Mangudai
Posts: 360
Joined: 3/12/2004 From: The Middle West Status: offline
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Good questions. I'm still a rookie with only about 5 PBEM games so far. You would get more feedback from veterans if you posted in the Training Center. Concerning Artillery, read the thread called Artillery Management T.O.T. at the top of the Training Center. I have my own thoughts on artillery parks toward the end of the thread. While you're at it read all 7 "top" threads, they're classic. In my games so far I've never seen a major breakthrough. So I would invest resources on the main line of resistance, and concentrate less on rear security. MGs or light fighting vehicles like mobile AA can deal with infiltrators and paratroopers. If you lay it out carefully, artillery can provide it's own self defense to a certain extent. Some howiters even have AP ammo. Recon is not needed to guard artillery, if there is a problem they will not fight effectively. Also, you don't need them to lay false smoke, just use artillery smoke for that. Your biggest concern will counterbattery fire. So doughnut formation around the ammo truck is risky. Remeber they won't load the same turn they fire anyhow. Moving the ammo truck and cycling resupply is a good idea. I use a lot more recon in front. Snipers are good, but 2 man scout teams are a better value and almost as stealthy. I spread them out across the entire front about 8-10 hexes apart. Vehicle recon is definitely inferior at spotting. Motorcycles are fun, but they don't see much when moving at high speed. Don't make the mistake I did of racing your motorcycles forward at full speed right off the bat. They will be decimated by MG's and finished off by halftracks and such. Unlike the AI, a human will be sure to finish them off if possible. Motorcycles have considerable value as mid-game recon. I use yo-yo tactics. Zoom up to see beyond the fog of war, then run back and hide. They're also handy for picking off crewmen who stand beside abandoned vehicles and routed infantry. And, in desert they can kick up tons of dust! If you ever see hordes of kubelwagens, soon you will see hordes of dead kubelwagens. Probably you will never see either. I use them sometimes to decide whether a spot is safe before moving a tank in. My advice: use plenty of cheap stealthy leg infantry, use recon vehicles sparingly. The 4 man scout patrols and many recon vehicles are designed to skirmish with enemy recon. This is a much lower priority for me, since my main forces are usually close enough to my scouts to fill that job. I've also seen the Russians use Cossack cavalry as very effective fighting scouts to lead tanks through dangerous terrain amidst likely threats. And, in tight quarters, infantry should precede tanks with very close support combined arms. quote:
GE Rifle GE Rifle GE Rifle GE MG 42 Then buy a platoon or section of engineer, FJ, etc and then reform them all to look like: GE Rifle GE FJ Airborne or GE SS Rifle GE Engineer GE MG 42 MMG 50mm mortar sqd Sounds like a good idea to me, and not gamey at all. That could happen in real life. The only thing is that they move at different speeds, so it's more defensive. When you're ready for PBEM, I'll play you. benjaminharp@sbcglobal.net
< Message edited by Mangudai -- 6/12/2004 8:24:47 AM >
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