[WM] Paks Ultimate Stug Guide

Pak88mm Offline

EIR Veteran
Posts: 423

« on: October 03, 2009, 10:39:46 pm »

Well after running these bastard childs for a few games i figure i got it down a bit so i figure i make a guide helping others spam these bad boys into daddies favorite.

History of the Stug

Stugs were developed to help german infantry maintain with the momentum of the panzer divisions. With tanks busy blasting the rear and advancing forward the infantry needed support to take out defense. Thus the Stug was born. Originally they supported infantry division with their low velocity 75mm to take out mgs bunkers and other pesky enemy defenses. But as the war progressed they were pressed into fighting other enemy tanks and that was something they werent designed to do. Soon Stugs were upgunned with a high velocity 75mm and given more AT power but at the expense of anti infantry power. Thus the little old Stug became the highest killer of enemy tanks of the entire war. Many aces were born, new tactics born and the Stug was without a doubt the most effective Assault Gun of the war.

The Stug of EiR

This bastard is nowhere near the intimating bad boy from the real war. He lacks the hitting power, the speed and targeting of the real one. But in the right hands and with the right tactics he can sure be the old salt he was modelled after. Its a tricky bastard to manage and use well but this is why you are here. So lets get right on to it

Pros And Cons

Pros
Good Armor
Great AT power
Good Speed
Excellent with Doctrine T4s
Superb Suppression ability

Cons
Low health
No turret
Weak Anti infantry
Vunerable without skirts or MG
mediocre without Doctrine T4s
Bad Targeting speed

Stug Basics

Stugs need help. You need to give em that so lets start with the basic

Skirts

Number 1 they are must. they allow you to resist Hand held AT alot better than without em. This keeps alive longer and allows them to fight off pesky RRs and Zooks. You need em cuz without em why did you get a Stug in the 1st place.

MG

Well well look another number 1. Why? simple, you need to suppress infantry and keep em at bay from sticking you or running around your flank and RRing or Zooking you to death. As we shall get into later on you will find out that 2 stugs with MG turret = Instant suppressed infantry. Guess what you can suppress blobs as well with em.

Repair Kit

not essential but if you want vet or staying power on the field this is a must. Stugs have low health that is a plus and negative. For one they take too much damage fast that means they lose staying power* thus they lose effectiveness. But on the other hand they can be repaired fast cuz of their low health so you can have back on the front fast. Its up to you but as ill get into with doctrine choices they are either a must or optional.

*Staying Power is a term i use. It means how long can that unit stay on the field without being called off or dying. The longer the better the shorter the worse. It effects your call in timer for one and two make vetting units take longer. Health kits, med stations increase infantry staying power. While repair kits increase tanks. The more the better, thus you can maintaining battlefield dominance, gaining vet and have call in timer on your side for critical moments in combat.

Stug and Doctrines

Im currently using terror so i have german steel as my T4. Health and penetration defense helps stugs live longer. I can also by happy to sacrifice them knowing that much vet wont matter. Now you can go blitz or defense and you get the following.

   Blitz Heat Rounds
25% more damage is great, but no defensive bonuses. Now you really can use those repair kits to keep the Stug on the field and allowing it to build vet to gain these. Its a good choice.

   Defensive Fatherland Defense
The health boost is nasty. This makes up for Stugs love health those gets em as close as good to German steel plus everything you have gets the boost. Good choice and you can skimp on repair kits if you like.

Stug Tactics

We now reach the butter of guide. As it melts thru on the bread you can see its magic work all over for that wholesome goodness. We need to figure out how to use these bastard effectively.
Always keep in mind that you are playing a team game. Your Stugs can only excel with teamwork and tactics. Without either they are shit! Work with team mates and the Stug will become.....THE MIGHT OF THE AXIS WAR MACHINE.

Team Stug

Stugs work 100& better together! they are a team. In real combat Stugs worked as a team to cover each other flanks. A lone Stug is well a ok aka dead Stug. Use a minimum of 2 always! more is better but depending on battlefields conditions the norm is 2. This allows them to support each other and suppress any incoming infantry with mgs. A simple and effective Stug formation is a Wedge formation like

   Stug 1

   Stug 2 Stug 3

Of course you have at most 2 on the field but you can figure it out. The forward engages frontal threats the others keep and eye out for flanking threats like Tanks or zooks or RRs. This allows your Stugs to cover each other effectively. This also allows you to fall back in good order while covering each other. Stugs lined up in neat rows are dead Stugs! Keep em in a Wedge! The frontal Stug will bare the most brunt but if he happens to take engine damage at least he can still cover the front. Dont make the mistake of pushing the rear Stug to save the Forward one. Keep retreating in good order and you are more effective team and thus saving one so he can repair and come back to kick ass.

