88 Artillery?

[deathsai]

I have heard many accounts where the German 88 was used as a very effective artillery piece, but I can't seem to find any 88s in game (besides the AA and ATG versions, which can't be used as indirect fire artillery). Can anyone help me out?

[Voriax]

You do not find them as there is no arty 88's in the game. Reason for this is that units are classed according to their primary purpose. Thus there are no 'artillery shermans' for example as even though they also could be used as indirect arty it was not their main purpose. Lots of weapons can be used in some innovative, secondary way. It is just not possible to create a new unit variants for these secondary purposes.

Voriax

[deathsai]

Ok, thanks.

While on the subject of indirect fire, I have another question: Is it more useful to use mortars (light ones that accompany my infantry squads around) in direct fire mode or indirect fire mode, if I have a choice of both? And what are the pros and cons of each?

[plloyd]

Offensively you won't get much of a choice. When mortars move, they don't fire, and no one will wait for you to get a mortar in position to blast them. On defense the situation changes. Covering your killing zones with mortars can be very satifying. A direct fire mortar is almost as good as an infantry gun, but much cheaper. The only real drawback is that mortars do not OP fire.

[Poopyhead]

I think the platoon mortars were meant for direct fire. For instance, the Japanese squads come with them. At close range, the 50 and 60 mm mortars can really punish infantry and even destroy AFV's. Indirect fire is better at suppressing targets or laying smoke in areas that are beyond direct sight of the firing unit. Direct fire is, of course, immediate while indirect fire takes time while the FO and the artillerymen play "charts and darts". Direct fire is more accurate, but you are going to get shot at, too.

[Kevin E. Duguay]

Yes my friend there is a 88mm Flak 18 OBA battery. It is in the Norway OOB and is available for purchase from January 1941 to the end of 1945.

Look through the Norway OOB useing the Encyclopedia, and also the Czechoslovakian OOB you will be surprised to see the many and varried German units that could not fit in the German OOB.

[Marek Tucan]

Touching this, I've seen footage from Korea - M26's standing on sloped ramps, which enabled them to point the gun at higher elevation, acting as artillery.

[Kevin E. Duguay]

Tank artillery is something we may have missed. I'll look into it.

The M10 was also used as artillery support. As a matter of fact more ofter than as a TD. Especially in Italy.

[Belisarius]

ORIGINAL: Marek Tucan

Touching this, I've seen footage from Korea - M26's standing on sloped ramps, which enabled them to point the gun at higher elevation, acting as artillery.

There's also at least one picture floating around out there where you can see three M4's standing on ramps in artillery support. Somewhere close to the Rhein IIRC.

[Roo]

One of the best "Tank-Arty" actions IMO, was when an Austrailian Centurian was blasting away with it's 20lb in Korea when a MiG came in low over the hill straight into the path of the shells...