Airdropping Units into Enemy Cities?

[EvilConqueror]

I just finished a game where I had to take a lot of one square island cities. To help speed things up, I decided to build some helicopters and paratroopers so that I could just drop them in enemy cities after I emptied those cities with bombers.

However, almost a dozen attempts at this were unsuccessful. Every time I tried to land a unit in an empty enemy city, the "airdrop failed".

Has anyone been able to successfully airdrop a unit into an enemy city?

 

[Gosnork]

You can't airdrop into enemy cities or onto tiles with enemy units.

 

[scoutsout]

...had to take a lot of one square island cities.

I had to review my own article ...and can't believe I omitted that little wrinkle.

Gosnork is correct, you can't drop the paratroopers into cities. Though I didn't cover it in my article, I do remember testing it prior to writing that article.

To take the one-tile island cities you've basically got 2 options.

1. Beat the city out of the AI as part of a peace settlement. You can't play this card if the one-tile island city is the AI capitol.
2. In a word: Marines. (Unless playing as Vikings, which gives you the Berserk as an amphibious assault unit. )

 

[EvilConqueror]

Thank you both for the replies.

Why do they even have that option available, if it isn't even possible? It would have been nice if they but the red null circle over cities or said something in the Civilopedia.

Oh well. I resorted to a marine in a transport since two of the civs had capitals on one square cities. Slow going since I was playing on a huge map but it did the trick.

 

[AznWarlord]

Would've sucked to be me - I leave optional techs to the AI (except for Monarchy or any other Government I require at the time, Military Trad., and Nationalism, sometimes Chivalry) so I probably won't have had Marines for a while.

 

[Headbanger]

But you'd think on a one tile map that would be a major priority?

 

[EvilConqueror]

I was lucky enough to get it in a peace treaty.

 

[Headbanger]

If you think about it this makes sense. Would YOU want to parachute into a city full of flagpoles, trees, buildings and resisting people?

 

[EvilConqueror]

If you think about it this makes sense. Would YOU want to parachute into a city full of flagpoles, trees, buildings and resisting people?

I agree with you.

I don't understand why the game doesn't just block you from being able to do so.

 

[Headbanger]

I do wish you could land helicopters in cities though. Armies do that all the time.

As for why, it probably escaped the designer's veiw. Every game has its flaws.

 

[EvilConqueror]

Landing helicopters in enemy cities would be pretty cool.

 

[Headbanger]

Question, can you airdrop tanks ala Vietnam?

 

[scoutsout]

Question, can you airdrop tanks ala Vietnam?

No - "wheeled" units cannot be airdropped or loaded onto helicopters. You can airlift them from an airport or airfield to another.

As for airdropping tanks, IIRC those were not "Main Battle Tanks" that were air-droppable, but a tank with a much lighter hull that was designed for rapid deployment force purposes. I believe the only aircraft capable of airlifting a main battle tank is a C-5...which isn't used for equipment drops or airborne operations.

 

[silver 2039]

You can only air drop into empty cities. I use lethal air bombard to wipe out defenders or nuclear strikes and then I air drop my forces in.

 

[Headbanger]

As for airdropping tanks, IIRC those were not "Main Battle Tanks" that were air-droppable, but a tank with a much lighter hull that was designed for rapid deployment force purposes. I believe the only aircraft capable of airlifting a main battle tank is a C-5...which isn't used for equipment drops or airborne operations.

That would still make for an awesome unit combo.