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Tactical Situations - 7/2/2003 1:35:02 PM   
K62


Posts: 666
Joined: 6/7/2002
From: DC
Status: offline 		I'd like to ask the opinion of experienced players on how to resolve certain tactical situations that left me a bit clueless :D I'll first post one and then, if I see any interest, I'll continue with others.

[B]Difficult situation #1[/B]

Let's say you hold some VH and placed AT guns nicely in overwatch while keeping light units nearby. Then your opponent throws a nice smoke screen ;) a couple of hexes behind the VH, thus effectively blocking your vision. The AT guns are useless and any AFVs you bring to the area must be on the front line, so they are vulnerable :eek:

So what do you do in this situation? I mean, you can't really abandon the VH, can you :confused:

Now let's see who's up to the challenge and has a good solution to this :cool:

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Post #: 1
- 7/2/2003 1:44:40 PM   
G_X

 

Posts: 518
Joined: 7/7/2002
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Status: offline 		Infantry, preferably with some AT weaponry, spread out, 1 every other hex around the VH's, with at least one on one of the VH's as to prevent someone from sneaking on, your tanks then inside/behind the smoke screen, using your infantry as a bufferzone and spotters

Works, doesn't it? Maybe a platoon or two of infantry would do nicely.

_____________________________

If you can read this, you're at the end of my post.
SPWaW Record: W:0 / L:0 / D:0

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Post #: 2
- 7/2/2003 2:19:32 PM   
VikingNo2


Posts: 2918
Joined: 1/26/2002
From: NC
Status: offline 		Who did that to you :rolleyes:

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Post #: 3
- 7/2/2003 2:36:24 PM   
G_X

 

Posts: 518
Joined: 7/7/2002
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Status: offline 		It's a pretty common situation in my case. The best answer is still always infantry, keep those tanks behind 'em unless you've got heavy Anti-personell fire coming from the front. Then move your Armor ahead slightly, with Infantry very close behind, and move very slowly, and attempt to stay unbuttoned.

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If you can read this, you're at the end of my post.
SPWaW Record: W:0 / L:0 / D:0

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Post #: 4
SITUATION #1.STRATEGEM OF A FOOL - 7/2/2003 3:06:50 PM   
MOTHER

 

Posts: 172
Joined: 10/26/2002
From: Melbourne ,Australia
Status: offline 		RULE#1Rules are made to be flexible
#2.AT GUNS are useless unless they are forward or remote from any objectives and with an uninterupted field of fire
#3.AT guns must have a mobility factor.ie transport
#4.enemy fires smoke behind objective, you fire 'smoke and HE" in front of the objective
#5.when you hold the objective you know what they wants, so everything that comes close 'obliterate' it and vice versa
#6 your infantry must either assault / hide in the smoke created.

these are general rules and may not be sound strategically or foolproof because some people consider me an idiot,but remember "it may be idiotproof :until they make a better idiot"
All in good fun,regards mother:)

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Post #: 5
Re: Tactical Situations - 7/2/2003 4:59:19 PM   
Marek Tucan


Posts: 758
Joined: 6/1/2000
From: Kladno, Czech Republic
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]Originally posted by K62
[B]I'd like to ask the opinion of experienced players on how to resolve certain tactical situations that left me a bit clueless :D I'll first post one and then, if I see any interest, I'll continue with others.

[B]Difficult situation #1[/B]

Let's say you hold some VH and placed AT guns nicely in overwatch while keeping light units nearby. Then your opponent throws a nice smoke screen ;) a couple of hexes behind the VH, thus effectively blocking your vision. The AT guns are useless and any AFVs you bring to the area must be on the front line, so they are vulnerable :eek:

So what do you do in this situation? I mean, you can't really abandon the VH, can you :confused:

Now let's see who's up to the challenge and has a good solution to this :cool: [/B][/QUOTE]

Well, I am no great strategist and I don't use the AT guns in attacks (at least in SPWAW, in SP3 it is possible). So I cannot be in your situation because I'll have my tanks and infantry there, not AT guns, ATs rather in the initial frontline supporting my troops from the rear (if possible).

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Tuccy

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Post #: 6
- 7/2/2003 9:53:40 PM   
AbsntMndedProf


Posts: 1780
Joined: 7/6/2001
From: Boston, Massachusetts
Status: offline 		One thought, have a couple of trucks/transporters standing by near the AT guns, preferably under cover. Then, when your opponent throws his smoke, you can advance your ATs to the leading edge of the smoke, along with some infantry to protect them.

