Matrix Games Forums

In the jungle most battles are fought with only 1 hex visability. Need to know how to set up platoons in defenseive perimeter. My Company consists of 4 platoons. 3 platoons inf. 1 platoon engineers. Each platoon of inf has 3squads foot and 1sqad with the bar also 1 sec of heavy machine guns. Engineers platoon has 4 squads. I find it difficult to place bar squad and hmg with a good field of fire to protect other squads when placing in each seperate hex. Should mg and bar be in middle or on ends of line.

I think I'd set two squads forward, two hexes apart. Then place the MG and BAR squad directly behind them with the Platoon leader between the heavy support.

In this defensive formation, you use the lead elements as a 'tripwire'. They can fall back onto the heavy support if they're hit hard. Or you can rapidly advance the heavies to the point-of-contact, when you've got the advantage. This formation is limited to commanding a ~200m front. But it is more durable.

For a wider front (300m+) try alternating your infantry squads with the MG and BAR, keeping the squads adjacent to each other. Anybody hitting the line at range one is going to have to deal with a USMC Infantry squad AND either the MG or BAR. This formation is more fragile in that it doesn't have depth of defense. Retreating units are your support. That's not good. :rolleyes:

If they were MY Jarheads .......

I know when you have more visability you should set up so bar or mg can cover other squads. This works out fine for me. I have 3 cos of inf so map size doesnt bother me. Also my platoon of engineers are in 2 secs. I use them to plug any gaps in the line between Companys. I also have 2 secs of tanks to back up the engineers. Thanks for the info never thought bout usin 2 squads forward of bar and mg. I guess because i use 2 sec of recon out front of Co. Was wondering more about real life set up then game setup. Was wondering how the marines actually set up perimiters in real life when visability is so low. I dont think there Companys are made up like mine tho.

When I play against the AI, I set the AI advantage ON and select Hard battles (x2), so I am usually seriously outnumbered. The perimeters you describe would easily get overrun under such circumstances.

The only way I can maintain a battle line is with 81mm mortars and a mobile response team that moves from danger zone to danger zone shooting up the enemy units suppressed by the mortars and then moving back into reserve. Units with flamethrowers work best as the mobile reserve. If you don't have flamethrowers, then use units armed with lots of machine guns plus lots of grenades. Grenades do a good job of making enemy units retreat.