Stug on the offensive

Team covered the basic scenario of being attacked now we get the offensive mode. The wedge formation still applies. Though now it has to be shorten enough to give em Harder offensive power. Rember to scout 1st or use infantry to lead the attack followed by the Stugs. This allows you to see the defense and pick the choice targets......and they are in order

   AT Guns
They will do the most damage. Focus fire on them. 2 stugs will murder any AT gun. The Mgs kill and suppress crew while the cannon blast em to shit.
   Hand Held AT
Airborne and Rangers can flank you better than tanks. Hit em hard and suppress em while backing up. You kill the AT guns so you have more room for manouvre. Use it and kite these bitches to deah
   Tanks
You can own them hard and you will most likely have TEAM MATES helping you. Thus They can be hit next. Though most likely they are the rarest but they still can be effective. Just back up and run em into your supporting team.
   Support weapons
Pinning you followup infantry or mortaring pinned men. Kill them and let your infantry mop up any left over.
   Infantry
Bleh thats why you have a team and thats why you infantry leave those buggers to the infantry.

Remember to always work with TEAM MATES. 2 or 3 Stugs with a panther and supporting infantry is downright evil. Keep you choice targets in order and this allows your TEAM MATES to work the rest. Nothing better than blasting that 57mm to let your panther go kill fucking tanks while you then kill RRS and Zooks while his infantry mops em up and then you kill any MGS trying to suppress his infantry! Think TEAMWORK! think support! your Stug has now become a break thru artist. Platinum.....

Stugs Enemies

While your Stug might a bastard he still has enemies. Most of these come in form of tanks, at guns and hand held AT so lets run em down shall we.

Sherman
not much of a threat since you are working with 2 stugs this pose no great danger to you. just keep backing up and remember that you hit harder than him so he isnt going to do much. Upgunned can be a bit tricky but once again you are working in tandems. Remember to always focus fire and let him come to you. You really cant flank with a Stug that well lol.

M10
Fast hit hard but is pretty much and egg shell vs your Stugs. Keep the wedge and he wont get around you. Keep backing up and rotating those babies and remember wedge. By the time he reaches and kind of flaking opportunity he would have run himself into your support or your turning wedge.

M18
Same as M10. Though be careful with their range thos nasty AP round m18s. Dont chase they outrange you. Fight em on your terms and with some PAK support. Most people cant use em lol so you dont have to worry much about em...till someone figures them out.

Firefly
You will lose this battle. Most people can use these right and they outrange you. use support like paks and panther or even p4s to soak some hits while you charge in with your Stugs. They are fragile but with Command tank and good micro they can devaste your Stugs. These are your nightmare units. Avoid head on and use good support and tactics to beat em

Pershing
Team Work nuff. said.

Scout Cars
Stunning or just being pesky dont worry about em they do damage but nothing to panick about. Thought harder to hit focus on bigger targets and lets support deal with them. But if you have to just wedge and watch him run off with .25 health.

AT guns
2 stugs = dead At gun. But let your inf deal with them or support. If you have to take em head on just Focus fire and they will die but you will have a half health or .25 stug. Got repair kits?

Rifles
You outrange em and can suppress em. Dont ever get close unless you 100% sure they arent packing stickies. If they are eh no biggie but you have to waste repair to kit to make your Stug potent again.

Rangers/Airborne
Same as rifles. RRs deal more damage so be careful with them and exposing your flanks. Dont panick you can easily beat 2 rrs squads and take less damage than you would against a single AT gun. Rangers arent as dangerous but with Tank reapers they can be as nasty as RRs.

Piats
.....just dont bring your stugs near any building where they can shoot over. Otherwise these guys pose no threat to you. Rifles are more dangerous.

Stug Micro

This i cant really teach its all on you but practice backing them up, turning them, backing them up turning them lol yeah you get the point. But also getting and keeping a wedge. With all other shit going on and other units to micro this can be hard. But practice makes better. If anything group other units while keep an eye on Stugs. Thus any instant problems arise you can hit 1 key and find that unit and commanding it while keeping an eye on your Stugs. Like i said i cant teach it its all you.

Conclusion of the Stug

Love em Hate em they are what they are. I personally voiced my general hate for them hardcore! but seeing how easy it was to rape people with P4s i figure why not use Stugs and make em work......i did and you can to. Be prepared for growing pains and sheer madness. Dont get too attached to them know that they are expendable. Use em right they will win you games, use em wrong and well..yeah. Just remember what you read here. Tailor your build accordinly to work well with your Stugs and always remember that this is a TEAM GAME. You cant do it all on your own. Everything works better with TEAM WORK AND TEAM MATES.

PS aka My build

Well you want an example here it is in short

9 x Stugs(all w/skirt,mg,rep)
2 x paks 2x mortars 2x mgs
3 x volks w/ faust
8 x Grens w/lmg and 1x nade
1 x 50mm puma
1 x nebel
1 x bike

its kinda easy to figure out how i set up my call ins so yeah and doctrince and adv choices......have fun


« Last Edit: June 11, 2010, 12:13:28 pm by Unkn0wn »	Logged

Exactly.

There is only so many times you can slaughter Lt Apollo, Rocksitter, and Alwaysloseguy24 before you get bored and fall asleep.

-GamesGuy-

Most Hated player in EiR....Pak88Mm

IJustDontCare Offline

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Posts: 315

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