Brille

I think they can deviate slightly from an area of attack but that´s only reading in the forum not my own experience.
If you give your plane an operation area (circle) then they will engage any enemy (and sometimes even friendly) unit they can see.
It helps a lot in spotting if these units move or shoot at something. Area fire is for point targets.
I can´t think of a way to redirect a plane. You can abort the mission and set a new one.
 
I would assume so yes. If the plane has still ammo left you can use it until it doesn´t. Sometimes though they are easily scared of by enemy AA fire so if they stay for long is uncertain.
 
In general I believe with a light, medium and heavy mission you are telling the pilot what weapons he should use or how intense the engagement should be. But never the less it is up for the pilot to decide and it can vary.
I had set up a test scenario on which I tasked a Typhon (with bombs) to attack a Panther with a light firemission. He depleted his entire 20mm canon ammo with just one partial penetraiton but didn´t use one bomb.
On the other side I did a similar thing with a Focke Wulf 190: Light firemission on a point target. Firstly it used mg and canons but after 2 strafes it suddenly threw a bomb. (and it had still plenty of mg and canon rounds left)
So what weapon the plane uses is somewhat determined due to the fire mission setting, it is however not set in stone or something.

Well I don't know the situation of the specific battle but the key to a successful encounter is always the same: Isolate enemy units from the rest of their formation and engage with a local superior force. 
How you can achieve is the difficult part. You can have the advantage of the terrain where one enemy company can't support another because there are woods, hills or buildings in the way. If you don't have that, smoke could be a viable option. Try to blind single or multiple tanks or entire formations to get your forces into proper positions. 
Note that many tanks, infantry units and of course artillery have smoke rounds with them. In strong winds it may not last that long but it can be enough that the enemy looses contact. 
Don't go for tank duels as those turn out bad very often. If the enemy has one tank at a junction, engage him with 2 or 3 of your own, while trying to stay out of sight from the others. 
Bren Carriers and halftracks are not primarily designed for an attack. They have to bring the footsoldiers as close to the front as they can and then get the hell out of there and hide. 
If you are sure that there is no enemy mid or long range anti tank threat anymore you can try and put them in support of your infantry. 
Otherwise you will have some good barbecue sites soon enough. 
A good advise for me was to get onto ground level with your camera and inspect the map. Go along you planned avenue of approach and look for terrain features like small rises and dents in the ground. Sometimes even open ground provides more cover than one might think at the first glance. 

Dismounted tanks can be recrewed if at least 2 men of the crew are up and running. 
If the crew was forcefully separated from their tank (penetration) they will take a few turns to get out of their panicked state and be controllable again. 
However don't bother if a crew has only one man left because as soon as he gets in the tank he will get out again immediately and the tank will now be labeled as "destroyed" (and adds up to the AAR screen). 
Don't ask me why that is but I had it with an IS2 once and observed it multiple times with other AFV after that. 
So if you just want to drive your tank back into safety with one man, just leave it.
 

So what is slitherine obviously trying? Because I don't get it. 😅 
 
Artwork is for advertising or representation of ideas where the journey is or could be going. 
 
Misleading are those cheap little mobile games that sell you prerendered videos for actual gameplay. But as soon as you download it you see that it has nothing to do with it entirely. 
 
Back in the CD/DVD era every games cover had an eye catching artwork or at least very altered or cineastic screenshot on it. That games that didn't usually got sold less. Humans are pretty much visually triggered, so nothing new to that. 
But once you turn the cover there should be pics of actual gameplay. And that's what the Steampage is now. 
 
So if one got mislead to buy a game by some simple artworks well then you are either too young, new to the game industry or... very naive/dumb. (no offense) 

I looked into it and I would say that it is definitely a bug. The comp hq seems to be cut off from the chain of command for this platoon entirely.
Other units, like any unit of platoon 14, can be taken over as expected. I guess the game somehow broke this in between the battles as the platoon hq died.

So what is slitherine obviously trying? Because I don't get it. 😅 
 
Artwork is for advertising or representation of ideas where the journey is or could be going. 
 
Misleading are those cheap little mobile games that sell you prerendered videos for actual gameplay. But as soon as you download it you see that it has nothing to do with it entirely. 
 
