Water Transport - Card Posted

During a recent scenario play test a question came up involving Water Transports. A Norwegian infantry force was using five water transports - WTs to conduct a beach invasion along side their French allies using British Assault Landing Craft -ALCs and Landing Craft, Mechanized -LCMs. The ALCs can carry two soldiers and the LCMs can carry up to three soldiers or one tank & a soldier. The Water transports only carry one soldier. All three are played as Vehicle-Boats, so the stacking limit is one per hex. The French force would be able to land on a fairly compact landing zone using four beach hexes to land up to 7 soldiers and one tank (3 ALCs & 1 LCM). The Norwegians would have to use five beach hexes to carry five soldiers. So which of these solutions would you suggest:


1. Keep things as they are. The Norwegians were using small fishing trawlers (see photo on card), not professional military, purpose built boats.


2. Perhaps we could give the Water Transports a special ability that would allow two of these units in the same hex. But then you would have the problem of over-stacking on the beach hex with two soldiers and two water transports.


3. Maybe increase the carrying capacity of each boat from one to two soldiers instead. This would put more soldiers in one hex and solve possible over-stacking. And then perhaps increase the cost from two points up to three or four. After all, a truck carries two soldiers and costs 4 points, so it should be the same.


4. Increase the speed from 2 to 3. Keep the carrying capacity the same. These small boats were faster than ALCs and LCMs, but couldn't carry nearly as many troops at one time. This would not solve the issue of a spread out landing, but would give the unit some advantage over the other water transports. (I'm leaning towards this idea.)