Assault vs. Move + Attack

[bitparity]

So I'm new to this game, and I'm slowly starting to understand that as a wargame, command ops is truly about the art of maneuver warfare. That sometimes you don't need to kill everything, just bypass and render them moot, and that momentum is as important as force.

So with that said, when is an assault appropriate, when is it better to just use move + attack checkmarked?

I've lost several games where assaults on key positions have bogged down, rendering me incapable of taking objectives further down. But I've also lost other games where in the drive to move and bypass, my forces are so fatigued and sometimes half rout recovering that I don't have the force necessary to occupy my victory objectives, especially with stragglers everywhere.

How does one judge when to assault and when to just move?

[Lieste]

If possible divide the force into echelons plus a recon element - the lead echelon assaults strongpoints that need to be cleared, while the follow on forces move by bounds (preferably out of sight/artillery fire)

Once the lead troops are bogged down, allow them to rest, while the follow-on force moves along side (not through as this just invites artillery fire to disrupt both forces) and then continues the advance.

For scenarios where both forces are out of position and moving to engagement then you will want the shock-force to advance behind a heavy commitment of artillery, but to not use assaults, bypassing where needed. The second echelon can then fix and destroy the bypassed strongpoints. Once you find rear area concentrations of artillery &/or HQ and supply, then this becomes a priority for artillery fires - the defender can disrupt an attack for several days with a well timed artillery preparation (rout recovery then recovering the high fatigue associated with retreated/routed troops).

Use of dead-ground and cover can greatly assist closing with defended locations, minimising exposure to artillery and long-range support weapons. If this isn't present, resting till dusk will give 'better' combat effectiveness than pushing on with blown troops, and will guarantee getting closer than an attack in daylight.