Read before you jump!
Selecting Drop Zone
As you approach your drop zone a meter at the bottom will show distance in increments of 50m. At 300m it tells you to jump, wait about half a second when it tells you to jump so you can land on top of it
Plane will be moving at high speed so you will have to jump at about 275m to get on top of it.
The momentum will carry you on. If you jump above the drop zone your landing will be way off target.
Choose your landing area wisely. Select place where you have an advantage over the enemy. It should be free of AA guns. It should also be in a spot where there isn't too many enemies, so they won't spot you.
Lastly, if the plane is in flames, but you're still not close to the drop zone, don't even think of waiting! You can reach the target by foot. If you are far far away at the map, you can press f11 to undeploy.
Jumping
Now that you stepped into the blue yonder, there are few things to remember.
- Take notice where are you going to land and take control with your steering.
- Should you come under enemy fire, steering left and right will make you a hard to hit target.
- Pay attention to rate of your descent. If you are falling too fast to land safely steer towards deep water to cushion your fall.
Try landing on rooftops, those offer you great vantage points for picking off your enemies.
- If you are jumping on a forest, try landing on a tree. Enemies will be none the wiser!
- Remember you are an elite unit. If you land behind the enemy’s back and you have a knife, use it to eliminate enemies silently.
If you want to avoid detection by the enemy while in the air, use the 'Free Fall' badge (see Badges, below) to open the parachute whenever you want. This means you can open the parachute extremely close to the floor, so the enemy won't see you while in the air.
Badges
Now that we've covered the basics, it’s time to talk about the badges you need.
There are few important badges that you should wear with pride:
| FREE FALL | HOARDER |
|---|---|
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| This badge lets you decide when you want to deploy your parachute. Comes in handy, because it means you can open your parachute closer to the ground so the enemy won't detect you. You will normally get it after 2-3 combat jumps. | You can fit in some extra rounds. It comes in handy behind enemy lines. |
| DYNAMITE LOVER | CAMOUFLAGED |
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| You seem to always make room for one more grenade or mine. | Enemy will have a much harder time spotting the direction you attack him from. A sharp shooter must have this. |
| GHILLIE | |
| |
| You are invisible to enemy spotters and recon planes. Comes in handy if you're planning booby traps for those pesky tanks. |
Weapons
The weapons you carry as a paratrooper are very important. Paratroopers only have 6 points of spacing, meaning you can only carry a limited amount of weapons.
- Anti-tank rockets and most machine guns are too heavy and you can't carry them.
- Paratroopers can carry their faction's semi-automatic rifles (5 equipment points) or submachine guns (6 equipment points). American and German paratroopers can also use a powerful special machine gun. American paratroopers can also use the M1 Carbine and M1A1 Carbine, the former costing 5 points and the latter costing 4.
- Using a semi-automatic rifle has the advantage of having one spare equipment point for a knife or first aid kit.
- The M1A1 Carbine only costs 4 equipment points, which means that you can also carry a bag of 3 first aid kits, hand grenades, or anti-tank grenades.
- Sometimes, you can consider sacrificing your only ammo pouch of your primary weapon for some accessories. This is particularly viable for Soviet paratroopers, who can carry a PPD-40 or PPSh-41 with no ammo pouches, which still grants 71 rounds of ammo plus room to equip a first aid kit.
- Paratroopers can effectively fulfill the anti-tank role. Equip a pistol plus anti-tank grenades of your choice. You still have two equipment points to spare, so you can use them on another anti-tank grenade or some other gear.
- Finally, you might consider adding a scope to your semiautomatic rifles. You can easily snipe enemies from afar if you are behind enemy lines. You could even snipe them on a tree! 'Camouflaged' is a good badge for this purpose. Alternatively, try to land on and kill enemy snipers for a scoped rifle, which you can then use for the same purpose.
Finally, consider having two different airborne characters:
- One with sticky grenades or antitank mines should you face the armor, another with sub-machine gun or rifle to take out infantry.
- Also consider a dedicated marksman character or an explosives expert.
Tactics
Last but not least, tactics. These are key. A good paratrooper should wreak havoc behind the enemy's lines, making it easier for infantry and tanks to advance. Some things a good paratrooper should always do:
- Kill as many enemies as possible. Landing on a roof will help.
- 'Spot' enemies to help other troops avoid them or kill them.
- Use Panzerfausts to damage or eliminate enemy tanks.
- Seize the moment! If a big group of unsuspecting enemies is lurking nearby, killing your fellow soldiers, use grenades and your main weapon to take them all out!
- Help your troops take the strategical points (e.g. B3, E4, C2, etc.)