Broompatrol

Yeah, the 37mm gun is accurate to be sure and fun to use. But the behind armor effect is rather poor and the blast is rather weak, but the ROF and accuracy can make up for that in the right situation. My frustration is that the thinner skinned AFV's tend to cower and refuse to shoot if they percieve the threat too great. Like from a Pillbox or a Tiger. I've never tried them v a bunker before, though.

I guess you have figured it already that Arty doesn't work v bunkers (except the huge stuff or so I have read) Inf with satchels are very effective as long as they are not getting shot at. Don't expect the hero to run up under fire and huck a charge trhough the slit. Bazookas'll get penetrations through the door okay, whether it ko's the bukner seems to be partly due to the exp of the crew inside (but I may be wrong) I've had zooks use up their ammo without the crew bailing, at other times you sneeze and they quit. (usually when they are mine, of course) Regular assaults w/ grenades typically have mixed results. I say you march your guys past it and hope he runs out of ammo shooting at everybody. Seriously though. The advantage you have is he's been spotted and you have flexibilty. So be creative and try not to give him any freebies. I don't know what your forces are, so I don't have any specific advice.

GDOG, The odds are in favor of the pillbox at that range. Search previous threads for Antipillbox tactics. Very sound advice from JasonC. Bottom line..luck and razzle dazzle don't work. superior firepower, smoke and bypassing it will. Even with smoke it will get little windows to shoot at you so don't think you're invisible. If that doesn't work try looking on youtube for a Disney training film called: "You and a pillbox: Concrete creampuff."

It seems 16's won't or can't use flame on a target directly in front at over 40m. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. They seem to cheerfully use the FT at the 30m-40m regardless of the aspect of target. But, they are more likely to use the FT if the target is somewhere between 15 and 60 degrees from the front. Other than that I am not sure of your crew's reluctance. Are you engaging vehicles or infantry? The 16's will also back away from a percieved AT threat (bazookas, .50, etc.)pretty fast.

Hiding Zooks to deny points to enemy...Not gamey. IMO. As far as moving them, one thing that has sorta worked for me is keeping the zook fairly close to the hq. The only advantage is that sometimes the hq gets shot at instead of the zook, and if the zook panics it has farther to go to leave command radius. It also gets a bit more protection from the hq. Cheers

Hiding Zooks to deny points to enemy...Not gamey. IMO. As far as moving them, one thing that has sorta worked for me is keeping the zook fairly close to the hq. The only advantage is that sometimes the hq gets shot at instead of the zook, and if the zook panics it has farther to go to leave command radius. It also gets a bit more protection from the hq. Cheers

Only on certain tanks. On many the armor is thicker (or harder to penetrate due to armor = slope) making the tank even safer in hull down. Poor Old Spike ran some very good tests regarding the matter. He demonstrates the advantage of hulldown even if turret is very thin And yes, being hull down blocks the bow MG. [ November 14, 2007, 04:30 PM: Message edited by: Broompatrol ]

Thanks all, good info. I guess I should have specified that my question would be how it relates to Combat Mission. I know that Coys don't wander the countryside looking for things to blow up on their own, but within the context of the game there are many company sized scenarios. I noticed that Vickers don't seem to be as common as HMG42's or M1919's. So, I was wondering how the Commonwealth forces visualized the proper use of Vickers. Anyway thanks again. It helps to learn how they would be deployed.

When I said operation I simply meant a companiy sized mission. I should have been clearer. I was wondering how Bn would use the Mg platoon. Spread them between companies or did they just use them as they saw fit dependant on the situation? a) One MG platoon per a battalion, IIRC. Or one MG company (3 platoons of 4 guns) per brigade. Name a company level operation. I don't believe such a thing was common. c) They were actually far more mobile than the infantry, having tracked mechanical transport of their own, so I doubt that was the reason. </font>

How were Vickers typically farmed out to units? Would a company level operation ever have a Vickers? Finally, was the reason they were not attached to Companies becuase of their mobility? Thanks.

When I followed the link it came up blank. Which scenario is it? QUOTE]Originally posted by Uberpickle: http://www.the-proving-grounds.com/scenario_details_link.html?sku=1379 Be nice

Thanks JK

I beleive the engineers need to be stationary to prep the charges. So , I think if you send your men running after a tank you may not get the results you are hoping for.

Does anyone have an idea how effective the gun gyros are on the M4 and M3 in CM? In previous threads I found reference to the real thing, but not how it was modelled in the game. Is speed or terrain a factor? Does it make sense to halt gyro equipped tanks to fire? Or, would it be better to shoot and scoot all over the place?

As long as there people willing to play, I for one can see playing for years. Unless an updated WWII era wargame is released, of course. To me this game is akin to digital miniatures battles or chess. The fun is in playing with others in a facinating genre, not so much the technology involved. The internet allows me to play people from all over the globe w/o having to go to a convention