Tactical Problem: Please give me some good advice

[PimpYourAFV]

In my second battle as the French, we were sent down to Africa with some African recruits for support to sharpen the teeth of all my low morale, green replacements I received after our heavy losses in Europe. Unfortunately, the Italians are well versed in Haig tactics and are looking rather formidable.

Many people on this forum have spoken harsh words for my choice of Haig doctrine as a strategic school. More have told me beating the AI is like "punching out a 4th grade kid coming out of bus" to quote one gentleman.

The Italians are on the right (red on minimap) and my French and Africans are on the left. Observe the minimap for the overall situation. The deployment map showed a flagged off area in the bottom right which is where my mountain gun section and 5 tanks (3 are still destroyed from the previous battle) are sited in. So some of my guns will have to be moved but the horse & wagon teams will not be so quick. The town is weakly defended against that horde and my mortar platoon which is my total artillery support and HQ is located there as you can see in the picture.

So here is your chance to stop bragging and tell me about your brilliant strategies for this situation. All tactical advice will be appreciated. Many not-so-brave french and africans depend on your wisdom.

[PimpYourAFV]

The second half of the enemy horde outside the town we are defending...



[X(]

[PimpYourAFV]

And here is my gun position. All my firepower is deployed in this southwest position and needs to be moved by horse & wagon. On the hilltop is 2 mountain guns, 1 AT gun, and my FO truck.

[PimpYourAFV]

This last picture shows where the rest of my units are deployed erroneously covering the southeastern area where the flags were indicating the enemy would come from. Their positions have good visibility with decent cover. However there is an apparent difference in opposing numbers which requires attention.

[KG Erwin]

TBT, you are in some deep doo-doo. Where are your mobile reserves?

You will soon be overwhelmed by the mass of the attackers. What the hell are you even doing there?

Run, fast. What was the point of this exercise?

Without massive off-board artillery support and massed automatic weapons, the defenders are screwed.

[Korpraali V]

Visibility is?



Couple thoughts:

Smoke, smoke, smoke! Force them to come to you one by one.

Elastic defence doctrine: You can retreat to new positions and counterattack later.

Remember: The enemy leader seeks for glory and is more interested achieving his goals than destroying your forces. So if you have room, use it and starve him to death.

[forgorin]

That is a tricky one that is. I would sugest breaking out the pasta and pizza throwers. They might pause and eat just long enough for you to broaker a seace fire[:)] Other wise I would sugest going on eht offencive. Sitting around on your butt and panicking is a waste of time. If you atack fast and hard you might throw them off and give you enough time to GTFO.

Alternatively you could sit back and enjoy the show[:D][:D]

[PimpYourAFV]

We've decided to stay and fight where we are while the infantry in the south rush up to the town to reinforce it while the 2 armored cars (mobile reserve) pass by the town firing a few shots and continue up to the north to help out there.

Here is after round one...

[PimpYourAFV]

We were doing okay until the Italians started driving up flametanks to roast my troops at point blank range and burn down the buildings. Whole squads of up to 12 people were instantly overbaked.

Here is the northern area after round one...

[PimpYourAFV]

We are holding the town against the tank attack. Italian tanks turn the area infront of the town into a metal scrapyard while their infantry skirt around to the north to avoid the close quarters urban combat the town offers. The Italians are not known for their manly combat skills so they pick on the weak northern objective area instead of fighting us toe to toe like real men would do.

Here is the battlefield at the end of round 5. The Italian infantry are just starting to reach the northern objective area. Note the burning area where a squadfull of cavalry were barbequed in one neat spurt of napalm.

[PimpYourAFV]

Here is the town district after 5 rounds of combat. The perfectly positioned antitank gun on the rough hill overlooking the middle avenues had its gun malfunction on its first shot of round two. It remained there as decoration.

African colonists are coming up into the southern area and several squads of 12 men were just in time to be baked by the flametanks. Our 5 tanks marked the Italian flametanks as priority targets and many were destroyed for revenge.

