Paratroopers, known also as Paras, are a class of allied NPC found in Medal of Honor: Frontline, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Medal of Honor: Vanguard, and Medal of Honor: Airborne; they are the focus of the latter two games.
In real life, paratrooper regiments were used by numerous nations during the Second World War. The nations depicted using paratroopers are the British, United States, and Germany, although the last nation's paratroopers are discussed on the Fallschirmjaeger page. Paratroopers operate as ground infantry, although with more training on how to operate, and land via, the parachutes they are issued. In many cases, paratroopers used lighter or more compact weapons than the regular ground forces of a nation, such as the M1 carbine and FG-42.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault[]
In Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Mike Powell and Ramsey finds a few 101st Airborne paratroopers who joins them while attempting to destroy some German artillery positions.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Spearhead[]
The player character in Spearhead is a member of the 101st Airborne Division, and paradrops into France during D-Day. However, the airborne is not the focus of the campaign, and plays only a small role in the game itself.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Breakthrough[]
The player will fight alongside 82nd Airborne paratroopers in the end of Mission 2.
Medal of Honor: Frontline[]
The paratroopers featured in the Frontline missions Seaside Stowaway, Rough Landing and Nijmegen Bridge are American troops, while those from Arnhem Knights are British soldiers, respectively. They use M1 Garand and Lee-Enfield rifles respectively, and are mostly scripted. They serve mostly to add atmosphere to the missions, as it is possible to complete the mission itself without attempting to save any of the American/British paratroopers. However, they are decent fighters, and can hold their own against equivalent Wehrmacht infantry.
Medal of Honor: European Assault[]
In European Assault, especially in Battle of the Bulge, where the player commands a squad of 101st Airborne paratroopers.
Medal of Honor: Vanguard[]
In Vanguard, the player character is again an Airborne infantryman. The other airborne units are decent fighters, though like in Frontline they are mostly scripted. There's similarities between them and the Fallschirmjager paras. They are armed with one of three primary weapons: M1 Garand, Thompson and BAR. Some main characters on the campaign were playable in multiplayer.
Medal of Honor: Airborne[]
General description[]
Paras are dressed in a tan uniform, with a tan helmet. Just like in Vanguard, They armed with one of three primary weapons, an M1928A1 Thompson, M1 Garand, or a Browning Automatic Rifle.
Weapons[]
- M1 Garand, Thompson, or BAR.
- Melee.
Common tactics[]
They are decent support characters, armed with all the tactics of the average Waffen infantry. They move from cover to cover, get out of the fire-line, blindfire, offer support to fellow soldiers, and occasionally toss their frag grenades. However, they pale in comparison to the more elite infantry, such as the Waffen S.S. commandoes, who are faster, more accurate, and armed better compared to the Paras. They do improve as the campaign progresses, but they cannot be relied upon to win missions.
Using the Paras against the enemy[]
Paras drop in with the player and spawn in areas of major conflict. They can offer good covering fire for the player when he or she is on the move, and will advance alongside the player. Therefore, these soldiers are best utilized as support characters, but if the player decides to run and gun, the Paras will often not be able to catch up, or will be cut down by the level of fire the player will be attracting.
It is very important to note that on some levels or parts of levels, the paras can be wiped out, leaving the player as the only person fighting.