Airdropping Pack Mules
 

Is it possible to paradrop pack mules in SPWW2? Is it possible do so in reality? Anybody know?

Dankie,

troopie

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

"Food aid" was dropped in Southeast Asia in the form of live animals, including cows, so I would imagine that it might be possible. I've not heard of anyone doing that though.

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

Don't know if that was ever done,
para drop is risky even when trained.

I don't think you could train a mule to bend legs and roll and cut the lines before they get dragged by the wind assusuming they don't have all four legs broken:rolleyes:

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

in the game i think this is possible, since you can drop tanks from planes on mbt, guess that in ww2 there were no heavy enough transports to do that

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

Australian C-47 are one of the ones with a 1XX load capacity in WW2(for the airborne 25 pounders)

"Pack Mules" are simply a small vehicle type (you can split the crew with the @ key, so are based on a vehicle class or gun class). Speed 6 gives them the clip clop noise when moving, as far as I recall. (I have absolutely no use for such things as animal transport, myself)

Set up Australian test game. Keep trying till you get planes. Once planes available, buy a flight of c-47 and some mules. Load mules in transport and plot air drop. Mules drop on silk handkerchiefs. (New exe - handlers (crew) and mules drop separately. Mules as a vehicle wait patiently for their handlers to rejoin, and are then available for use). Mules and handlers dropped in the open - as vehicles they would probably have had bad results in woods (including immobilisations, which here you could take as "broken legs").

Cheers
Andy

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

Interesting, this can make airdrops cooler
EDIT:
with the new code will i be able to roll light guns/vehic from transports?

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

The new code has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the existing load capacities of transport aircraft.

You can drop mortars, pack howitzers or even vehicles from transport planes with sufficient load capacity already. But only a few armies in WW2 have transport planes with a 1XX (or even a 2XX?) code, just those with a specific historical justification. In fact I just told you about one already - Australia.

Most of the 1XX and 2XX plane transport codes in WW2 are gliders. MBT however has sufficiently large enough transport planes for routine large lump paradropping.

The new code splits the crew and the load on loading into a transport plane, so the 2 parts drop separately and have to recombine. Current code does not do this. It is mainly for the stupid silly beggars in MBT who like to drop an M1 or whatever platoon in the rear of the enemy position and be immediately able to drive away and bash things up. Now it will take a few moves (assuming both crew and load survive) to marry them up. And even if your only rear defence is your HQ and flack etc, you can happily zap the soft 'n squishy crews trying to get to their vehicles, instead of having to deal with instant armour in your end zone. It's also more historical too :).

In WW2 when the new code arrives - use gliders to deliver your tetrarchs, mortars, ATG etc as these can still drive away immediately & have a far better chance of suffering no damage provided they land on a nice flat field with no rough stuff etc. You can do that with the existing glider units in WW2 already - formation 200 in the UK OOB forex.

Cheers
Andy

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

i thought splitting crew form gun/veh would make them lighter thanks Andy :D

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

I haven’t come across paradrop mules in real life – but mules have been used in airborne operations. The Chindits used hundreds of mules during their raids behind Jap lines in WW2. Many were flown in by Dakota and landed at makeshift airstrips, but some went in by glider (with three animals per glider).

A reluctant mule …

http://www.chindits.info/Photos/EA20831.html

More about the Chindits

http://www.chindits.info/

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

Thanks for the last post as I did recall seeing something like this ages ago, but for most of this post I had visions of poor terrified mules being pushed out of heaving transports!!!:sick: worst case scenario. Or herds of mules running around in my rear areas tying up valuable troops while my opponent has the laugh of a lifetime at my expense!!!:p:smirk:

All in all interesting question never the less, just wonder what Francis would say???:D


Bob out :smirk:

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

PanzerBob … I’ll have to borrow your movie from somewhere. It looks like a classic. :D

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zvj_Eunx3Ko&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zvj_Eunx3Ko&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Some of the Chindit mules didn’t take too kindly to being shoved into gliders. One nearly brought a glider down when it went nuts and kicked a hole in its side.

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

I have discovered that 1: You can load pack mules on a paraplane if you have enough capacity, and 2: It is not a good idea to airdrop mules. Half of them were casualties, call it mules breaking their legs, and the other half routed permanently.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

troopie

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

Contrary to what I wrote earlier I've found an example of a paradropped mule. According to the 'Day of Battle' by Rick Atkinson the Allies dropped an experimental 'para-mule' before their airborne assault upon Sicily. It broke three legs; after putting the unfortunate creature out of its misery, paratroopers used the carcass for bayonet practice. :(

Re: Airdropping Pack Mules
 

Gee don't break a leg in that Para Regt!!!:hurt::re:

Bob out :D