Help with Engineers

[Bloody Bill]

Hey gents.  I am just looking for some advice from more experienced players on how to keep my Engineers in the battle.  Here are my frustrating examples.

 

1. Fighting in hedgerows my Engineers blast a path but run through to get MG'd to death loosing the whole unit.  Can you blast without running through?

 

2. Engineers in hunt mode going through minefield.  I thought if they spot a mine they would stop.  I lose three engineers on separate occasions to mines with the engineers in hunt mode searching for the mines.

 

I could be using them wrong I am not sure.  I just thought Engineers would hunt out mines than drop like being fired upon so they could mark them.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[Rinaldi]

Hey gents.  I am just looking for some advice from more experienced players on how to keep my Engineers in the battle.  Here are my frustrating examples.

 

1. Fighting in hedgerows my Engineers blast a path but run through to get MG'd to death loosing the whole unit.  Can you blast without running through?

 

2. Engineers in hunt mode going through minefield.  I thought if they spot a mine they would stop.  I lose three engineers on separate occasions to mines with the engineers in hunt mode searching for the mines.

 

I could be using them wrong I am not sure.  I just thought Engineers would hunt out mines than drop like being fired upon so they could mark them.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

1) It not foolproof and can lead to blasting where you don't want it, but try putting it next to, rather on the other side of, a hedgerow.

 

2) Break off a scout team, and move carefully, hunt through a suspect field and stop for 30-45 seconds at every action spot. They must be adjacent to the action spot that is mined for a while to spot the mines. Adjust time paused according to Engineer's skill and leadership.

[Bloody Bill]

@Rinaldi, thanks for the tips.  I will try these.

[MOS:96B2P]

<snip>

1. Fighting in hedgerows my Engineers blast a path but run through to get MG'd to death loosing the whole unit.  Can you blast without running through?

<snip>

 

Engineers/sappers/pioneers are fun to use and a very valuable asset.  The following are some of the things I have found useful when using engineers in WEGO. 

 

I almost always try to keep the engineers from running through the hole they blasted.  One way is by using the face command and the second is by timing the blast.  Timing seems to be more reliable than the face command method so I will explain how I use the timing method to blast a troop hole in bocage.  (You need two blasts for a vehicle size hole.)        

1. I split my engineer squads into two fire teams.  (As opposed to the 3 team split of an infantry squad)

2. If possible I keep the engineer teams about 100 meters behind the advancing infantry teams.  When needed the

    engineers are called forward.

3. First turn move engineer team next to bocage.  (A location that has been checked out by an inf. scout team)

4. Next turn give regular engineer team a 45 second Pause.  (It takes 15 seconds for an unsuppressed regular engineer

    team to blast)

5. Give engineer team the Blast command locating the blast waypoint on the other side of the bocage.

6. As the blast goes off “DONE” is displayed and the turn is over with the engineers still on your side of the bocage.

7. Move the engineers Fast away from the hole and let the infantry resume leading the advance.       

 

Below is a guide for the most common experience level of engineers I find in most scenarios etc.    

A regular engineer team takes 15 seconds to blast if not suppressed. 

A veteran engineer team takes 10 seconds to blast if not suppressed. 

A conscript engineer team takes 37 seconds to blast if not suppressed.

 

Try never to have a Blast order that incorporates "natural" troop holes. (If you blast a vehicle size hole in bocage, that includes a pre-existing natural hole, your vehicles may still not be able traverse it.)

 

The above method is also generally true for blasting into a building.

 

Hope this helped with the bocage part.  I will work on a separate post for minefields. 

Edited April 4, 2015 by MOS:96B2P

[c3k]

Hey gents.  I am just looking for some advice from more experienced players on how to keep my Engineers in the battle.  Here are my frustrating examples.

 

1. Fighting in hedgerows my Engineers blast a path but run through to get MG'd to death loosing the whole unit.  Can you blast without running through?

 

2. Engineers in hunt mode going through minefield.  I thought if they spot a mine they would stop.  I lose three engineers on separate occasions to mines with the engineers in hunt mode searching for the mines.

 

I could be using them wrong I am not sure.  I just thought Engineers would hunt out mines than drop like being fired upon so they could mark them.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

There are a bunch of threads on this. A search (pita though it may be) will turn up more help.

