Noob question: Combat engineers

[margeorg]

Hello,


here´s another noob question: I´m currently playing a stock PBEM game as the allies, and my question is: Do US (or potentially others) combat engineers have a dual role? I.e. are they fighting troops AND engineers, that means being able to expand bases and construct fortifications etc.?

Thanks for your shared knwledge

[KenchiSulla]

Combat engineers can build up bases and are great in combat. They provide firepower, AV + they can drop forts before the final AV calculation.

[Yaab]

Combat engineers can:
-fight
-reduce enemy fortifications
-build ports, forts, airfields and repair them

Non-combat engineers can do the same, but they have lower anti-soft/anti-hard stats which means they are very weak in combat.

[Gaspote]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

Combat engineers can:
-fight
-reduce enemy fortifications
-build ports, forts, airfields and repair them

Non-combat engineers can do the same, but they have lower anti-soft/anti-hard stats which means they are very weak in combat.

Are you sure normal engineer reduce fortifications the same ? I always thought only combat engineer could reduce fort.

[castor troy]

only combat eng reduce forts, they can do everything. Normal eng only build/repair but don't reduce forts. Like every squad they also contribute in defensive battles.

[Yaab]

Stock game, December 1941, Chinese attack Ichang:

Ground combat at Ichang (83,48)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 84156 troops, 502 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2295

Defending force 22611 troops, 223 guns, 168 vehicles, Assault Value = 817

Allied adjusted assault: 2087

Japanese adjusted defense: 876

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2

-------------------

The Chinese corps have standard Engineer squads in their TOE, so it seems that if such Engineers are part of infantry units they reduce forts just as combat engineers do.

The manual says otherwise (see page 195), but the game behaves differently...

[Itdepends]

A successful attack reduces forts by a single level- if you'd had combat engineers there you would have had a chance to drop the forts 2 levels.

[CowboyRonin]

I don't think it's quite the same, Yaab. The combat engineer reduction occurs before the assault goes in; the assault reduction occurs after. The combat engineer reduction just counts engineers; the assault reduction has to get positive odds to work. I don't think you even need engineers to get the assault reduction (although it's hard to not have a few here or there)-it's just looking at a positive odds assault that didn't get through the forts.

[Yaab]

You are right. Thanks for correcting me.

[dr.hal]

As for the US Marines, they say that everyone is an infantry man first and then an engineer, cook, clerk, etc....

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

As for the US Marines, they say that everyone is an infantry man first and then an engineer, cook, clerk, etc....

Rifleman first. Don't ever call a Marine an "infantryman." [:)]

[dr.hal]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

As for the US Marines, they say that everyone is an infantry man first and then an engineer, cook, clerk, etc....

Rifleman first. Don't ever call a Marine an "infantryman." [:)]

Sorry Moose how true!

[margeorg]

Thanks guys for all the responses!

[Lecivius]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

As for the US Marines, they say that everyone is an infantry man first and then an engineer, cook, clerk, etc....

Rifleman first. Don't ever call a Marine an "infantryman." [:)]

I have been known to say such things, and more. It always seems to cause an enlightened, spirited conversation


[:D]

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

As for the US Marines, they say that everyone is an infantry man first and then an engineer, cook, clerk, etc....

Rifleman first. Don't ever call a Marine an "infantryman." [:)]

You mean when the shoot their "guns?"

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: dr.hal

As for the US Marines, they say that everyone is an infantry man first and then an engineer, cook, clerk, etc....

Rifleman first. Don't ever call a Marine an "infantryman." [:)]

You mean when the shoot their "guns?"

"Take a lap, Sutton. You too, Denver." [:)]

[jmalter]

hi margeorg,

Combat Engineers will function as regular engineers in the stock game you are playing.

But many mod scenarios have taken advantage of editor functions to create different kinds of engineer devices w/ varied capabilities. I'm pretty sure that the DBB-B scenario I'm playing currently does not allow Combat Engineers to build or repair.

[jmalter]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
"Take a lap, Sutton. You too, Denver." [:)]

"This is my rifle, this is my gun.
One is for shootin', the other's for fun."

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

Stock game, December 1941, Chinese attack Ichang:

Ground combat at Ichang (83,48)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 84156 troops, 502 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 2295

Defending force 22611 troops, 223 guns, 168 vehicles, Assault Value = 817

Allied adjusted assault: 2087

Japanese adjusted defense: 876

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 2

-------------------

The Chinese corps have standard Engineer squads in their TOE, so it seems that if such Engineers are part of infantry units they reduce forts just as combat engineers do.

The manual says otherwise (see page 195), but the game behaves differently...

your 2:1 adjusted assault reduced a fort level, not engineers. If combat engineers reduce forts you will see that message further above.

[wdolson]

Additionally when combat engineers reduce forts, you see a message saying "engineers reduce fortifications" or something along those lines. If the fort level goes down without that message, it was due to the assault itself and not engineers.

Bill