PARALEADER
Adding Paratroopers to PANZER LEADER
By Oscar Oates

	World War II saw the first use of large, elite combat forces dropped from the air. Their deployment was both decisive and disasterous, with success and failure on grand scales not confined to
either the Allies or the Axis.
	General Kurt Student, the founder of the German airborne corps, felt that his allschirmjaeger
were responsible for the quick defeat of Holland and Belgium in 1940. Following their limited role in the conquest of Norway, nearly 4000 men were dropped to capture key bridges in the Lowlands, necessary for the rapid advance of the main invasion  force;  casualties  were  light,  only  180 paratroopers fell, an auspicious debut. And, in one of the most amazing coups-de-main in military
annals, a small force of German paratroopers neutralized the Belgian fortress of Eban-Emael. The German parachute corps had no little reason to bask in the honors heaped upon it by Hitler and the Fatherland. The result was far different in the 1941 airborne invasion of the island of Crete. Losses were of such magnitude (over one-third of the 22000-man force) that all future operations were forbidden. Thereafter, the German paratroopers were used in an elite infantry role, with the exception of defensive drops in Sicily and the Balkans and the abortive drop in the Ardennes in December 1944.
	The Allies likewise had their coups and misadventures with airborne forces. In July 1943, British and American forces were landed in Sicily to begin the reconquest of the Continent. More than a third of the gliders carrying the British 1st Air Landing Brigade were released too soon, causing them to crash into the Mediterranean with much loss  of  life.  The  rest  were  scattered  over southeastern Sicily; only twelve gliders arrived at their  objectives.  The American  landings  were likewise widely dispersed; however, the damage and confusion which was created alarmed the Italian and German forces facing the invasion.
	The invasion of Italy at Salerno was accompanied by a paradrop of a slightly different nature. On the nights of September 13, 14 and 15, 2200 troopers of the US 82nd Airborne Division were dropped. The first night only one man in 600 dropped was injured; the second night 1000 more were
dropped into the same zone without loss. The third night's drop met with less success due to the mountains  at  Avellino - only  fifteen  of  the  forty transport planes found the drop zone. The rest were widely scattered and most of the troopers captured. 
	The Normandy invasion was to be the "showpiece" of the Allied airborne formations. Approximately 18000 Allied troops dropped into battle. Although many of these drops were off target, most of the forces were able to achieve their objectives and contributed greatly to the success of the D-Day landings.
	On 17 September 1944, the largest airdrop to date occurred when three Allied divisions were simultaneously committed to battle from the skies. In an unprecedented daylight assault, an entire Allied airborne army, complete with vehicles and equipment, was dropped behind German lines in occupied Holland. Though well-conceived and planned, a loss of surprise and the presence of unsuspected German forces caused the cancellation of the ultimate objective: the invasion of Germany. Operation Varsity was the last great para-operation of the war; two Allied airborne divisions were dropped into Germany to pave the way for Montgomery's crossing of the Rhine. Thereafter, the airborne troops of the Allies were used as standard infantry formations, as were their German counterparts.
	From this brief history, it can be readily seen that paratroop actions were an important increment of overall military planning, both in the German Blitzkrieg and the Allied liberation of Europe. It has often been said that tactical simulation of these actions would be difficult at best. The primary obstacles cited in the "Designer's Notes" section of PANZER LEADER center around the fact that most paratroop assaults were made at night and the resultant problems of intelligence (on both sides). Defense commanders Had the dual problem of determining that a landing had occurred and, once he had confirmed that it had come to earth, where. On the other side, even with the knowledge that specific enemy units were in an area, their actual deploymentas well as his ownwere equally unknown by the paratroop commander. That this confusion would require complicated restrictions to be built into the game's design or that such be ignored was the final avowed reason for not including the actual drops in the game; instead, by simply beginning the parachute scenarios several hours later, both sides were assumed to have been able to become oriented and organized and play could proceed  smoothly. However, the basic design of the PB/PL family negates this very confusion somewhat since every piece on the mapboard is in open view to both players (unless one of the several variants for "blind" play is opted for) in every scenario anyway. Therefore, this argument is not completely valid. To introduce this important aspect of combat on the Western front is the purpose of the following variant rule format and scenarios, based on the historical operations previously summarized.

