chuckdyke

I imagine in a tank your situational awareness is through tunnel vision. It is very rare a tank spots before infantry does. If a tank has a contact marker he also shares it with nearby infantry.

This is just about the most ridiculous statement ever. Pity I can't invite you to a range and see or you can even hit the paper of a standard bullseye target at 25 meters. Most people with military experience are struggling.

The Germans did it for real with the Stug III. At least that is one reference I know of. The 'Tankodesantiki company here is used in this battle for exactly this role. The game doesn't allow infantry on the Valentines. With the radios on the AFV's the C2 of the Soviet army is manageable.

Ok thanks for all your effort.

If a squad takes fire the squad is under stress. I find when you split up the squad the unaffected members go back to ok. Sometimes it is only temporary but long enough to return fire effectively.

Here infantry spots enemy infantry reliably and passes on contacts to the AFV. This is already invaluable with plotting area fire. In other games in RT infantry spots enemy armor without binoculars at 1km. Have a veteran scouting party on the engine deck. Took your advice and leave it buttoned up. In Battle for Normandy unfortunately infantry can't hitch a ride on tanks. To pass on intel they need to be adjacent to the AFV which must be unbuttoned.

Not if you give them separate orders combined with a pause command.

Standard drill to make the smallest target in house fighting. Obvious you don't understand it. Easy to control a battalion with split units down to squad level. Yes with formations this size you need to play WeGo.

Add AFV's that is why I prefer FB and RT/FR above Battle for Normandy. TBH lorries use them more as mobile ammo dumps. The US made 600000 jeeps sometimes I wonder where are they?

That is when I found the Stug III highly effective. Up to one km. To operate without infantry is not a good idea in any mode. I remember to keep the tank unbuttoned.

Fair point! I just feel a scenario writer should be familiar with them but don't use numerous acronyms in his briefings. It is about communication apply the acronyms in your own words without using them. M stands for mission write the HQ intent For example: 5oo points for objective 'Bridge' 50 points for eliminating enemy forces. So the mission is to occupy the bridge and defend it against enemy forces. You do not hunt for enemy forces all over the map.

There should be a code to make scenario briefings more to the point. In the manual explain commonly used acronyms and apply it in the briefings. I keep it to acronyms used by the US they are published and accessible to all. So we spent less reading sometimes cryptic scenario briefings. Like civilian considerations of METT-TC engage only contact icons tentative or full contacts for example. Instead you read a two page essay about schools, churches, mosques etc.

My example was when you play the AI. It is a pity people look for human players too soon or worse they stop playing the game. My apologies @BornGinger talked about the TacAI.

You need more sophisticated battle plans in other words. Take the MG42 crews in their foxholes all Posthumous Iron Cross candidates. A wonderful feature would be if he gets too many direct contacts he would pop smoke and fall back for example. Instead he waits when pinned for a hand grenade to finish him off. The question is or a code could be written for example if a unit is pinned eg a squad, it would split and use an evasive action drill.

The game is just not using two systems it appears using only one system. The manual is not very clear about this. Especially when you play Soviet, You get the Mortar HQ (No Radio) comes on the Area of Operations. He can call out indirect fire like any other HQ. If the mortars are on the map they come with an HQ with radio who you must keep nearby to avoid out of contact. Better keep an eye on the amount of shells they have otherwise you use them all for spotting. A US armored unit with the infantry in halftracks have 2 radios/ platoon when they dismount. They have the excellent versatile 60mm mortar. But in CM it takes also some time to plot a mission using their own mortar on par with a Soviet unit. My question is what is the function of the radio apart from needing one nearby the mortar itself. It just makes more sense using on map mortars for direct fire not indirect. German infantry preferred their 81 mm mortar above their 120 mm for this reason. Verbal communication was quicker and more effective just that CM calls it direct fire.

Point taken. I think the purchase points should apply if you play the AI. On the other hand two players should be free to set their own parameters when they play the game. The Sherman 105 mm and the Stug III 105 mm should be the same in my humble opinion. For me the issue is over. I play QB H & H based on historical accuracy would be nice if we can field units without restrictions. Which can be done too in the editor just saving scenarios under a different name.

Thanks but in practical terms if you have on map mortars. Have a good look at firing positions to use them in the direct fire mode. I talk about 60 mm, 3 inch and 81 mm they can be used with good cover just behind a slope in the terrain. In the game they are easily transported by their crew.

You need to ask the people setting the prices of how they calculate. You may very well be right but at present our opinions are subjective. I like to see an objective answer.

I think here is where our opinions differ. It is the persons philosophy when you play the game. Historical a platoon of three Stug III crewed by veterans opposed by a company of JS2's crewed by a mix from a Veteran HQ with green and conscript crews. You probably lose with your three overpriced Stug III but with the parameters you may get a tactical victory. The prices may be influenced by the historical battles. Nothing wrong with your petition it goes with your philosophy when you play the game. You have the right to get fun out of the game.

No I am just hammering it needs infantry nearby preferably on the engine deck. It makes it highly effective. Also if a unit is Veteran or better it spots better. You need to publish the crews and the training if you buy a units. I never look at it. Look at a battle and if Stug III were used I buy them.

I said it before we only can guess how BF calculates the prices of AFV's. I have a few years experience in playing this game and observe a pattern when using a Stug III. A 76mm Sherman needs support from the platoon it is part of. Otherwise it will come out bad. With the Stug III you need to look at tactics to make it effective. The Germans put the gun in a casemate on tracks and gave the crew specialist training using high grade optics. I wish people to have fun playing the game, and should have a say of how the prices are calculated.

Like the SU 76? It was used also as an indirect fire weapon if I am correct.

Tanks the Stug III is not a tank the fact if they were assigned to a tank unit they may have been used as a tank. Crew received special training and without infantry they are easily outmaneuvered. It was mobile artillery good against infantry in buildings. Playing the games tanks are spotted by infantry in excess of a kilometer without visual aids. Combine a Stug III with an infantry unit and it will spot armor quickly and its gun can do serious damage to any allied tank. It will spot infantry if friendly infantry is nearby. The gun is on par with the US 76mm and its HE I would say superior. The Germans designed purposely made tank-guns in the beginning of the war. The KwK means tank-gun. Its AP slightly less than the PAK75 mm but its HE superior. The Brits did something similar with their 17 pounder and called it the 77 mm. In the best Monty Python tradition they did it in 1945 with the Comet. Happy gaming. The Churchill tank a pillbox on tracks and they don't called it an infantry tank for nothing. Poor in pursuit but an excellent weapon with infantry. How do you let your tanks spot infantry in the game?

AI battle plans of Stug III ***SPOILERS*** Knock them All down. Stug III hiding in front once spotted it is history, Chaumont first round Stug III sitting on the crest of a hill. Courage Conquers Stug III again on the top of a crest. All nice maps and the problem with campaigns you can't play against a human player. The Stug III needs to have infantry nearby also putting 2 infantry men on the engine deck is a big help.

Thank you that is a good tip. Also in real life mortars don't need an FDC according a guy on a YouTube channel I follow. Gordon Cooke - YouTube