Use of Para Callins: FJ's, Pathfinders, and US Paratroops

Since they are priced at a premium I try not to call them unless I absolutely have to.

Overall, I find them not all that useful. The FJ's are good in a pinch, though but they bleed manpower.

How do you guys use these units effectively esp. the Pathfinder?

Pathfinders are pretty good at long range, especially in cover, they also work as great spotters for Set up teams and tanks to get their max range and/or scouts if you hold fire when they camo in cover.

US paras are great if you give them the brownings, they are Firepower comparable to LMG grens.

FJ's are good mid range in cover but you are right they bleed manpower like nothing else.

I've been incorporating a Pathfinder into my Airborne builds, and I like having it around. It will "Snipe" units that are below 40% health. If you keep it behind your Rifleman, they can help pick guys off before they retreat. Pathfinders only cost like 290 manpower, so not too bad.

My problem with Paratroopers is by the time they unlock, I really don't want to spend 380 manpower for another infantry squad. I need to be teching/getting weapon teams/buying tanks. They are still really good, and with the LMG upgrade they do a ton of damage. One of the few infantry units that can stand up to OKW elite infantry.

I love FJ's. I sometimes choose to skip T4 with Luftwaffe, it's expensive and I can get all I need from T2 and T3. Spawning them from buildings is the smartest thing you ca do because you can jump in and protect them right away.

Pathfinders are pretty neat. They do great long range damage and I regularly get a vet-3 squad. They might even have longer range at vet 3.

Late game they offer so much vision that they become exceptional. I am willing to use a unit early game if it scales up in utility so well. Getting vision for your Pack Howitizers or M8A1s is pretty tough as US forces without directly engaging the enemy. Pathfinders are good early game and continue to help such units. I have even bought such units just to scout before although the price tag is tough to justify with the Airborne version.

Paratroopers are gods with dual LMGs. They can even fight Obersoldaten.

http://www.coh2.org/replay/19324/esl-wfa-vindicare-vs-corpshep-us-vs-okw

This game features me fumbling through with both of these units. I let myself get rattled and lost too many troops to grenades but you can see the effectiveness of the two units in their respective elements.

Fallscrimjagers are like okay? I dunno. They're expensive and decent at killing infantry but so fragile that I find them often a manpower burden against good players. Obersoldaten are more reliable but Fallscrimjagers can make do in a pinch.

I only find the Pathfinder good in the OKW match up. Stick them in a building and they'll be an annoyance for OKW for a while.

Paratroopers are... Meh. I really want to like them. The way they fire M1919s from the hip when they're on the move is fucking hilarious.
But they're just not good. They can lose to Sturmpios, and that's a joke. That should be a win for Paras 10/10 times, hands down. Generally they're just entirely inferior to comparable troops for Axis and they can't even scratch Obersoldaten, and when Obers are vetted your Paras are a massive liability because they continuously bleed manpower for no contribution, except for a more powerful capping squad.

If Paras had a reliable vehicle snare or at least tried to fill the same niche as Rangers did in CoH1, I might be more sympathetic, but they're just essentially Riflemen with a little more firepower, and that's not what US needs at that stage of the game. Vetted Riflemen, Lieutenant and Captain already provide tonnes of damage output with more utility. Their demo charges are even worse than the Assault Engineers you get with the Armour Doctrine.

If you can get vet 3 on them and your opponent doesn't have the right counters, they can be a massive thorn in the enemy's side, but other than that their genuine benefit is limited to when you're already massively ahead.

With that said, I think the Airborne doctrine in general fills a good niche in its own right. Get a Medic Truck, drop a Pathfinder beacon, and set up a retreat point with the Major and you can set up an FOB nearly as good as what OKW can do, and it's easy to pack up and move around. It's great for dropping .50 cals and AT Guns into the fight. The 12 CP call-in SUCKS BALLS though. Worst 120munis you can spend.

Yeah give paras back recoiless rifles!

My first USA 2v2 with my teammate we faced down double OKW who both went Luftwaffe and *spammed* Falschirmjaeger squads. They also made (seemingly) frequent use of the airborne assault ability, which results in dropping a paratrooper squad. I was stunned by how many they managed to field in a 30-40 minute game. We kept wiping them out (because the players weren't so good) and they kept producing more. Even got a couple of panthers out too!

Paratroopers are cheap to reinforce, but expensive to build initially. Which is an odd combination but I'm not complaining I guess. Thompsons are pretty good although not utterly spectacular. I haven't tried them with the LMG upgrade yet.

Pathfinders are expensive to reinforce and pretty rubbish in a stand up fight - or rather they don't scale into the late game well. Maybe I'll experiment with upgrading them with BARs or something.

Pathfinders can be used as a counter to the Ostheer sniper because they get cloak/hold-fire and great range.

same sentiments with cyridius. paras are basically a more expensive riflemen squad without all that extra goodies like smoke and AT nades. for 380mp, they are just not worth the buy. unless they went panzerfusilier spam, that LMG upgrade might be worth something.

thompsons in general, turns them into shock troops. but against usually overwhelming german firepower, closing in is rarely an option, staying at range and in cover, relying on support teams and grenades is still, the best way to engage infantry combat.

they could bring in more utility skills like the dreaded sticky bombs or just a regular conscripts AT nade.

airborne tree is mostly for the pathfinders with their capability to snipe stuff at range and to skip tiers with 57mm or HMG drops.

on the side note, i miss pershing and calliope.

Pathfinders with double bars are really good AI. They get 2 snipers and 2 bars which is pretty awesome. Once you get a paratrooper blob going (3-4 of them) all upgraded with lmgs and vetted they can fight the OKW blob almost as effectively. The problem is getting up to that point and trying to trade efficiently with inefficient units.

I would like paratroopoers to be a bit better though instead of being shut down by one puma or one mg. Give them some AT capability or some way to flank mgs with smoke would be nice. Maybe a thrown satchel charge since their demo charge sucks.

Where is my rangers at?!

Using the AT-less paratroopers after recently playing CoH I is an adjustment. Specifically, one with lots of dead paratroopers.

I like FJs to flank for my shrekd VGs that I use mostly for anti-armour in mid game.

They basically seem to be longer ranged shocks, so I don't like to get too close with them

If you can unlock recon support, IR pathfinders lose a squad man but gain the ability to call down rapid and extremely accurate arty fire.,they also get price cut all the way down to 210....they are TOTALLY amazing to say the least.

Also,the final callin(airborne assault) drops in 2 paras with either bazooks,thompsons,or a single MG, along with an AT gun,for 900 mp,which usually unlocks around the 12-16 minute range.

If you can sneak your WAY CHEAPER pathfinders behind enemy lines,and then accurately drop and reinforce that many well equipped paras and an AT gun,you're set.

Having more than 1 FJ squad is a mp drain for you. They are good for hunting down snipers and retreating squads.

Pathfinders are awesome scouts and can clean mgs during an assault. IF you lay beacons with them (it's hidden and provides intel about nearby enemies) you can call in and reinforce paras next to them.

US paras with upgrades are one of the most best anti-infantry US unit.