've ever had a unit run out of bullets and grenades in the game.

Re: ammo cannisters buggers
 

So please do explain if you don't bother to read the GG and don't use ammo cannisters anyway why would you assume you know how they work and what they supply then write all about it???

You have heard what ASSUME also stands for don't you ?? You just proved it

ammo cannisters are in the game so they can be used more or less as intended. to supply small arms ammo and are useful for that purpose in scenarios and, perhaps, to some players of big games as cheap, SMALL ammo resupply device. YOu may never find a use for them but every player isn't you.


Don

Re: ammo cannisters buggers
 

No, I don't use them, but I can easily go out and see what they can and can't do. I may change my mind whether I use them based on what I hear from people and see. What I went out and did was tested the air drop aspect of them and the impact of the suggested C-47 changes and not really what they were and weren't capable of supplying. Yes, I did make an assumption there :doh:

As for the game guide, I don't look in the game guide for information about specific units and some things appear self explanatory. It's not irrational to conclude that bunkers and dumps provide ammo the fastest, followed by trucks and the like and finally ammo canisters. I use bunkers and mobile supplies all the time and figured it out by trial and error.

As far as their being limited on what they can supply, I admitted I was wrong to an extent. There was an extra caveat I didn't know about limiting warhead size. They can't supply large stuff yet are still are bottomless sources of what they do supply. One box can supply almost 3600lbs of 50mm ATG HE ammo (500 rounds) in 50 turns. That is a pretty heavy box. AP rounds are more than 20% heavier. I understand this is because grenades and 50mm ATG rounds are both WH3. In this case intent and reality skewed in different directions.

My conclusion about what they could provide was lead in the wrong direction based on information out on one of the ladder sites as well, which implies ammo canisters can provide mortar ammo:

Discussions involved all mortars and not just the small ones like the Italian 45mm. The other company's product might be responsible for the confusion as well. I know Shrapnel isn't responsible for incorrect information put out by other sources, but I based my conclusions partially on that.

There are several reasons I don't use them. Even though they are cheap, they are vulnerable to incoming artillery. I don't use ammo dumps either for the same reason. Another reason is they are immobile unless I want to buy transport for them. I might as well buy ammo truck if I'm going to do that. More typically, I use armored ammo carriers. Mobility helps to alleviate the vulnerability to artillery fire. The fact that they are limited in what they can supply, obviously never crossed my mind.

In game terms, my experiences and only mine, haven't generated a need or practical opportunity to resupply small arms. The only unit I've ever had run out of small arms ammunition wasn't even a leg unit. It was a very experienced Tiger crew that ran out of machine gun ammo. Being experienced, they fired much more often than typical units and burned through what they had. With leg units, I find and again, these are only my experiences, units become combat ineffective long before they run out of ammo.

Yes, other people probably have different experiences and some probably have the same. For people who find uses for them, by all means they should use them. If I found a use for them, I would do the same.

Overall, it's all just opinion and you know what they say about that :D

Re: ammo cannisters buggers
 

Someone who wanted the close fire support vs having NONE.

The 75mm Pack Howitzer M1A1 with Carriage M8 was broken down into specific components suitable for air dropping. These were Paracrates M1-M7, M8 Parachest and M9 Paracassion.

M1 Front trail
M2 Rear traila nd axle
M3 Bottom sleigh and recoil mechanism
M4 cradel and top sleigh
M5 Gun Tube
M6 Breechblock and sight
M7 wheels
M8 Parachest Ammunition, 10 rounds packed in fiber cannisters
M9 Paracassion, a knockdown hand drawn cart for moving 8 complete rounds.

The whole assembly of 9 paracrates have total weight of 2571 lbs.

The US and British Availed themselves of this method of providing close fire support to their Paras. Everything larger was deployed by glider.