Counter Battery Fire, and less important questions

[mine_field]

Hello once again, and thanks to all who are helping me flesh out my knowledge with this very addictive and rewarding game.

I have been playing in campaign mode, and have experienced the not-so-great event of receiving counter battery fire. I notice that the Germans seem much better at doing this to me than I (the US) to them.
Here is what the manual says (v5.0)
Spotting Off-map Artillery and Counter-battery Fire
There is a chance, varying with each nationality, that unspotted enemy artillery will be detected
using flash-and-sound techniques. There is also a chance that friendly off-board artillery will
automatically fire at enemy off-board batteries. Leaving batteries unassigned will greatly improve
the chance that they will counter-battery fire.

Any information regarding which nations? Does counter-battery fire occur in multiplayer?

Also I am learning the importance of what terrain a unit is in. Despite the information I can find, I don't see anything about 'mixed terrain'. Anyone know where 'mixed' fits into the list of defensive value, etc.?

Also a bit of abbreviations and terminalogy. For groupings of troops, I seem to be at a loss to what to call them. I know some basics, but an overview would be helpful. What do I call one unit that I have selected, i.e. a group of 5-6 men that work together but can move independently of their company? Is that a squad or section? Secondly, am I correct in saying that a group that has the same prefix all make up the company? And then all of your forces is a platoon? I have heard that called a combat group as well.

Last thing, I have been reading some after action reports. Any help with what MC means? I can follow the abbreviatons and such that are in the manual like HT and other simple ones. The other abbreviation was ABP, referring to artillery.

Thanks in advance.

[VikingNo2]

MC = MotorCycle

Counter Battery happens in human vs human games as well.

Why type of arty do you have, there germans are probably hitting you more because there arty has a longer range. Hope this helps


5 or 6 men I would call a section. Squads are normally 9-12 some even bigger. That being said there are exceptions SAS squads I think have 6 men. Any recon squad is normally smaller

[mine_field]

As with all abbreviations after explained, duh. Thanks. Any idea about the ABP one?

I was using 105's and 155's so it is probably due course that they found me.

[VikingNo2]

Don't want to sound like I'm in a spelling b but could you use it in a sentance, or tell me where it was posted. (ABP ) The 105mm has a shorter range the the German 150mm I believe, Plus how far off the map your off-board arty is, is random I believe. So factors like experience and I'm sure manyother determine counter battery fire. Its random there is nothing you can do to increase your chances of doing it other than making sure your arty has langer range than the opponents. Note the lagerer the caliber is not always the longer range one.

Keep the questions coming[;)]

[mine_field]

RE: Crouching Buzzard - Hidden Pixe... (in reply to Capt. Pixel)


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

I tried and tried to kill off those three Routed T34's but my Tough Romanians couldn't hit a one.

Three T34's were surrounded by the Romanians and seemed to be so confused by the multitude of targets that they couldn't make up their mind which ones to kill first, (there must have been more than 40 of them- relay that message to the ABP with coordinates ) so they decided that the HT's, T38's and infantry must some thicker-skinned friends close behind and headed west into the sunset. There to join some of their friends and wait for the enemy to come through. Pretty much all they got to see was the smoke canisters that the RuFinn infantry popped to hide behind.

With the centre VH's in CaPo hands, time to start spreading out. There are open areas just east and south and woods to the north. Which way to go?

In the very south, a recon unit is looking for those tanks that attacked our AC at the bend in the road. Instead, he finally confirms where the 37mm and 75mm towed guns are that kept firing (and missing) that AC before he ran into the mobile version. Another message to the ABP. No road time for those boys.

The northern units are doing a little better. They didn't run into such large concentrations of HT's and infantry nor get dissuaded by a mass of hidden AA and ATG's. They stop a panzer or two and some infantry and claim more kills than they have losses. More messages to the ABP to route out some stubborn infantry nests before proceeding.

Just south of centre, we seem to be trading scouting units. Which one of us is trying to hide the most? There seems to be a lot of smoke there so I better get ready for a big attempt to break through by the enemy.