Eric Maietta

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Post #: 7
- 7/2/2003 10:41:38 PM   
K62


Posts: 666
Joined: 6/7/2002
From: DC
Status: offline 		Thanks, guys, you gave me some very nice tips methinks :) Me gonna try them first opportunity :D

I declare myself satisfied! :) So here comes

[B]Difficult situation #2[/B]

Let's say you hold some VHs in the middle of a big, big forest. I mean, you know how forests are: you can't see anything until you bump into it. Sometimes there are a couple of fire lanes, but your opponent can smoke them and bye-bye visibility then :rolleyes:

How do you place your units and play this situation to effectively defend the VHs?

Now, if you place a couple of infantry platoons a bit scattered about in the woods, your opponent will use the following sneaky tactics ;) : He bombs a small area, then moves a small and fast force in (armored cars, HT with infantry, flame tank, you get the idea :eek: ) and wipes out a couple of your squads. Next turn he runs away, but the turn after that rinse and repeat :(

Now after a few such turns you've lost enough infantry to more than account for the VHs. All reinforcements you sent in enter the meat grinder :eek:

So how do you go about [I]this[/I] one :cool:

_____________________________

"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak"
John Adams

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Post #: 8
- 7/3/2003 12:19:00 AM   
AbsntMndedProf


Posts: 1780
Joined: 7/6/2001
From: Boston, Massachusetts
Status: offline 		I would place a staggered skirmish line of either scouts or snipers, depending on how many points I have, in the middle to 2/3 the way through the woods. Then I would place my infantry in the rear area of the woods, preferably with transports. Then when the enemy made contact with the skirmish line, I would begin to advance my infantry to two or three hexes behind the skirmishers and wait for the enemy's units to walk into them. This way, you won't lose a lot of points in any advanced bombardment by the foe, and you can arrange your forces so that it is your enemy that walks into a meat grinder.

Eric Maietta

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Post #: 9
- 7/3/2003 12:33:46 AM   
rbrunsman


Posts: 1837
Joined: 1/31/2002
From: Phoenix, AZ
Status: offline 		SPWAW favors the aggressor. So, you need to keep your men moving. Don't sit still and wait to get pounded. A few dug-in men strategically placed to catch speeding AFVs is all you need. Everyone else should be moving, moving, moving (preferably forward).

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Everyone is a potential [PBEM] enemy, every place a potential [PBEM] battlefield. --Zensunni Wisdom

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Post #: 10
- 7/3/2003 2:15:40 PM   
G_X

 

Posts: 518
Joined: 7/7/2002
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Status: offline 		Whatever you do, keep your tanks out of forests.

75% of the time, tanks in forests will get killed by a 4 man recon platoon with a Satchell Charge or something.

All it takes is 1 hit in that forest to cause your tank to Button, and then he sees zip.

_____________________________

If you can read this, you're at the end of my post.
SPWaW Record: W:0 / L:0 / D:0

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Post #: 11
A walk in the black forest - 7/3/2003 5:50:52 PM   
MOTHER

 

Posts: 172
Joined: 10/26/2002
From: Melbourne ,Australia
Status: offline 		Depends upon the moment ,what to do what to do?
IF YOU "KNOW" hes committed a sizable force to the objective ,no matter what you do its going to be bloody at some stage but if its one of those" little probes "with the rinse and repeat philosophy dont dither, a mobile 'mass' assault over 2-3 hex front and scare the pants of the attacker then you rinse and dont have to repeat.works especially well in the pacfic jungles scenarios.
:D

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Post #: 12
- 7/4/2003 2:22:42 AM   
Capt. Pixel

 

Posts: 1219
Joined: 10/15/2001
From: Tucson, AZ
Status: offline 		I think the overall strategy amounts to the same thing. Only the terrain causes you to make adjustments. When I mention terrain here, I mean the folds of the land, buildings, forest, visibility and the weather.

Advance along your entire front with scouts. Vehicular scouts are particularly handy in open terrain and usually along the flanks of your advance. Infantry scouts do better in close terrain and forward of your advance.

Stagger your support/advancing units (vehicles and/or infantry) behind the scouts at a distance that is appropriate to the terrain situation. That is, closer in in tight terrain, and further back in open terrain.

The idea here is to 'trip' up the enemy to reveal his units at a point where you can bring in decisive response on your following turn. When the enemy first gets a sense of your presence. Either visually or through his 'willy meter', he's going to tend to slow down his advance so as not to be caught in a pincher counter-attack.

Capitalize on this by drawing him forward through the scout screen and then attacking en-mass with combative units. Leave a reserve to repeat this process after his inevitable counter-attack. After two resounding SMACKS like this, he'll probably be reeling.