Back in the CD/DVD era every games cover had an eye catching artwork or at least very altered or cineastic screenshot on it. That games that didn't usually got sold less. Humans are pretty much visually triggered, so nothing new to that. 
But once you turn the cover there should be pics of actual gameplay. And that's what the Steampage is now. 
 
So if one got mislead to buy a game by some simple artworks well then you are either too young, new to the game industry or... very naive/dumb. (no offense) 

A T34 platoon is hunting down a Stug that has been a big threat for a soviet column.
 
In the same battle another Stug is taken out by mere luck: A PTRD 41 seems to have hit a vital spot.
 

A T34 platoon is hunting down a Stug that has been a big threat for a soviet column.
 
In the same battle another Stug is taken out by mere luck: A PTRD 41 seems to have hit a vital spot.
 

A T34 platoon is hunting down a Stug that has been a big threat for a soviet column.
 
In the same battle another Stug is taken out by mere luck: A PTRD 41 seems to have hit a vital spot.
 

A T34 platoon is hunting down a Stug that has been a big threat for a soviet column.
 
In the same battle another Stug is taken out by mere luck: A PTRD 41 seems to have hit a vital spot.
 

Or you can create yourself a dedicated shooting range map. 
Just use the blank map that is given to you once you fire up the scenario editor and adapt it to your need. 
Some people I know even place some range markings on it or different sectors to test different things. 
 
I use that mainly to test what weapon can hit/penetrate a certain target at a certain distance. 
 
The editor is fairly simple to understand I would say, so setting something up should not be a big issue. 

I just fired up a quick battle for testing. My US and soviet controllers could place a point and area target with any air support they had available at that time (jets and choppers).
I even checked a scenario with airsupport in it but it was the same.
Which version of the game are you running ?
 
I don´t use CAS very often but wasn´t there even a "line" target at some point ? I could be wrong at that.

The hell I am! I like these kind of narration where you see both sides and their different views.
But the difference in tank loses is really astonishing here. 
It seems like the soviets have won but lost their tactical mobility for the moment.... Well at least until the next batch of T34 arrive to start exploitation.
 

The hell I am! I like these kind of narration where you see both sides and their different views.
But the difference in tank loses is really astonishing here. 
It seems like the soviets have won but lost their tactical mobility for the moment.... Well at least until the next batch of T34 arrive to start exploitation.
 

I have the feeling that this kind of problem occurred on a regular basis recently and it would be understandable if the new pbem ++ system requires this. 
 
Not just here in the forum but on the few good men forum too. Plus I had  2 instances in my direct surroundings where this problem occurred and could be solved as in this case. 
So maybe a little note at the right place could help people to get it solved faster. At least the people at the help desk should add this one to their troubleshooting routine. 
 

I have the feeling that this kind of problem occurred on a regular basis recently and it would be understandable if the new pbem ++ system requires this. 
 
Not just here in the forum but on the few good men forum too. Plus I had  2 instances in my direct surroundings where this problem occurred and could be solved as in this case. 
So maybe a little note at the right place could help people to get it solved faster. At least the people at the help desk should add this one to their troubleshooting routine. 
 

Here are some screenshots of my recent battles:
While receiving heavy casualties, my russians move on.

 
 
An Abrams is creeping up a ridge but is soon discovered and engaged.

 
But the turret cheeks won´t let the round through. The Abrams rereats into safety right after the impact.

 
 
A BMP2 sneaks onto the side of a Bradley.


 
 
But despite all the hits the Bradley also retreats into safety, damage unknown.

 
An immobilized T90 keeping a look out for enemy AFV.

 


 
2 T90 gang up on the side of another Abrams, destroying it.


 
2 BMP2 surprise an Abrams. Though the killing blow comes from a T90 from the Abrams right side.
 
 
Another battle:
Disembarking right into the hot zone.

 
Destruction after auto canon and tank canon fire.

 

Here are some screenshots of my recent battles:
While receiving heavy casualties, my russians move on.

 
 
An Abrams is creeping up a ridge but is soon discovered and engaged.

 
But the turret cheeks won´t let the round through. The Abrams rereats into safety right after the impact.

 
 
A BMP2 sneaks onto the side of a Bradley.