_____________________________

"Good military intelligence is worth at least as much as an extra regiment."

2/25/2004 8:32:03 AM Report Abuse | ID: 559865

[VikingNo2]

You got me Artillary Battery P??? don't know the P could be Park. Where the arty formations are set up are commonly refered to as Parks, or arty parks

[mine_field]

I usually refer to them as good targets.

[VikingNo2]

Yep

Where at in NC if you don't mind me asking

[Capt. Pixel]

He's my partner - and even I don't know what he means by ABP. Context told me that he was referring to the FO (Forward Observer).

ABP must be a Canadian term? [&:][8D]

[VikingNo2]

So its a Canadian term "A" [8|]

By the way mine_field check out Capt P's post on arty very very good[&o]

[mine_field]

Viking,
I am currently in the captial, Raleigh, doing studies, but I am originally from the eastern part of the state near the towns of Greenville, Rocky Mount, Wilson, and Tarborro. So to be short, I am from the boonies (probably that's an American term).
And talking about good targets, if the USA were ever involved in a future war on our soil, NC would be a great target. We have an air force base, a marine base, a coast guard base, an army base I think and who knows what else. Oops did I just say that out loud? Hell, we even have one of the largest if not largest blimp facilities in the USA.

Pixel,
ROFLMAO!! I'm surprised no one called him on this besides me. I guess that's the advantage of knowing nothing; you question everything. I do know APB is all points bulletin. Maybe your partner is giving all your units nicknames.

I'll go check out the arty post now.
...
Ok I had already read his initial post. That thing is amazing. I wish everyone read it. I even found myself quoting from it to help out other new players like myself.

A couple of things that I find to be slack in that post. Does being in the same hex as the ammo source have any difference than being adjacent? And secondly, he mentions the newbie mistake of plotting arty that no longer has ammo. He provides sufficient knowledge about not running out of ammo, so am I to assume that the way to prevent yourself from making this mistake is to not run out of ammo? Or am I just going to get the obvious response of, "To not plot empty arty, always check the supply first," or "Confuscious say, 'know one's ammo quantity.'"

[VikingNo2]

I'm originally from Selma NC

[mine_field]

I have some relatives in Selma, although don't ask me their names currently. Just didn't visit them that much and I'm horrible with names. (don't tell them I said this.)

[robot]

Besides that you have some very large tobacco plants there. Also they are cheaper then in most northern states. Watch out for an invasion. We still have an awful lot of addicts in the united states. Cut off there supply and you cripple a lot of fighting men. [:D][:D][:D]

[mine_field]

I'm going to admit to my country roots here...
My mom grew up on a farm and she used to help 'put in tobacco'. What this entails is, a bunch of manual labor is used to pick the tobacco off the stalks (used to do this by hand, machine does it now). Then you take it to the drying barns. Well the leaves are tied together and hung from wooden sticks, about 1"X1"X ~4'. This is how the 'bacy gets all crumbly and good for you addicts.
Well when I was a kid, we used to get these sticks and use them like logs to make log houses, or tobacco stick houses. If you have ever played with a mini-log cabin set, then you can see the fun in making your own little fort or house or what-not.
Well that's my anecdote for the day. Tobacco is a sore subject back home. With quota's and other restrictions, it isn't as profitable anymore. Plus all the warehouses are gone so that is another loss in local revenue (they do contracts now straight to the makers so there is no longer the auctioning system, a funny thing if you've ever heard those auctioneers).
The plants you speak of, I know less about. I imagine there is one in Winston-Salem, home of Salem cigarettes? Well I know they are about here somewhere.

[arethusa]

ABP is Artillery Board Plotter. I doubt if it's a Canadian term exclusively although it may be a Commonwealth term (Br, Cdn, Aus, NZ) and not used in the US artillery.

Basically, it's the guy who plots where the target is on the map and directs the guns how to aim. I'm quite familiar with it since I did it for a few years.