[PimpYourAFV]

Middle of round 7, the French are counterattacking in the centre and scoring many tank kills. The Italian assault towards the middle objective is blocked and their tanks are bottled up among their own burning hulks. The french are few in numbers and ammunition is starting to become an issue. We have one ammo truck which will soon sorty out.

A couple of nasty little green tanks put a couple of bursts of machinegun fire into my horse & wagon stables behind my HQ. Char B bis ("charred biscuits) came to rescue and shot up the lizards.

[PimpYourAFV]

I continue to build up forces for a northern offensive. My infantry in the south have caught up to my charred biscuits. Note the bonfire at the bottom which used to be a FMC monster tank which an Italian flametank blew up. That act of evil cost them 2 flametanks destroyed. Meanwhile my mortar platoon continually works over the northern area where an estimated 20 or so Italian infantry squads are parked off. Just this round, the bofors AA crew from the northern objective croaked and still managed to kill off several Italians with pistol fire in the final firefight. Support fire from the middle objective defenders took out a couple of Italian squads who were bullying the bofors crew.

[BruceAZ_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: TokyoBoyTensai

So here is your chance to stop bragging and tell me about your brilliant strategies for this situation. All tactical advice will be appreciated. Many not-so-brave french and africans depend on your wisdom.

After careful review of my old high school physics book and my Marine Manual of Arms, I recommend F9 - Surrender.

[:D]

Recon
Semper Fi

[Einar Fridgeirs]

I would have recommended a tactical withdrawal of the bulk of the forces until they could have linked up with and presented a unified front with the other element later in the game for a counterattack, covered by a massive smokescreen, but I guess it´s too late for that.

I think at this stage in the game BruceAZ´s advice is the most humane.

[chief]

TB:
It would be helpful to know the version of game you are using ? Also what your preferences are set at ? Could you please supply ?

Tanks in Advance

[PimpYourAFV]

ORIGINAL: Einar Fridgeirs

I would have recommended a tactical withdrawal of the bulk of the forces until they could have linked up with and presented a unified front with the other element later in the game for a counterattack, covered by a massive smokescreen, but I guess it´s too late for that.

I think at this stage in the game BruceAZ´s advice is the most humane. Ya, it would have saved the lives of many Italians.

Dropping smoke and running is the coward's way to dealing with a challenge. We decided to sit and fight where we were and now a general counteroffensive is being worked up. Forces are gathering in both the village and on the left flank. You can see in this next picture my troops are moving out to shoot up the Italians trying to run away east of the town and on the left there are 2 ammo carriers going to restock the charred biscuits.

Chief, I use all settings on default except C&C off, rarity off, and arty set to 140 soft/hard. Unfortunately for us, the stronger arty is helping the Italians who are raining light arty shells all over the town every turn destroying buildings and choking the place with smoke. My troops, however, told me they are getting to like it.

[PimpYourAFV]

The offensive east of the town is finishing up. Almost all of the Italian infantry in this area have been shot-up or ran away. A few stragglers await their turn of riflefire.

[PimpYourAFV]

The attack on the northern objective is still be worked up. About 9 squads of infantry, 2 armored cars and 3 charred biscuits are gathering in the west to take on the Italians' northern army group. Enemy artillery is now peppering the assault team which is slowing it down but there is plenty of time still.

The Italians are not holding well. They take steady casualties in troops and tanks... well so do we but they are losing much more. This is just the kinduv fight we enjoy: a chaotic fistfight in a smoke filled bar.

[PimpYourAFV]

The eastern fight is going well with gunfire constantly being traded with retreating Italians. Hundreds of enemy soldiers litter the desert among the burning tank hulks. The odd pyer still burns where entire french squads were roasted in one go. The whole scene would make a nice postcard.



Northern objective taken earlier than I planned. The armored cars are on AI control [:@]