Ground Combat

[ny59giants]

Great stuff!!!
It is fall '43 in my game against the Jap AI. I have taken Myitkyina to re-open the Burma road (and sent too much back towards Imphala and Ledo along with the Chinese back across the border) when the AI sent 3 Divisions, 2 Tank Brigades, and an Engineer Regiment to take it back. Fortunately, I was able to reverse some of my forces and transport some from both Ledo and Dacca in to keep it until help arrived. The original force of Japanese is in the clear hex between Myitkyina and Lashio (when I took the base). I have a large force coming from Dacca on the road Mandalay. My question is, What do I need to do in order to ensure total annihilation of that force at Myitkyina?? When I took it initially I had at least one Brigade on the 3 roads/paths lead into Myitkyina. Thus the retreat into the clear hex.

[tsimmonds]

That's not a clear hex; it is a mountain hex.

If you have Lashio and Mandalay, I seriously doubt whether this IJ force can ever get away. Assuming that you forced it to retreat from Myitkyina, it undoubtedly is in bad shape. Lots of disablements, high disruption and fatigue, low morale. When you retreated them they lost all their supply. Possibly they can draw supply to where they are now, but probably not. Use the "w" hot key to display the ZOCs; you may have this force cut off from supply. Supply is the key here; if this enemy force can get back in supply, it may be able to save itself. If you can prevent this from happening, it will certainly die. I wouldn't think in terms of going into the mountains there to do battle, I would rather think in terms of cutting it off. Take Pagan and Taung Gyi, and then Rangoon. Keep the rest of the bases garrisoned. That will seal their fate.

[tsimmonds]

The three most important things (unless you have enough juice to get the 2-to-1 on the first attack): support, supply and preparation points.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I'd like to add a fourth item to this list:

Always divide your divisions and brigades. This moves them to the bottom of the stack. Then seek out LCUs that will stack above your engineer and armored regiments, which will now appear at the top of the stack. Be sure to assign effective leaders to the infantry regiments that result from dividing; the game defaults to bozos.

This also provides multiple targets for enemy ground support airstrikes, thus diluting their effect.

This has no basis in reality that I can think of, other than the fact that a division did not operate tactically as a division. A division operated tactically as three regiments. But regardless, this is playing the game. I don't complain. I've been playing games my whole life; I love playing games. If not this, then what? Backgammon, I suppose. Talk about abstract!

[SgtSwanson]

Ok, so let me get this straight,

1) Turn on the animations as you get more info for planning the next days combat if your not using it now.

2) Breakdown your bigger Inf units (Divs./Brigades) so it will rearrange your stack and put units that have less disruption on top.

3) Have Base force and or Eng units involved to help keep the disruption down if combat is going to take a long time.

Sounds weired to me that you can use Base Force units for offensive combat. I always thought you couldn't / shouldn't do that as they were for running bases.

[moses]

I think frequent dividing of ground combat units tends to create bugs. (leader bugs recombine bugs) Not sure if all have been corrected. It has unclear effects on replacements, disruption, fatigue, and morale recovery. Are split units more or less effective in combat?? Who knows. Plus it makes the game a bit more tedious as you have three times the units to click on and give orders.

I never split units unless there is a clear tactical reason for doing so.

[tsimmonds]

Sounds weired to me that you can use Base Force units for offensive combat. I always thought you couldn't / shouldn't do that as they were for running bases.

They aren't participating in combat, they are support troops in the rear with the gear, doing laundry and cooking and such.

I think frequent dividing of ground combat units tends to create bugs. (leader bugs recombine bugs) Not sure if all have been corrected. It has unclear effects on replacements, disruption, fatigue, and morale recovery. Are split units more or less effective in combat?? Who knows. Plus it makes the game a bit more tedious as you have three times the units to click on and give orders.

After breaking them down I just leave them. They are equally effective as the combined unit is. And what's a few more clicks in this game....?