Para Units
	The units of PANZER LEADER are in need of only slight modifications for use as paratroop units. The primary units paradropped were infantry, so modifications will be made to these to represent the elite status enjoyed by airborn forces. Using the standard values of the attack and defense strengths put forth in PANZER LEADER and PANZER LEADER 1940, the following platoon configurations would appear to be appropriate:

	Artillery support was also provided in the form of various small howitzers, anti-tank guns and other specially-designed light weaponry. Both the Allies and the Germans used gliders; therefore, these units can be assumed to require that mode of transportation in all scenarios.
	In addition, to more accurately simulate the paradrops, these units should be further divided into  "sticks"  or  units  of ten  to  twelve  men. Christopher Chyba provided a simple method for this (Vol. 11, No. 4). For our purposes, this method would yield the following units:

	Finally, the transport of the paraforces must be considered. Two basic game design approaches could have been taken. The first would ustilize a highly abstract method of paradropping units by matching the "sticks" or glider units assigned with hexes landed in successfully. The second method, still somewhat abstract, would introduce actual aircraft counters. The second method was chosen. In the case of the gliders, one concession was made in that it must be assumed that these have been already
released by their tow planes at the moment they enter play. Below are the transport units, each of which represents an individual craft:

Each aircraft and glider unit is assumed to have the capacity to carry one full platoon or battery. The glider units represent various types of craft used by their respective sides to transport combat forces.

Special Rules
	
	In a variant such as this, a few new rules and charts are inevitable. Hopefully, those presented here are straightfoward and logical. In all other areas, the general rules of PANZER LEADER (whether standard, optional or experimental as agreed upon by the players) are the basis for the scenarios.

1.  GENERAL RULES
A. Preparation for Play:
	1.  Airborne player selects landing hexes and turn(s) of entry for his forces, secretly 		noting this information for future reference.
	2. Defending player sets up his on-board forces.
	3. Paradrops occur in the Air Phase (see Turn Sequence, below).
	4. Paraforce units move first, unless otherwise specified by the scenario in play.
	5. Turn Sequence (Modified):
		a. Wind Direction and Wind Speed Determination
		b. Combat Phase (as per PL Rules)
		c. Air Phase:
			1.  Movement of all planes to positions over target hexes.
			2. Anti-aircraft attacks.
			3. Paradrops and glider landings are executed, including resolution of 				scatter, survival and attacks by enemy units in the same hex.
			4. Air-to-ground  combat  by  fighter-bombers.
		d. Movement Phase
		e. Close Assault Phase
B. Special Unit Capabilities:
	1.  Paratroop units (complete platoons only) have all the capabilities of Engineer units. They can remove mines and blocks, demolish bridges and create blocks according to the standard PL rules. CAT attack odds and die roll are also modified accordingly.
	2. 88mm and 90mm artillery batteries may be used in their anti-aircraft role.
C. Night Modifications: (Due to the fact that most of the scenarios take place during the hours of darkness, modifications must be made as below. These will be in effect only when specified by the scenario in play.)
	1.  Reduce all ranges by half (rounded down).
	2. Limit spotting to four hexes.
	3. Cut all vehicular movement by 3MP (Exception: wagons).
D. Wind Direction Determination: Wind direction is a key element in any paradrop. To simulate this factor, wind direction is randomly determined by rolling a die prior to each turn and consulting the appropriate diagram below according to mapboard orientation: 

This gives the players the direction the wind is blowing from. For example, a die roll of six indicates, with the second given mapboard orientation, the following wind direction:

E. Wind Speed Determination: As with wind direction, wind speed too is a critical factor. Wind speed is randomly determined by rolling a die and consulting the following chart:

F. Only two platoons (or their equivalent) are permitted to land in a single hex. Likewise, only two gliders may land in a given target hex. When more than these limits land in a hex, due to scatter, all friendly units in the hex are dispersed.
G. Gliders and transport planes may be subjected to anti-aircraft fire in the anti-aircraft phase.
H. Transport planes behave as other aircraft and must conform to standard PL rules in all respects.
I.  All parachute and glider units need not land during the initial game turn. However, their turn and hex of landing must have been written down prior to the enemy player's initial set up.

II.  PARATROOP RULES

A. Paratroops land during the Air Phase segment of the controlling player's turn.
B. Paratroop units are dropped by "sticks", one platoon per plane load. Two full platoons may be targeted for any one hex per turn.
C. Drift Determination: Due to wind speed and direction, all paratroop units are scattered according charts:

The letter determined by rolling a die and cross indexing with the current wind status is then matched with the following drift diagram. The first number indicates the maximum number of "sticks" which may land in the target hex. Further numbers indicate the "sticks" which may land in the appropriate hexes. Sticks always drift downwind. Drift of all units targeted for landing in a given hex in a turn is determined but once.