Remember that Smoke doesn't last usually longer than six turns. This gives you plenty of time to adjust your defense to the fairly obvious line of advance your opponent has decided on. Once it's disappated, you should be in a position to retaliate at a range YOU choose. The counter suggested earlier of smoke and HE on the OTHER side of the VHs is excellent. This will cut-off his long range support into the battle area too. And your smoke will last just a bit longer than his. :D

Another note on smoke. I've done this quite successfully several times, particularly in Assaults. Smoke two or three avenues of advance simultaneously. Only advance in force along one avenue, and send small decoy forces along the others. Maintain the appearance that you've divided your force among multiple avenues. The enemy will likely divert his attention to one or more of the avenues that's not being used and thereby dilute his effective resistance. You can't be everywhere at once, but creative use of smoke can make it appear that way. ;)

Use your Scouts for SCOUTING ONLY. They are not very good at combat, 'cause that's not their MOS. I always, ALWAYS set their Range to zero, and try to avoid direct contact with the enemy. When the enemy comes near, I might also turn their weapons OFF to further guarantee that they won't reveal themselves by firing at enemy units. Scouts are just little boys with Swiss Army knives and merit badge sashes. Try not to get them killed.

Once the Scouts are in position, they can remain unseen by most enemy units (excepting possibly other Scouts). this way, you can get a good idea of what the enemy force is up to and respond appropriately. lnfiltrators are also good in this capacity. Let them hunker down behind enemy lines and feed you intel on enemy troop movements and reinforcements.

Mislead and Mystify. :cool:

_____________________________

"Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible. "
- Stonewall Jackson

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Post #: 13
- 7/4/2003 11:20:56 AM   
K62


Posts: 666
Joined: 6/7/2002
From: DC
Status: offline 		All-rightee...:) Many thanks to everyone who answered and especially to CP who gave us newbes such long and detailed info!:)

Now, here comes

[B]Tactical Situation #3[/B] :eek:

How do you use a Tiger (or a Tiger platoon, if you prefer ;)) in '44:

a) in an attack

b) while defending

I mean attack and defence on a small scale, like you'll be attacking and defending several times at several locations on a battlefield.

Let's see now who really knows their Big Kats! :D :cool:

_____________________________

"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak"
John Adams

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Post #: 14
- 7/4/2003 11:58:56 AM   
G_X

 

Posts: 518
Joined: 7/7/2002
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Status: offline 		Tigers?

A.) In Attack, preferably you should have other units move foreward, while your Tigers remain at about 15 hexes or more away (I typically try to keep mine at 20 or so from my targets) This keeps pesky T's and other smaller tanks from getting good shots on my Tigers, doing this, I move them slowly from 1 hex to the next, firing once or twice each turn, taking high-probability shots against armor, in this manner, you can annhilate whole companies of Shermans and T-34's.

B.) Set them up in static positions with long range views and a easily defenseable position. Screen them with a light coating of Infantry to keep off enemy's, preferably with two-three MG's in close proximity to the Tiger's, with similar fire lanes (Where there's tanks, there may be troops.) Defending is where the Tigers can really show their glory, as long as while doing so they keep the initiative by choosing the place of engagement, as well as the range, remember your Tigers can hit things at ranges that most tanks can't even blink at.

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If you can read this, you're at the end of my post.
SPWaW Record: W:0 / L:0 / D:0

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Post #: 15
- 7/4/2003 12:04:21 PM   
Buzzard45


Posts: 364
Joined: 1/11/2003
From: Regina, Canada
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]Originally posted by rbrunsman
[B]SPWAW favors the aggressor. So, you need to keep your men moving. Don't sit still and wait to get pounded. A few dug-in men strategically placed to catch speeding AFVs is all you need. Everyone else should be moving, moving, moving (preferably forward). [/B][/QUOTE]

This is the correct answer. Full marks RB.

Tact #3 ???? You got me. I never use them. I'm a move and strike with strenghth kind of guy. Two Tigers are 5 Stugs in my books. Recon>Prep>strike>withdrawl to cover>hope he can't find you for counter attack or lay an ambush. The last is only a hope. No ambush is perfect.

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" Look alive!! Here comes a Buzzard"
POGO

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Post #: 16
- 7/4/2003 12:07:32 PM   
G_X

 

Posts: 518
Joined: 7/7/2002
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Status: offline 		5 StuG's are T-Bait in my books.

I've learned the StuG's are only good if you're fighting in a City, or very close terrain, where you can prevent Armor from getting behind them.

