How do YOU advance infantry and tanks? Tactics question.

[Jaax]

(I reposted this from the main board as it probably belonged here)

Hi,

I've been playing Steel Panthers games for quite a while now, but I always wondered how others played their advancing armies.

If you're in an Advance or Assault scenario (as say, the Germans or Russians), do you ride infantry on tanks towards the objectives (maybe setting them down before the target)?

Or do you set the infantry down on foot at the beginning of the scenario, walk them forward with lines of tanks following slowly?

Normally I do the first, but I was just wondering how others normally carry out attacking missions.

--

Secondly, with C&C off, is there any benefit to purchasing a Company of infantry or tanks, compared to a few platoons? And if opting for the Company, must they all stay closely together, or can you have some units on the northern end of the battle and some on the southern end (as long as they're near their platoon leader) and still have them be as effective?

Thanks in advance =)

[gainiac]

Well,

You need Recon first and foremost. I always scout my path of advance first with recon providing any fire support necessary via a platoon already prededicated to the task if necessary.........

I'll advance my forces still mounted up to the point where my recon has made contact with the enemy. At this point I'll have my infantry dismount and advance by foot with armor for support.

All the while I've usually got a platoon of armor (with some infantry scouts and an FO) behind this line of advance providing overwatch fire support.

Layers.............If your not providing overwatch fire support for an advance your taking a serious gamble.

Of course this mostly applies only when playing a human opponent. The AI is fairly stupid, and unless your playing a scenario designed by a human, it won't provide much of a challenge.......

Martin

[Irinami]

Second one first:

Buying Companies is always beneficial, C&C on or off! Rally goes from current unit to Platoon leader, then to Company leader (that oddball one-unit platoon in Co formations), then to A0. (EG, D5 tries to rally. If he fails, D0 tries to rally him. If he fails, B0 tries to rally him. If he fails, A0 tries to rally him. All so long as the 0-unit has contact and hasn't failed a rally this turn.)

First one:

Riders on vehicles are very vulnerable. Riders in vehicles are subject to casualties and/or heavy suppression if the vehicle is hit or destroyed. They also lose moves equal to the vehicles move-loss once they're loaded, and lose shots roughly at 2:3 the rate of the vehicle if loaded when the vehicle fires.

So, in a pacified or unspotted zone, they ride. Otherwise, or when moving toward the enemy, they walk in front of the tanks. Sometimes they will ride on the tanks if I suspect a high-success-rate infantry-assault on the tank is imminent. I'd rather have them sitting in the same hex to opfire the infantry, though.

[Jaax]

Thanks guys!

I guess this question goes to Gainiac, or anyone else who employs a fully mechanized spearhead attack:

Do you use infantry scouts leading your mechanized forces? Or armored recon?

I imagine infantry would spot better, but would be much slower.

[gainiac]

Thanks guys!

I guess this question goes to Gainiac, or anyone else who employs a fully mechanized spearhead attack:

Do you use infantry scouts leading your mechanized forces? Or armored recon?

You have to use both .

Recon is a gamble, with fairly resilient, hard to spot troops. Use the vehicles primarily for the mobility, dismount and "gingerly" pad around with the scout teams when you think it may get hot.

If a scout team gets into trouble you extract them with the armored recon vehicles within your scout team.

I don't scout with infantry, 2 man scout teams are awesome when used properly, they simply don't get spotted that easily.

Save your infantry for blowin' sh!t up.

Happy Hunting,

Martin

[Irinami]

I use a "Company" (3 "Platoons" + 1 Commander, all in quotes since the total bodies are only about 20 men) for initial recon thus:

CO: 1xSniper
3 Pl's: 2x2-man scout team, 1xATRifle/rocket.

They inch forward, usually behind a curtain of heavy smoke. (In defensive setups, BTW, I have them at commanding positions to first spot enemy moves.) Near behind them is my elite infantry platoon (I always have at least one). If the scouts find something big or get found, they run backwards and the elite platoon forms a screen.

Behind that, waiting at the ready, is my armored recon: Light tanks and/or armored cars. They provide fire support if the scouts get found-out. It's very difficult to decide whether to use them or not! 20mm cannon at close range can eradicate infantry and do a little damage to even medium tanks. On the other hand, things are armed with 20mm cannon because they can't carry anything bigger, thus suggesting they haven't much armour--usually the case.

In any case, once the scouts find something worthwhile, they run backwards or sideways like water. My elite Inf block the enemy, my armored recon stays only long enough to be moral support for the elite Inf until my real armor comes up. Then...

... well, you figure out what to do with your recon elements. That's my secret.

Armored recon is nigh useless to lead with. Even the smallest of them is trivially easy to spot as compared to foot recon (or even foot infantry).

What you might do is modify my setup. The Germans have a number of recon halftracks that carry 2-6 men and have an anti-tank gun on them, and are quite small. Use these sorts of vehicles to run your recon up to a relatively safe point (say, behind a hill or thick bunch of trees), then drop off the recon. Move the recon H/T one hex or two, into some position that does not directly support your recon's movement, but could move one hex to do so, or could cover anything that overruns your recon.

Failing that, try cavalry or even better, motorcycles. They can usually quickly drive deep enough behind enemy lines to give you good intel, and have enough men that even when (not if) they are spotted they can hold out for a little bit. Even 4-man recon teams die fast.