What value is a TRP your units can't see?

[CM1fan]

In one scenario in which the Germans are defending, the designer has placed almost as many German TRPs as the Germans have rounds of mortar ammo, and many of the TRPs are placed at locations to which no German unit is ever likely to have a line of sight.

If ammo supplies were plentiful, I suppose I might fire blindly at TRPs near the enemy edge of the map and happily accept whatever enemy casualties the fates might inflict. But when ammo supplies are low, I prefer to see what my guys are shooting at before I call in fire.

I try to place TRPs where I expect enemy units will be or will move to or through to accomplish their goals and where my units can see them or will be able to see them as the scenario plays out. ["Them" being both the TRPs and enemy units near them.]

Is that approach too conservative?

[Sublime]

Well you should go with whatever works best for you. Theres many different approaches. Often having many TRPs is effective because the battle may move over in that direction. They're also useful to have all over because they can form anchor points of a 'web' that you can plot linear barrages on. With trps you can target large areas you cant see, by linking a target order for a linear target on one TRP to another. This also is useful when you just get sounds contacts, or loose intel that enemy units are in an area. Once you get a feel for how long it usually takes units to advance etc, a good tactic is to have a 'speedbump' force. This slows down the enemy, and gives you valuable intel about what your facing, and where they're attacking. I usually put a TRP right behind on or the speedbump force. by the time they get wiped out or whatever artillerys coming in, to clobber the enemy attack. Often it's good to wait for the pointy end of your opponents spear to pass, then the shells come in on the HQs, MGs, and most important of all, mortar teams.

[Erwin]

The most useful aspect of TRP's is the speed and accuracy of a strike on one.

As Sublime says, even if you can't get LOS to one, you should still be able to get sound contacts. And also, experience will tell you where the attacker is likely to approach or use as an observation point, or staging area for an attack.

[Sublime]

Also the suddenness of any shelling can be useful. no spotting rounds are used.

[CM1fan]

The most useful aspect of TRP's is the speed and accuracy of a strike on one.

As Sublime says, even if you can't get LOS to one, you should still be able to get sound contacts. And also, experience will tell you where the attacker is likely to approach or use as an observation point, or staging area for an attack.

Yeah, but if your men can't see the TRP, how do you know there's anything near the TRP worth shooting at? I'd expect ?-icons for sound contacts might be a fair distance from noisy enemy units. There's not much value in speedily and accurately hitting empty terrain.

[Broadsword56]

Yeah, but if your men can't see the TRP, how do you know there's anything near the TRP worth shooting at? I'd expect ?-icons for sound contacts might be a fair distance from noisy enemy units. There's not much value in speedily and accurately hitting empty terrain.

Because you can suppress any enemy that might be there. And because it's indirect fire, you can do this without revealing where your own forces are or their avenues of approach. By the time the enemy recovers from the shelling and emerges to look around, it's too late and your attackers are already in assault range.

[CM1fan]

Because you can suppress any enemy that MIGHT be there. And because it's indirect fire, you can do this without revealing where your own forces are or their avenues of approach. By the time the enemy recovers from the shelling and emerges to look around, it's too late and your attackers are already in assault range.

Yes, but if there's nobody there, you haven't suppressed anyone and there are no enemy units which need time to recover. All there is to show for the ammo expended in the shelling is shell holes which may benefit the units arriving in the shelled area after the barrage.

[Rocky Balboa]

Its normally common practice in most defensive plans to place fire on any obstacle included in the defensive plan. Wire, mines, ditches, roadblocks and natural choke points should all be covered with fire. One strategy that I use in the defense is to place TRP’s in close proximity to obstacles or choke points and place scout teams (OP’s) forward of my defense to observe these areas and call in fires. TRP’s work nicely for this because they don’t require a spotter.

Some might consider this tactic gamey because an out of c2 scout team should not be able to call in fire but IMO this simulates como wire that these OP’s would have used in most prepared defenses.

[herr_oberst]

Arty can (though I don't think I've ever had enough to do this) be used to deny an area to the OpFor.

If I really, really don't want them up on a certain hill, a TRP would let me pound it with a quick short blast on some irregular schedule. Or if you can TRP a likely reverse slope position, it's not quite as attractive as a marshaling spot.

[Erwin]

The HARASS firing option is good as it can send a few shells over for a looong time thus slowing down any enemy advance through a certain area. And time is the attacker's enemy.