 
 
But despite all the hits the Bradley also retreats into safety, damage unknown.

 
An immobilized T90 keeping a look out for enemy AFV.

 


 
2 T90 gang up on the side of another Abrams, destroying it.


 
2 BMP2 surprise an Abrams. Though the killing blow comes from a T90 from the Abrams right side.
 
 
Another battle:
Disembarking right into the hot zone.

 
Destruction after auto canon and tank canon fire.

 

I guess many players don´t consider to fire artillery at tanks in the ww2 games. It takes long to arrive, if no trp is available at the location, and vehicles/tanks are usually mobile enough to outrun concentrated fire.
So even if artillery is used against tanks, most players would do the most logical thing and move them out of the way. Arty is known for its area denial ability, not just against infantry but this is rarely used in game.
But if one pushes it´s luck and let the tanks stay in the hot zone and bunched up together, one is asking for trouble.
In my CMx2 career I witnessed maybe a handful of incidents where one of the opponents or my tanks got hit by artillery and destroyed in the same way. But as far as I remember I never intentionally used artillery against tanks ... at least in the WW2 games (open topped vehicles are another story).
One incident that sticked in my memory was against the ai: It was in CMFB in the KG Peiper campaign.
I had a line of Panthers parked in a town, waiting for the infantry to clear some enemy held buildings up front. Suddenly the ai unleashed a concentrated 105mm artillery barrage that landed directly on my Panthers. 2 of them where totally destroyed and burning and 1 got immobilized. I rage quitted that battle for the day hahaha.

The condition "flurries" are just a few snowflakes raining down from the heaven, so it won't bother with your vision that much I would assume. 
I had it in some battles now and it did not make such a noticeable difference. 
In nighttime though it may be different since the sky is overcast. So no chance of moon light to enlighten the battlefield. 
And don't get fooled by the LOS tool. 
It shows you your potential view distance right now but if the enemy is not firing he may stay unnoticed until he is in grenade range. 
That's the spooky thing about night fights. First there is only silence, then there is a spot and a brief trade of shots and then all hell breaks loose.
That's why I often use short cover arcs in the dark to not reveal all of my troops for one single scout team. 

@Brille Thanks for describing the problem much better and much more succinct than I did!
@BFCElvis Thanks Elvis for clearing this up!

Get used to getting beat-up...

It's all an educational adventure. Crap, I've read tons o' books (mil hist generally, unit hist some), but that doesn't necessarily translate 1-1 to what you'll find in the game. Close, but not 100%. But then what is?

Got my arse handed to me in a play-by-email vs an unmentioned person in the New Zealand military. What they practice I tried to play. Professional vs amateur. If you find one, they are the BEST opponents ever... You want real combined-arms instruction.. play a real military person in Play-By-EMail.

It pays to:
- Play "realistic/smart" for the period (WWII vs modern are VERY different), gamey tactics from other games might leave you wondering WTF?)
- Educate yourself about what the period platforms are capable of (AFVs, arty, infantry squads) -- in WWII, a game year can mean a total change of tactics, especially against the Russkies in CMRT  )
- "You aren't as good as you think you are" - some scenario creators are EVIL, and have already thought out all those advance route routes you think are ingenious... prepare to be decimated in the real Roman sense.
All that being said, there is little I have spent as much money on, and have enjoyed less than the entire Battlefront series of games...
CMBO, CMAK, CMBB, etc, etc. Started on the Windows platform way back, then got 'smart' and switched to MacOs. And bought everything I had again, 'cause it's that good. Through (almost) all the current titles (I'm a WWII guy), the most valuable dollars I have ever spent.
 

You can use smoke in more different ways than just to obscure your own front. 
It is a nice way to temporarily shield of the flanks without getting to much of your own forces involved. 
But you need to know when it wears of because otherwise you are caught in the open. 
And if you lay it just in front of your self you have at least a chance to move in closer to get more effective fire on the opponent. 
Though in general you are right. I don't like it myself to run against an unbattered foe. But sometimes you just don't have enough artillery to bomb all suspicious positions.
 