 

1. If you order BLAST through an obstacle, the engineers stop, blast, then FAST to the endpoint. They can die that way. The exception is breaching a building. The blast will usually pin the defenders, and the FAST engineers get inside and kill the enemy. For bocage or walls, where you don't want the engineers going PAST the obstacle (or buildings, for that matter), have the BLAST command go up to, but short of, the obstacle. Give a decent pause (30 sec?) and then move the engineers off to the side. (Or else, after they BLAST the wall/bocage down, they'll sit there and suck up whatever shooting comes their way.)

 

Better threads have pictures of this.

 

Practice it. The timing is the toughest part to get the hang of. (It's really sweet when your engineers blast a wall down, scuttle away, another unit moves up and lays down suppressive fire, while a third unit moves in.)

 

 

2. Don't HUNT in a minefield. Once a minefield is discovered (almost always by creating casualties), move an engineer squad adjacent to it. That's when the MARK MINES command becomes active. Use that. When the minefield sign turns green, then a MOVE command -should- get your guys through that mine location with minimal chance of triggering more mines. (There's always a chance...) The faster you move through a marked minefield, the greater the chance of detonating something. Even with engineers.

 

Ken

 

 

Addendum: I've found that I get a better chance of creating vehicle-sized holes in bocage if I give a BLAST command which is at an oblique angle to the bocage. Perpendicular approach usually creates a non-vehicle passage. Again, not guaranteed...

Edited April 4, 2015 by c3k

[Rinaldi]

@Rinaldi, thanks for the tips.  I will try these.

 

No worries. I use mainly 'junk science' when I come up with these solutions rather than any intuitive grasp of how the game ticks, but it hasn't backfired yet. More often than not you're only going to find out about a minefield when you take losses; so use judgement and time if its on your side when moving into areas ripe for mines. 

 

Mines that are detected are rarely cleared through and through as well; rather the sign will remain yellow, meaning that some mines are cleared but the area is still hot. I rarely try to force minefields but rather look for a gap or bombard the area with high caliber shells if available to cause cratering, the only time I ran into a minefield I was prepared to force was in Shock Force and the mission ended before I could do so. 

Edited April 4, 2015 by Rinaldi

[MOS:96B2P]

<snip>

2. Engineers in hunt mode going through minefield.  I thought if they spot a mine they would stop.  I lose three engineers on separate occasions to mines with the engineers in hunt mode searching for the mines.

<snip>

 

 

First the minefield must be located before the Mark Mines command is highlighted and available for use.  In my experience minefields are most often located when a two man scout team sets one off.  It is also possible for engineers to spot a minefield if the engineers are in the adjacent action spot to the minefield.  However, depending on the experience level of the engineer team, this spotting from the adjacent action spot may take several minutes and is not usually practical.  After the minefield is located the engineers must be given the Mark Mines command.         

 

Below is the method I most often use to locate/mark a minefield.     

 

1. Secure the area (generally with non-engineer units) so the engineers have little to no suppression while

    working. (Smoke can be useful.)  

2. Split engineer squad into two teams.    

3. Slow teams through suspected minefield with 10 second pauses every action spot.  (The spotting cycle is

    refreshed every 7 seconds)

4. Mark Mines when they are identified.

5. Buddy aid demo charges from any engineer casualties.

 

Flail tanks are very cool when you have them in your TOE.  

 

Below are some things I found when working with engineers and minefields.

The more eyes in an engineer team the easier to spot mines.  (5 man team finds mines easier than a 2 man team)

Engineers can most reliably and safely locate unidentified minefields using the Slow command.  

Marking a minefield substantially reduces the chance of triggering a mine for infantry traversing the minefield.

Antitank minefields can be marked but there is no effect.  Infantry can traverse them without risk and vehicles don't benefit from marking.

Minefields can be neutralized by heavy artillery (150mm+), if it scores a direct hit.

Minefields can sometimes be neutralized by a blast from a demo charge if there is a blastable obstacle (wire) in the action spot.

Anti-personnel mines do not strongly affect vehicles.

 

In the above screen shot you can see examples of the below minefield signs.

Red sign with a skull and crossbones = Active non-marked minefield.

Off white sign with a skull and crossbones = A marked minefield. 

Green sign with a white X = Neutralized minefield (all mines detonated)

 

Hope this helped.  Good luck.

Edited April 4, 2015 by MOS:96B2P