Paratrooper User's Guide

Introduction

Historically, paratroopers played a big part of World War II from Germany's airborne assaults on France to the Americans holding out during the Battle of the Bulge.  In World War II Online each country has it's own paratroopers.  These elite troops, once dropped behind enemy lines, are cut off from all supply.  With that in mind, each paratrooper carries a variety of weapons to handle any situation and hold out as long as possible.  The paratroopers are distributed equally between the Axis and Allies, with Germany having two paratrooper (or Fallschirmjager) regiments, and Great Britain and France having one a piece.  These regiments can be moved every Monday and Friday, much like strategic bomber or destroyer spawns.  They can only be moved to airfields with army bases on them.

A player must be the army rank of Lieutenant or higher to spawn a paratrooper.

Check out Zheriz's Paratrooper Guide for more information.

The Paratroops

Germany	Great Britain	France

The Weapons

Embarking & Jumping

In order for a paratrooper to parachute onto a target he must be aboard a transport plane. Transport planes can not only carry paratroopers, but regular troops as well.  The advantage to carrying paratroopers is that they can safely jump out of the plane, while the regular troopers can only exit after the plane lands.  Only the Ju-52's and C-47's can carry troops.

Axis Ju-52

Allied Ju-52

In order to board the plane the paratrooper must be touching the aircraft fuselage and press the j key.  This will seat you along with the other paratroopers on the aircraft.  In the upper left hand corner of your screen you can see the seat your are stationed in and the name of the pilot in yellow.  In green you will see the other troopers aboard the aircraft.  To toggle this feature, press the ~ key.

At the front and rear of the transport is a light that is either red or green, which is toggled by the pilot using the o key.  When you are at your drop-zone, the pilot may give you the "Green Light".  This light is located at the back of the aircraft near the door.  Take note: from positions closer to the cockpit you may not be able to see the light.  Most organized drops will have a jumpmaster who counts down the seconds before it's time to drop, making the light unnecessary.  Pressing the shift-6 key will emote "Jump! Jump! Jump!".

In order for a successful drop, the transport plane must be at least 200 meters altitude and not more than 30 degrees ascent or descent.  The doors on that plane do not need to be opened to board or jump from the aircraft. The transport can be going at any speed.  To jump, press the j key over the desired target.  When you are drifting towards earth you'll have some forward momentum, enough so that you'll drift about 100 meters in the direction you're facing for every 1000 meters altitude.  If you're doing very high drop you'll need to take that into account when determining when to jump. 

To steer yourself after you've exited the aircraft. use the q and e keys, although the most dramatic orientation changes will take place only when you're looking forward.  You will always drift slowly forward.  The descent to earth can be slow, especially from high altitude, and it's best to try to stick together with other people in your group.  It's very important to note that once you have jumped out of a plane you cannot jump again since your parachute has already been used!  To get a new parachute you must de-spawn and re-spawn.

When you hit the ground you will immediately go in the prone position and all of your stamina will be gone. It should build back very quickly and you'll be able to move out within seconds of impact.

Paratroopers in Combat

In WWII Online paratroopers should be used to seize hard to reach objectives, open major attacks where reinforcements are on the way, or to reinforce beleaguered defenders.  They are also useful for assaulting airfields, although the chance of survival is much much less.  Regardless, all paratroopers in WWII Online are equipped for close quarter combat and should be dropped as near to the target as possible, and all together.  Dropping paratroopers in an open field to be picked off by enemy riflemen is a waste.  It is said that paratroopers have higher endurance than regular infantry since they are elite troops.

The satchel charge can be used to destroy enemy tanks, but each troop carries only one charge so they must be used wisely.  An ammunition pack is also carried, but you can only re-supply other players, not yourself.  A paratrooper can capture radio tables and performs most of his functions exactly like a regular trooper.  If your transport comes under attack, the paratroopers inside the plane can be killed by enemy fire, and paratroopers can also be killed during their descent.

WWII Online Paratrooper Squads

Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1

Fallschirmjager Regiment 2

Allied Airborne: Dog Company

505th Parachute Infantry

The Parachute Red Devils

Addendum: Flying the Junkers Ju-52 3/m

The Junkers Ju-52 series transport is an extremely versatile aircraft, widely exported, and used before and after the war.  It was designed for use on grass strips and can land or take off on just about any terrain in WWII Online.  It also has a very short runway requirement and can lift off from any clearing about 200 meters long.  To fly the Ju-52 a pilot must be a Lieutenant in the air force, and so the controls should be familiar to anyone preparing to fly it.  Regardless, here's a refresher course for anyone who's been out of the cockpit for a while.

Position 1 - Pilot

To start the engines press the e key.  If you don't want to taxi the aircraft (steer it on the ground) you should lock the tail-wheel using the / key.  If you want to taxi the aircraft, keep the tail-wheel unlocked, manage the speed by using the throttle via the slider on your joystick, and use the breaks to move left (z key) or right (x key).  You can adjust your flaps up (q key) or down (w key), or use your key-mapper to set absolute values for them.  Below is the Ju-52's gauges which you'll probably want to get familiar with...

Instrument Panel Key

Of course, before you take off you'll want to make sure all your troops are on board, which you can monitor by looking at the green names on the upper left hand corner of your screen.  If they're not there, press the ~ key to toggle that feature.  Once they're aboard you'll want to get ready for take off.  Make sure the engine is on (e key) and hold down both break keys (z key and x key).  Press the " key until your engines are at Max RPM's, lock the tail-wheel ( / key) if you haven't already done so, and push the throttle forward (joystick slider) until you're at full speed.  Release the breaks and after you've achieved enough momentum, pull back on the joystick so that you're lifting off the ground.

The Ju-52's landing gear is fixed and cannot be raised, and it doesn't have WEP (Wartime Emergency Power) either.  One special feature of the transport is that it has a sliding door on the left hand side of the aircraft.  Opening and closing this door is done using the o key from the pilot's position, and it also toggles between a red and green light at both ends of the plane.  

These lights are to let troops know when they are over the drop zone, although not all troops can see the lights if the plane is especially full.  It's better to have a "jump-master" on board who will count down the jump.  You can see what position the door is in by checking this indicator...

Position 2 - Co-Pilot

The co-pilot's position doesn't do a whole lot in the transport except give you a better view to the right of the plane.  Although there's a yoke for him to control the plane, he cannot in the game, even if the pilot is killed.

The co-pilot also has a pair of binoculars, which I suppose could be handy in some situations.  They can be accessed by hitting the del key on the number pad.

Position 3 - Tailgunner

The tailgunner's single 7.92mm MG17 machinegun is the Ju-52's only weapon.  It has 300 rounds divided into six 50 round drums, can traverse 360°, and enough lateral firing arc to cover the lower tail to the upper cockpit.  It's not very useful against enemy fighters and shouldn't be relied on to clear your six, although a lucky chance is better than no chance at all.

Conclusion

The Ju-52 is a very slow but maneuverable aircraft.  Its best chance for making through to the target is by being unseen.  Escorts might help, but the average enemy pilot would gladly sacrifice himself in order to get a few hits on a transport full of paratroopers.  It's got a fairly good dive speed and might be able to escape the slowest enemy planes, but generally speaking, a transport caught all by itself by an enemy fighter will wind up being shot down.  The tailgun doesn't pack enough power to really threaten enemy fighters, enough speed to out-run them, or enough armor to sustain much damage.  Transports should be use very carefully, and extra steps should be taken every sortie to avoid enemy fighters.  The lives of your passengers are in your hands.

Sources

Fallschirmjager

Paratroopers and World War II

World War II Weapons

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