@zasgard
George has already posted some good stuff so nothing left so say here other than: If you have specific questions, just ask them.
Best way for me back then was finding me a good sparring partner who is open for communication and not just after competition. 
This way I learned the most because I could see directly what effects my troops had (or not) with some lecturing by my opponent. 
I guess I don't have to say that I got beaten regularly by him.   

Me and @FlammenwerferX suffer some intense and terrifying minutes in the woods.
A close encounter of the frightening kind...  Luckily support is right behind!  Out of the woods and right into the waiting jaws of the Jagdpanther.  Today we are thankful our enemy has turretless TDs instead of tanks.  And because of it my scout reverses safely out of danger.

The monstrous German TD gets first shots but misses as both he and I are moving!

The fates align, and so do my gunsights.

At this range, with 122mm, the results are as expected.

Scratch on another kill.

More medals will be requested for these heroes of the Soviet Union, if they can survive the next 30 minutes...

Well If the germans would have had sufficient numbers in tanks and crews that would match or come close to the T34 I'm quite certain that the eastern front would have went in another direction. 
But the thing is that the germans did not had the resources nor the manpower to do it. Most of the German tank force were still designs from prewar. Updated designs sure but they were at their limit and the newer soviet armor was more than a match. 
There is a reason why some heavy Panzerformations were called "Feuerwehr" (Firefighter) as they had to rapidly close gaps in the fronts that had been breached by the soviet armor because of lighter resistance there. 
So your teast might be a bit misleading in that regard. Maybe try a 1:1,5 or 1:2 ratio for the soviets to match the actual numerical superiority. 
Now you are jumping conclusions there. Because of some tests that did not match your expectation it is now wehraboos and German bias? 
I know CM has flaws and all and to some, certain things don't go in the direction they have imagined but I doubt that BFC is in any kind "infected" by this "desease" as lots of my burning Panzers show.
But well the German army was in my opinion one of the best armies back then. And that would concern training and technological tier they had. 
That doesn't make them in any kind unbeatable but otherwise they would not have gotten as far as they did. They had many flaws on the contrary too that all played a role in the endgame, like bad logistics, over engineering and well... Hitler. 
If you just alone look at the battle of Kursk and watch the casualties and compare them there must be something to it. 
Sure T34/85s and JS 2 weren't a thing there but still. Keep in mind that the soviets knew that the germans would be coming and had enough time to prepare themselves: build up ATG positions, entrench themselves put up reserves etc. pp. 
 
The germans lost the battle because they didn't achieved their main goal but the death/kill ratio for an attacker is astonishing. 
As you mention Wittman so much: Maybe you are underestimating green and regular troops to much maybe? 
What makes a regular trooper any different to an elite one? Accuracy? Of course through more firing in battle conditions you should be getting better or fine tune that ability but as a regular you already should have some decent gunnery skills. 
You should know the advantages and disadvantages of your given weapon, how to maintain it and how to solve simple errors if something went wrong... At least if you consider a normal training time. I know these were shortened at some point in the war. 
I'm no tanker but looking back at my conscription time in the German army I could hit a target with my G36 at 600m without much effort considering the scope was zeroed properly. I could disassemble and reassemble my rifle and the MG3 pretty fast and blindfolded. I could build up the MG3 in a tripod position and make it a good covered MG position. That are your traits as a soldier, you learn that. 
Does it make me a veteran fighter? Surely not. 
Now the difference between a trained soldier and a battle hardened (veteran, crack, elite) one is to be on the actual battlefield. Experiencing and overcome battle stress like being under fire or witnessing death all around. Making those fast decisions while under fire. Know when to retreat and when to attack and maybe being a bit reckless from time to time. 
 
So while accuracy surely is a point and is represented in CM it is not the main thing that defines an experienced soldier. It is the battle brain if you can call it that and the endurance to keep on fighting while being fired uppon. 
At least that's my opinion on the matter. 
 
To the subject Panther VS T34 again:
To get a better insight on why these two tanks, which are somewhat similar, perform so differently I would recommend you some videos where people actually have an insight into the tanks. 
People like "The chieftain" that make complete walk-around videos that  sometimes have multiple episodes. 
I remember that he and other mention that the T34/76 and the T34/85 (though it being a good upgrade to the former) are not very pleasant to be in. And that would also reflect on the performance of the crew, be it in spotting or actually shooting.