For example: there is a gusty wind and a "3" is rolled on the Drift Pattern Chart, indicating the pattern for the drift would be an "I" pattern. The wind is from the west. The result would appear on the mapboard as  below:

Units which land offboard due to the drift are lost. It is possible that sticks belonging to different platoons will land in the same hex; the total number of sticks landing in a single hex may not total more than the equivalent of two platoons. If more than the equivalent of two platoons land in a single hex, all are dispersed.
D. Paratroop Survival: Each paratroop stick is subjected to jump survival according to the following chart:

X  =  Paratroop unit in EUMINATHD
D  =  Paratroop unit is DISPERSED
--  =  NO EFFECT

E. Parachute units landing in hexes containing enemy units are subjected to immediate attack by all undispersed units in that hex which have not fired in that turn's anti-aircraft segment.
F. Paradropped units may not move in the turn in which they are dropped, but may participate in CAT attacks, albeit without the favorable -2 DRM.
G. Paradropped units landing on mines are subjected to minefield attacks at the appropriate time in the turn sequence.
H. Undispersed "sticks" may form whole platoons. Sticks need not combine with sticks of their own plane load to form a complete platoon, but must combine with sticks of their own type. In order to complete the combination, sticks must begin a friendly player turn in a hex free of enemy units. Before any other action, simply replace the appropriate number of sticks with a platoon counter. These newly-formed platoons may move but may not participate in Direct Fire attacks; they may, however, take part in CAT attacks. Units may not form whole platoons on turn of landing. Once formed, whole platoons may not break down into
sticks.

III. GLIDER RULES

A. Gliders fly according to the general rules for aircraft. However, gliders must enter the mapboard headed in the direction and hex row in which the target hex is located.
B. As with paratroops, the turn(s) of landing and landing hex(es) must be chosen and written down prior to the defensive player's initial placement. 
C. Gliders may carry one fully-formed platoon or artillery battery. Artillery may only be carried in gliders, never airdropped (Exception: Scenario 10, Oroesbeek Heights).
D. Gliders are subject to anti-aircraft fire during the Air Phase.
E. Only two gliders may land in any given hex in a single game turn. Glider units do count toward stacking limits. As with paratroopers, exceeding this limit causes all friendly units in the hex to become dispersed.
F. Glider Drift and Landing: As they were not powered craft, gliders too are subject to drift. The following procedure is consulted during the landing segment of the Air Phase in determining the landing of gliders:
	1.  Determine, by rolling one die, if the glider lands on target, short or long. "On target" is indicated by a die roll of 3 or 4; "long" by a roll of 5 or 6; "short" by a roll of I or 2. This would place the glider in one of three hexes:

DIRECTION OF FLIGHT

------------------------>

	2. Check the wind direction and speed for the current turn (as determined during the beginning of the turn) and shift the glider unit one hex in that direction for a low wind, two hexes for a gusty wind, or three hexes for a high wind. This procedure is followed for each glider unit individually.

For example: a glider has been targeted for hex A. A gusty wind is blowing from the number five hexside. The die roll indicates the glider would land short of hex A. The drift correction makes the actual landing occur in hex B.

G. Glider Survival: Upon landing, the following chart is consulted to determine if the glider unit is lost (crashed) or if it lands without mishap. This is intented to simulate the difficulty and frequent casualties encountered with glider landings in Word War II. This procedure is followed for each glider unit individually.

H. Gliders landing on hexes containing blocks or forts have a -1 DRM applied to the die roll on the Glider Landing Survival Chart.
I.  Gliders landing on minefield hexes have a -1 DRM applied to the die roll on the Glider Landing Survival Chart. Provided they survive the landing, the gliders and the passengers are subject to minefield attack as per standard PL rules.
J. Units landing in gliders may unload but may not move in the turn they land. They may participate in Direct Fire and CAT attacks.

IV. EXAMPLES OF PLAY

A. ParadropSequence   
	1.  The paradrop sequence is executed in the Air Phase.
	2. Two platoons of German Fallschirmjaeger are targeted for landing in target hex T during turn 	3

WIND = ------->
.

	3. A wind speed of gusty from the sixth hexside is determined from the charts.
	4. At the beginning of turn 3, all transport planes are moved to their target hexes, including two 	over hex T.

WIND = ------>

	5. The transports are subjected to AA fire, with no effect.
	6. Surviving transports drop their paratroopers in sticks. The drift chart is consulted with a die 	roll of "3", giving a scatter pattern of "I", and the units are scattered accordingly.

	7. After the sticks are placed in the proper hexes due scattering, the Paratroop Jump Survival 	Chart is consulted for each stick. All sticks land in clear terrain and all survive the landing.
	8. This procedure is repeated for each target hex. 