Tiger's? I can always find a use for at least one tiger.

The things really should have been named Eagles though.

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If you can read this, you're at the end of my post.
SPWaW Record: W:0 / L:0 / D:0

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Post #: 17
- 7/4/2003 12:39:58 PM   
K62


Posts: 666
Joined: 6/7/2002
From: DC
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]Originally posted by Buzzard45
[B]Tact #3 ???? You got me. I never use them. I'm a move and strike with strenghth kind of guy. Two Tigers are 5 Stugs in my books. [/B][/QUOTE]

Oh, so I suppose you like Cromwells then :D

How about a couple of them hellcats too? ;)

_____________________________

"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak"
John Adams

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Post #: 18
- 7/4/2003 12:42:36 PM   
Buzzard45


Posts: 364
Joined: 1/11/2003
From: Regina, Canada
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]Originally posted by K62
[B]Oh, so I suppose you like Cromwells then :D

How about a couple of them hellcats too? ;) [/B][/QUOTE]

Love that speed.

_____________________________

" Look alive!! Here comes a Buzzard"
POGO

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Post #: 19
- 7/4/2003 12:47:43 PM   
K62


Posts: 666
Joined: 6/7/2002
From: DC
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]Originally posted by Buzzard45
[B]Love that speed. [/B][/QUOTE]

Actually, the reason i asked about the Tiger is because it's so d@mned slow :rolleyes: Until you can get it to a good firing position it will consume all of its movement, have few shots and remain exposed on the front line, where it will get at least a healthy arty pounding :D (no 17 pounders, please :o )

_____________________________

"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak"
John Adams

(in reply to K62)
Post #: 20
- 7/12/2003 3:50:30 AM   
challenge

 

Posts: 465
Joined: 10/10/2001
From: Austin, TX
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]Originally posted by K62
[B]Actually, the reason i asked about the Tiger is because it's so d@mned slow :rolleyes: Until you can get it to a good firing position it will consume all of its movement, have few shots and remain exposed on the front line, where it will get at least a healthy arty pounding :D (no 17 pounders, please :o ) [/B][/QUOTE]

If this is happening on a regular basis, you need to rethink your approach to prowling with Tigers. Tigers are big, powerful and SLOW. As a result, you can't rush them around the board as if they were go-carts. The best position for a Tiger is: a) where people are surprised by it as [U]they[/U] move into position, or b) a long way from what it's shooting at.

In both cases, infantry and/or lighter armor is used as a screen or as spotters to keep you from running afoul of the traps you're trying to set. For example move the Tigers to the back of a ridge, bring the infantry or support armor around the sides and over the top of the ridge line to see what's there, then bring the Kats over the top to pound spotted positions with the 88s.

On the advance, move the Tigers slowly forward taking only one or two shots to keep the opposition heads down. If your Tigers have a good LOS, leave them where they are to support the forward line of advance. If your opponent is coming around a flank, move them in behind the terrain (again supported) to pop out in as advantageous a location as possible.

Same trick on defense. From behind a terrain screen move the Tigers around to catch the advancing armor from the flak, or to stop an advance of lesser beings trying a quick flanking manuever. They aren't AT guns; if that's what you need than get the 88 AT gun. A stationary tank, is a dead tank.

Remember these important lessons:
[list]
Never send a Tiger out alone in the open. It isn't fast enough to out manuever even the heavy AFVs that can cause it hurt.

Never walk your Tiger through the woods alone because, for all it's might, it is still vulnerable to assaulting infantry.

Keep your Tiger moving, but rarely at full speed because it will break down or not have any shots to use when it has a target. (About 2/3 or 3/4 max will do.)

Tiger's teeth are big 88 mm nasties. Slow to load under the best of circumstances. Keep your turn's firing down to about half the available shots if possible.

If you can not keep the number of shots to half because there are too many targets, you need to pull back behind the screen or the terrain and wait for a better shot. Tigers are not indestructable.
[/list]

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Challenge

War is unhealthy for die-stamped cardboard and other paper products.

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Post #: 21
Good explanation!! - 7/12/2003 7:00:06 AM   
Buzzard45


Posts: 364
Joined: 1/11/2003
From: Regina, Canada
Status: offline 		Nice reasoning.
You are tempting me, Challenge. Now, can you give me some good reasons why a Tiger and not something else if you are not going to put it in danger anyway? A 75L70 shoots just as far and hits as hard.

_____________________________

" Look alive!! Here comes a Buzzard"
POGO

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Post #: 22
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