How to advance tactics question

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How to advance tactics question - 4/1/2004 5:38:49 AM

minefield

Posts: 289
Joined: 3/25/2004
From: North Carolina, USA
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I'm new to PBEM, and I'm struggling with attacking. I am using combined arms, heavy on the infantry. I keep running into situations where either the hexes I need to advance to have been smoked to visibily 1 or I'm forced to approach in open terrain to a hill.
For the low visibility situation, I have tried advancing with small squads (PzShrek), with larger squads, with soft targets, with flamepanzers, and with tanks. I either get pushed back in the case of the infantry or the tank is suppressed beyond help. Mortar fire seems to do more damage to my troops than to theirs. I have timed it for the beginning of his round and at the end.

For the open ground situation, I am still having trouble. Is the key to cover your advance with ATG's?

I did ok in my first PBEM because I reached the objectives before my opponent so I was able to make a defensive stance. In these two current PBEM's I am withering my troops away everytime they attempt to take a VH.

So basically, if you were going to take a hill, how would you do it?

< Message edited by minefield -- 3/31/2004 10:38:22 PM >

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RE: How to advance tactics question - 4/2/2004 4:04:58 PM

Buzzard45

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Joined: 1/11/2003
From: Regina, Canada
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There are many ways to advance. Going into smoke is no harder than advancing into trees or through a town perhaps easier.

First you need to determine if the enemy is on the far side of the smoke. Someone will have to look. If you can look from far away, that is better and less likely to cause you casualties. Smoke only goes so far. Smoke is portable cover and it works for and against each side. You can use it to cut off his covering fire on the far side of the hill then when you advance over the crest of the hill you are not being hit from the overwatching enemy units only from the units on the hill.

It sounds like you are doing right. Bombard at the end of his turn so he has no chance to rally and advance. A rifle squad will take some initial casualties but also give the enemy suppression. If the enemy has soft targets on the hex just the other side of the smoke, use splash damage from heavy SP arty units (warhead 9 and bigger ) to cause it casualties. Splash damage is the effect HE has on surrounding hexes. Rockets and 500lb bombs can sometimes cause splash damage two hexes away.

If it is armor, approach it from different directions to throw off its aim. Never allow any enemy unit to fire at the same hex twice in a row (it gains hit chance with each successive shot). Fire on armor at your first chance and then fire on it until it is buttoned so other units can approach unseen to either close assault or get the best shot possible. Once armor is immobilized, you can quit firing at it. Your chance to hit and cause further damage this turn is lowered by a considerable margin. The crew will likely abandon the vehicle if it is still adjacent to enemy units or better to be surrounded by your units. Save your shots for the next enemy or for OP fire. If you use all your shots in your half of the turn, you will have fewer or no OP shots. Be patient. After the crew abandons and you cause them to surrender or otherwise take them out of the game, leave a friendly unit in the same hex as the abandoned vehicle so that it will be destroyed the following turn (it just happens you don't see it)

I often use scouts to penetrate smoke, kubelwagons or jeeps. Some frown on this but it is true to life. Jeeps and cars went ahead to flush out the enemy. Make sure they are moving fast when you penetrate the smoke or crest a hill. A fast moving vehicle is hard to hit ( a fast moving infantry unit is easy to hit). If you use a vehicle that is adjacent to the hex that you need to get through, back it up first and use about a quarter of its movements. If you just go straight into the smoke you will not be moving very fast and will be hit easily. Use others to throw off the aim of the defenders. Don't let them shoot at you twice. Bring in another unit. I once came across a scenario with a kubelwagon that the AI had moving back and forth between two hexes. I call it the kubelwagon schuffle. I shot at this thing maybe ten or 15 times and missed with my tanks from a range of about 8. I used up all my OP fire and the the AI came in with Stugs to kill my Shermans. I had no OP fire left. (smart scene builder, my hats off).

Hope this helps a bit.

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RE: How to advance tactics question - 4/2/2004 6:05:30 PM

minefield

Posts: 289
Joined: 3/25/2004
From: North Carolina, USA
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Thanks

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RE: How to advance tactics question - 4/2/2004 7:26:24 PM

FNG

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From: Devizes, UK
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The only thing I would add to Buzzard's post is to make sure you have the numbers to push up when you decide to - if you commit units piece-meal, they will get chopped.

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RE: How to advance tactics question - 4/3/2004 8:25:18 PM

John David

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Joined: 3/21/2002
From: Montreal, Quebec
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quote:

ORIGINAL: FNG

The only thing I would add to Buzzard's post is to make sure you have the numbers to push up when you decide to - if you commit units piece-meal, they will get chopped.

Yes I agree completley. When you decide to move your forces up, I would also add... Watch your flank on both sides!!

Fundemental, but in the heat of battle, sometimes we all forget! Ouch!

JD

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RE: How to advance tactics question - 4/3/2004 10:21:32 PM

VikingNo2

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From: NC
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A Buzzard Squaks the Gospel

A tactic I try to use is smoke 4 hexs behind the enemys smoke screen just before you push, it normally takes away their overwatch support ofcourse now that I have said this I have to come up with something else

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RE: How to advance tactics question - 4/4/2004 9:05:08 PM

Capt. Pixel

Posts: 1219
Joined: 10/15/2001
From: Tucson, AZ
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quote:

ORIGINAL: VikingNo2

A Buzzard Squaks the Gospel A tactic I try to use is smoke 4 hexs behind the enemys smoke screen just before you push, it normally takes away their overwatch support ofcourse now that I have said this I have to come up with something else

Aagh! You beat me to it. I've found this a very useful tactic. The only time it doesn't work well for me is if you don't have a lot of smoke making capability (Soviet), and/or the opponent is moving too fast to anticipate their next position (US).

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