Artillery in Mobile Deployment Mode.

[Champagne]

I've done a search and read the previous posts regarding how best to use Arty in TOAW. Here's what I've learned:

The printed manual on page 18 states that Arty in Mobile Deployment Mode won't support ground attacks or defend enemy ground attacks. I know that after every move, Arty is in Mobile Deployment. What I need to do when moving up my Arty is to place it in Tactical Reserve and leave it in Mobile Deployment mode. This way it will support my ground attacks and provide defensive support fire during the enemy turn.

Is this correct?

Thanks.

[Panama]

Unless I'm totally off the mark, dug in, entrenched, fortified and tactical reserve will all get it to support with defensive fire as long as it's cooperative, blah blah. Dug in entrenched and fortified will not allow it to move the same turn it digs in so not a good idea on the offensive unless you have some kind of plan about what you are doing. Not sure about local reserve.

[Champagne]

Thanks! That's what I thought.

Forget Local Reserve. I know that this mode is not appropriate for Arty.

[ogar]

I agree with your outline - except I think Moving mode (for example, after you move a unit a few hexes) will also provide support (per Panama's recitation of MPs, coop., etc.). I think this derives from cooperation levels and MPs left in the arty unit.

I usually ignore Local Reserve (or use it to force my defending units to sit still damnit!). It will be interesting to see how the new patch affects LR along with the impacts on cooperation.

And like Panama, if I'm arty-rich, I usually make someother unit dig the pit, keeping the arty(s) in TR until later in the turn. I use Mobile mod to keep arty units that I've moved in this turn out of the round, until their MP remaining ratio gets in line with the round-clock.

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: ogar

I agree with your outline - except I think Moving mode (for example, after you move a unit a few hexes) will also provide support (per Panama's recitation of MPs, coop., etc.). I think this derives from cooperation levels and MPs left in the arty unit.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't. Artillery in Local Reserve that makes reserve moves will continue to support, defensively, though.

Let's be clear about the difference between Local and Tactical Reserve as it concerns artillery: Artillery in Tactical Reserve doesn't make the reserve movement. Artillery in Local reserve does. So, if your turn ends with your artillery in Tactical Reserve, you don't have to worry about it moving into the front lines during the enemy player turn. In Local Reserve you would.

[ogar]

Oh hell, I knew I should not reply to a post with what I 'sorta kinda intuit remember'.
I will now go back and run a couple of test turns to confirm or deny my 's k i r' about artillery firing in support while in Moving mode.

Moving -- I would be moving some of my arty units up in support of an advance, and when I attacked with non-moved units, I used up 20, 30 % of the turn (vs 10% expected); when I shifted to 'move the arty, put in Mobile, then attack with non-moving' I would get 10% as expected.

As for Local reserve, I tend not to use it a lot; had some failure to react results from non-artillery as well artillery, and just shifted to TR when not going with dugin/entrenched. (I just got into TOAW last year, so I avoided that horrible time where people put artillery into TR, and watched in horror as the howitzer battation counterattacked the panzergrenadiers instead of just providing defensive fire.)

Oh well, new patch coming -
first see if I can install patch
see if I can run game with new patch
see what effects patch have on my gameplay (include trying out LR)

Thanks for the correction.

EDIT :
Well, I'm two for two -- wrong on both guesses.

1) Moving mode makes otherwise supporting artillery units unavailable for combat support.

2) Local Reserve mode DOES make artillery units available (subject to the usual support level/MPs left/range/etc.) for combat.

I ran 2 quick tests - one using Bitter Victory and the other using St Lo. Each from sal files as of turn start.

In BV I used an attack by units of 1 CDN Div where inf. units have not moved in this turn; I moved 1 arty unit 3MPs and put it in LR; I moved the other possible supporting arty unit 3 MPs and left it in Moving. All units have the same background and inset colors. In the Attack Planner, and in the Combat Result -- the LR unit supported the attack, the Moving unit did not. After the 3 MPs move, one unit had 67% supply (LR) and the other had 72% (Moving).

In St Lo, I did a similar test using 2 US ID - all units with same background and inset colors; infantry had not moved. This time I moved 1 arty unit and set it to LR, moved a second arty and left it in Moving, and left a 3rd arty unit in Mobile (with all MPs remaining). I left 1 Hq in Mobile, and set 1 in LR. All supporting units had supply levels between 42% and 64% after movement. In the Attack Planner and in Combat Results, the LR units added support; the Mobile and Moving units did not.

Apologies for adding confusion to a good thread. And again, Curtis, thanks for the correction.

[Champagne]

Thanks, Ogar.

My OP was kind of wrong, too, because of noob-ness. My OP gives the impression that an Arty unit can be in Move/Moble Mode and Tactical Reserve at the same time. It can't. After moving, Arty is placed into Tactical Reserve, and THAT is it's Deployment Mode.

I think.

[sPzAbt653]

When advancing move your artillery to within range of the desired defending units and then put them in Tactical ('T' on the keyboard). Any 'T' artillery unit will provide partial bombardment strength to cooperating units that are attacking, but will not factor into turn used. I'm so lazy I rarely plot direct suppport, I just put all the artillery in 'T' and keep them moving. If they are going to stay put I dig them in so they will still provide support. Local Reserve I stopped using years ago, so I don't remember why. Maybe because the 'L' units will move around during the opposing turn like drunken sailors ??

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: ogar

Apologies for adding confusion to a good thread. And again, Curtis, thanks for the correction.

No apology necessary. In fact, I couldn't say for sure until you ran those very good tests. Anybody who runs tests is a TOAW hero in my book.

(Don't anybody take that the wrong way - think Patton).

[Champagne]

Running tests IS a heroic thing to do, except that I'm such a noob that I can't be confident the my own observations are right. Once I play a bit more, I'll have a better feel for the game.

Thanks all!