[moses]

I have less confidance than you in doing things which probably were not ever expected to be done in testing. I know for a while people were dividing air units because they would repair and take on replacements faster that way. This was fixed in some patch but I would not be surprised if there are similar unintended effects of dividing ground units. Especially if you are doing it en-mass.

If you really want to mess with the system start air transporting some of the divided units so you have fragments of divided units in various places. Maybe use a fragment of a divided unit as the lead unit of a follow command. Then you can get a ghost of a fragmented divided unit. Now load the ghost on to a ship......[:D]

[Mike Wood]

Hello...

Really want to give the programmer a heart attack, eh?

A Good Laugh...

Michael Wood

ORIGINAL: moses

I have less confidance than you in doing things which probably were not ever expected to be done in testing. I know for a while people were dividing air units because they would repair and take on replacements faster that way. This was fixed in some patch but I would not be surprised if there are similar unintended effects of dividing ground units. Especially if you are doing it en-mass.

If you really want to mess with the system start air transporting some of the divided units so you have fragments of divided units in various places. Maybe use a fragment of a divided unit as the lead unit of a follow command. Then you can get a ghost of a fragmented divided unit. Now load the ghost on to a ship......[:D]

[tsimmonds]

I have less confidance than you in doing things which probably were not ever expected to be done in testing.

What do you suppose they gave us a "divide unit" button for, if not for the purpose of dividing the unit?[;)]

[cookie monster]

Good question[:D]

[michaelm75au]

Hi

to make really big units....[:D][:D]

Michael

[tsimmonds]

This just occurred to me (although it is obvious in retrospect): a ground support air strike is the only way to target and to inflict meaningful losses on powerful defending LCUs that are not on top of the defending stack.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: irrelevant

This just occurred to me (although it is obvious in retrospect): a ground support air strike is the only way to target and to inflict meaningful losses on powerful defending LCUs that are not on top of the defending stack.

Naval bombardments will generally target Eng. LCUs whether they are on top or not. Of course, the Engineering LCU that gets hammered the most is the first Engineering unit in the stack...[:'(]

[tsimmonds]

bump for the new guys

[Accipiter]

Thanks everyone. It good to know my forces aren't so incompentent as to be shooting themselves storming the beaches There is so much to learn about this game.

[tsimmonds]

I like to assault when all my main assault units have recovered disruption/fatigue to 20/50 at the worst. Do not assault with LCUs with worse disruption/fatigue levels than these, except in the most urgent of circumstances.

I have to say, this was very cautious advice indeed on my part. Here is my current thinking: If you are getting 1 to 1s, and if you are also taking a fort down every turn, and if your supply is in the green, keep making daily deliberate attacks. Keep an eye on the assault values and make sure that they keep moving in your favor (and if you are taking down forts, they should). Don't worry about disablements, fatigue, or disruption, cause they are happening to the other guy too. If the modified assault values keep moving in your favor, that is all that is important. If you have a fat 1 to 1 when you get down to the last fort level or maybe two, finish it with a shock attack.

One thing to watch though is combat engineer disablements. These guys are the cutting edge, and they are the first ones to go. If they get mostly disabled, turn them off before they start to die, and continue making deliberate assaults with the rest of your force. It may pay to rotate your engineers so you always have some attacking. LCUs with organic combat engineers are very valuable.

[testarossa]

ORIGINAL: Halsey
Supposed to be fixed in the upcoming patch. We hope.[;)]

So when 1.8 beta is scheduled to [:D]arrive?

[Berkut]

Is the posting of the AV values to the combat result screen and report going to happen...ever?

[fabertong]

Please may this come to pass...........waiting for the AAVs in combat replays....sometimes I drift off and miss them......and let's be frank lifes too short to wait when you have 20+ units which are bombarding, attacking........etc.

[tsimmonds]

Bump for the new guys.

Halsey, thanks for reminding me....