Planning and conducting assaults

[ivanov]

Since I'm completely new to the game, so far I have biggest problems with planning and conducting the assaults. For example I ordered my infantry, to attack a town. Since the execution of the order was delayed by about an hour, the enemy has spotted my units and destroyed most of my APCs. I placed them on forest hexes with 80% cover. I also ordered my mortars to lay suppressing fire on the target. All in vain. So what my principal mistake? Should I place the units further away from enemy before the assault? Or should I attack only when the enemy is practically wiped out by the artillery or air strikes? The problem in that case was, that I had only standard mortars and no special ammunitions were available. So what the best way to dislodge the enemy who is defending in urban terrain with a mixture of infantry and tanks? I'm interested to hear your advice

[IronMikeGolf]

The hexes on the edge of the woods you launched your assault from is called the "assault position". It should be covered and concealed. As you found out, if you move on the edge of the woods, you can be spotted. Here's what I try to do for a Deliberate Attack:

1. Select an assault position that can not be seen by units in your objective hexes. That means behind a hill or 2 hexes into the woods.
2. Move your units to the assault position. I have at least some of these use an Assault order, so if they run into any enemy recon element, they will attack and eliminate them.
3. Do Resupply in the assault position to get to 100% Readiness
4. Fire an artillery preparation during the resupply and during orders delay for the assault itself. Use Suppression missions. Hit the hexes you'd defend from, even if empty. It is important to reduce defender's Readiness as well as to inflict some casualties. You want continuous fire.
5. When you give the orders for the actual assault phase of your attack, use three waypoints for each unit. Synchronize the units' movements so that they all are exposed at the same time and reach the objective at the same time.

It is really important not to get detected until you are actually assaulting the objective.

You don't say what nations are attacking and defending. There may be some other considerations (like smoke), depending on that. Also keep in mind that basically, 3 to 1 attacker to defender odds is a draw and could go either way. Here I am talking a battalion with organic assets attacking a company with its organic (not its parent battalion's) assets.

[IronMikeGolf]

If you have not already, have a look at this thread:
MRB Attack

[ivanov]

Thank you very much for the advice. I will try to work on my tactics. The only problem is the 3:1 attacker vs defender ratio since I'm playing the West German campaign and usually the numerical superiority is on the Soviet side

[IronMikeGolf]

That makes the prep and reducing the defender's Readiness a huge priority.

[IronMikeGolf]

Say, can you tell me what forces are attacking and defending and where on what map? I'd like to mess around and make an isolated scenario.

[ivanov]

This is the very first map of the West German "School Teacher" campaign. The town of Waldberg is a victory objective so I guess I need to take it The assault units are the two infantry on the edge of the forest. Apparently the hex provides 90% cover. The problem is that more Soviet units ( including the tanks ) arrive later to the town so IMO my forces are too weak to undertake the assault...


imag

[pekische]

This is not really good opportunity for assault by infantry. Defenders has ideal position. They are in cover, dug in, they see your slowly advancing men in open area. And your men have no tank support. They have to be killed.

My opinion is that your chance is the north-east forest and more tank support....

[ivanov]

ORIGINAL: pekische

This is not really good opportunity for assault by infantry. Defenders has ideal position. They are in cover, dug in, they see your slowly advancing men in open area. And your men have no tank support. They have to be killed.

My opinion is that your chance is the north-east forest and more tank support....

Is it okay if I send in the tanks to fight in forests and in urban terrain? I have a very little experience with this game, but in real life that would be a cardinal mistake. That's why I left the tanks to guard the flanks with more open terrain.

[Tazak]

I've found that as long as their supported by infantry they survive, if alone against infantry you can expect a bad day

[ivanov]

ORIGINAL: Tazak

I've found that as long as their supported by infantry they survive, if alone against infantry you can expect a bad day

Based on your experience, should infantry/tank task forces move and fight as stacks of units, or rather as loose formations? For example what would be more effective - assaulting the town hexes with a infantry/tank stack ( tanks in a direct fire support role ) or assaulting it with infantry and leaving the tanks on the flaks as a overwatch?

[Tazak]

I normally try to time it so the infantry arrive in the hex first, 1 min later joined by the tank unit.
If you can have tanks on overwatch providing direct fire support then great, but if the enemy are within a built up area with no direct LOS then you need to move then in together (or close enough).

It does on rare occasions backfire when the infantry take a massive slapping and move backwards followed by the tanks moving in taking a worst slapping

Iron Mike Golf's example MRB attack is a really good example, suppression fire right up to the point of where your units enter the town is critical.

[Mad Russian]

Artillery fire is EXTREMELY important for reducing the effectiveness and readiness of the units in the location about to be assaulted. As is smoke if you have it.

Make the hide in cover and then put smoke in their eyes. That will give you a much better chance to carry the position by assault.

Good Hunting.

MR

[ivanov]

Thank you for your advice gentlemen. Have you got any hints as to the duration of artillery preparation? In the real life it often alarms defenders and allows them to get ready to repel the impending attack. So in modern warfare, a short and intense bombardment is preferred over a long barrage.

Also, about the infantry tactics in the assault - what is the best distance to dismount from the vehicles before the target hex? I have my doubts because the vehicles certainly protect troops from the small arms fire, but the APCs are much easier to spot and hit with the heavier weapons.

[Mad Russian]

If you start hitting them with artillery fire when you give the unit the order to assault you can cancel it right before they move if you watch the timing of the move.

Good Hunting.

MR

[ivanov]

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian

If you start hitting them with artillery fire when you give the unit the order to assault you can cancel it right before they move if you watch the timing of the move.

Good Hunting.

MR

+1

[IronMikeGolf]

Pay attention to Waypoints, It is easy to synchronize lifting or shifting fires if your ground force and arty Waypoints are on the same hex.

Set the first Waypoint as the hex where you are going to be seen first (edge of woods or first open terrain hex) and the last as your objective. If the objective is not on the edge of town, but a hex or two deeper in town, then set the second Waypoint as the edge of town so you can lift/shift arty 1 minute beofre the units get there.

Try to have each assaulting unit take a different path. That minimizes risk from enemy arty. All of this is real hard with only three Waypoints per unit (nudge-nudge to Dev team).

[IronMikeGolf]

And keep in mind the value of reducing Readiness. Think of it this way: if you reduce the Readiness of a to 30%, it turns a comapny into a platoon and a platoon into a squad.