Matrix Games Forums

Two questions below on real-world planning from this period; any information is welcome.

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In many (all?) scenarios, enemy units are regularly located in built-up or urban areas. As players, we just as regularly use artillery/rockets to target these areas. I recently had a particularly egregious example of this when I ordered a MLRS strike on the top-level enemy HQ in an urban hex.

Would heavy weapons in urban areas typically be used/authorized at our commander's level or above it?

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Similarly, for destruction of bridges when engineering units are available, the player is generally given discretion as to when or whether to do so. I would think that there would be operational/political sensitivity to literally "burn your bridges", especially from the perspective of the FRG forces and higher-level command (since the fight would be on their territory). Can anyone speak to what level these decisions would typically be made at?

Any information is appreciated here. Thanks!

Like pretty much every war, if the objective is in a built up area and there are defenders, attackers will shell it or hit it with missiles, chem, bio, and nukes (WP plan showed use on a number of major cities and NATO planning was not much different) to clear and take the ground. The only hesitation would be using strikes on your own territory unless it was enemy controlled and you were taking it back over.

Bridges. NATO was all about blowing East-West bridges if they could slow WP advances and many bridges in West Germany were preset with demolition points to speed up the process. North-South bridges were to be used to allow flow of forces to stop the WP movements. I'm sure depending on geography those "rules" would change. We have the ability in the scenario editor to lock out demolitions of certain bridges.