B. Glider Landing Sequence
	1.  Glider landings occur in the Air Phase.
	2. Two Allied gliders are targeted for hex U in turn 2.
	3. Wind speed is determined to be high and blowing from hexside four.
	4. At the beginning of turn 2, all gliders start at the edge of the board in the hex row in which 	their respective target hex is locatedin this case, hex row U.
	5. Next, the drift of the gliders is determined; two die rolls bring a short landing and a long 	landing.
	6. The gliders are moved, one to hex A (short) and one to hex B (long).

	7. The gliders undergo AA attacks, with no effect.
	8. The gliders are then considered landed and the Glider Landing Survival Chart is consulted. Both landed in clear hexes and survived the landing.
	9. Units unload from gliders. Note that glider-borne units are not broken down and therefore need not combine in the next turn to be effective.
	10. This procedure is repeated for each glider landing.

V. OPTIONAL RULES

	The following are some optional and experimental rules which have been suggested through the course of playtesting the scenarios. These were not incorporated into the above "standard" rules as they may alter play and play-balance dramatically. On the other hand, these can add still more realism and variety to the game.

A. Field-of-Fire for Artillery
	This rule and its explanation is found in the PL rulebook. Utilization of this optional role will have considerable effect on the defending player. This restriction will make necessary the careful deployment of all artillery units, especially AA batteries.
B. Opportunity Fire
	This rule is also to be found in the PL rulebook. Its purpose is to prevent the phenomenon referred to as "Panzerbush", the unrealistic running of units from cover to cover past enemy units. In this
regard,  it  is  highly  recommended  for  these scenarios. (A further modification of the Opportunity Fire rules of PL can be found in Volume 12, Number 2 for additional realism.] The movement requirement for aircraft (as their movement factor is  considered  infinite  in  the  scale  of the  game system) in the LOS of an AA unit is satisfied by five hexes.
C. Crash Landings
	In some situations, a "D" result on the AA Combat Results Table is not a realistic  representation.  Rather than add another table to the body of the rules, this optional rule is offered to reflect crash landings  necessitated  by  severe  damage,  not immediately fatal, to transport aircraft.
	1. Transport aircraft, including gliders, which suffer a "D" result on the AA Combat Results Table are referred to the following procedure. A die is first rolled to determine if the pilot will attempt a crash landing. An even roll indicates that normal glider or parachute procedures are followed for that aircraft. An odd die roll result means that the pilot opts for a crash landing attempt. To determine the success of the attempt, a single die is rolled: an even number means that the aircraft has survived the crash landing; an odd result indicates it has been destroyed and is removed from play along with all passengers.
	2. All sticks, if the aircraft survives the landing attempt, land in the same hex; there is no drift.
	3. Sticks must still combine to form whole platoons; landing in the same hex does not remove this requirement nor foreshorten it.
	4. Surviving sticks and glider-borne platoons are automatically dispersed upon crash landing to
simulate the initial confusion of such a landing.
D. Varied Unit Combination
	It is easy to foresee that often there will be fewer survivors than the required number of sticks to make up a full platoon. This can result in many scattered sticks, unable to form effective combat units, a frustrating state of affairs. This rule is an alternative reminiscent of "step reduction" in reverse, giving the paraforce commander an option he would not otherwise enjoy.
	1. Reduced strength German and Allied platoons may be formed as follows:

	2. The  same  procedure  for  forming  complete platoons is followed for these reduced strength platoons.
	3. These partial or reduced strength platoons have all the capabilities of engineers except for the increase in odds advantage in CAT attacks.
	4. These units may not combine further, either with sticks or other reduced strength platoons, to form complete paratrooper platoons. [These units are not included in the counter mix located in the insert of this issue.]

Bibliography
For those interested in reading of the further exploits of the paraforces in World War II and creating more Para-Leader scenarios, the following are recommended:
Fallschimjaeger by R. Boehmier (1969)
Saga of the Alt-American by W. Forrest Dawson
(private printing)
Paratrooper! by Gerard M. Deviin (1979)
Air Assault by John R. Galvin (1969) i
The Glider Warby James E. Mrazak (1975)
A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan (1974)
The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan (1959)
Hunters From The Sky by Charles Whiting (1974)

The Scenarios
The following are scenarios based on various airborne operations of World War II. It should be noted that both standard PANZER LEADER and PANZER LEADER 1940 (Volume 15, Number 2) counters are used, as well as the new paraunits found in the insert of this issue.