British vs US infantry company

[Dave85]

Just wondering how you guys are finding british infantry in comparison to US in terms of arms, equipment and doctrine.

Personally I think I prefer the british.

For staters I dont miss the weapons platoon, I find it a rather unwieldy formation which usually sits in the rear while the rifles take all the casualties.

Although the 2" mortar doesn't seem quite on par with the 51 I much prefer having them attatched to rifle platoons for direct fire and the fact they carry plenty of smoke. Light mortars in general are poorly suited to indirect area fire.

I find the numerous bren guns far more useful than either the BAR or the 30 cal MG and I'm not missing water cooled MG's either. The bren seems very effective at sustained fire and I dont need to fiddle about deploying them.

I find myself splitting squads a lot more now and generally keeping assault detachments in the rear until needed while the brens take firing positions to supress enemy line. This way if I get mortared the men are less concentrated and generally take fewer casualties.

Although the lack of semi auto rifles is noticeable when doing close assault I find it more than compensated by the extra close range supression fire I can bring to bear.

I like the way the PIAT is an individual team with plenty of ammo that I can call up when I need to deal with a stubborn hard target but otherwise keep out of harms way. I never paid much attention to bazookas until I came across a tank.

I find the carriers very useful for mobile fire support in the open and rushing spare ammo to the front while under fire. A jeep is rendered useless after a few burst from an MG and poor off road.

British armour and AT are guns are also far superior. The churchill is great for inf support and can take a fair bit of punishment and the 17pdr on the firefly and achilles finally allows me to take on the big boys head on.

What does everyone else think?

[Erwin]

Am enjoying the Brits, but it hasn't made a significant difference to the game other than graphically (and of course the tech improvements are very welcome). I don't experience the differences from the US as much as you seem to. One gets used to playing with depleted US squads, so in terms of firepower it's not a discernable difference.

CW simply adds some different looking tanks and APC's. Having flamethrowers and the abillity to ride on tanks would have been "a significant improvement." Maybe the Enfield has a longer accurate range than the Garand so the Brits could stay back further? Not that useful in the relatively short ranges we see in CMBN.

[Sergei]

I'm not missing water cooled MG's either.

I suppose someone hasn't been introduced to Vickers MMG yet...

If you'd like to test your theories in action, there's a fictional scenario Bleu-sur-Bleu in the repository that specifically pits the two armies against each other. It's a bit armour heavy but also includes armoured and airborne infantry formations for both.

[Sakai007]

I think the gameplay is vastly different for the Brits and the US.

2" mortar smoke rounds are life savers and every single rifle platoon has them. Not to mention the ability to chuck some HE behind a wall or hedge if need be. The 60mm is more dangerous, but has no smoke rounds.

You don't have the insane volume of fire that a US rifle squad has. This means developing fire superiority is more difficult. As someone on a different thread said, the bren gun is VITAL to achieving this. The 2" can also help suppress so your rifle squads can keep them that way.

Armor! The long range tank battle has been transformed with the 17 lbr, no doubt about that. As the Germans, you can no longer assume that you are invincible from the front using heavy tanks. As the Brits, you have a weapon that can, and will, punch through the front armor of a Panther or Tiger I. I still don't think that taking German armor on head to head is a smart idea, the other factors like optics and high quality crews make this pure folly. However, when faced with no other choice, if you have a Firefly or Achilles you also have a chance.

Support from the air is much more powerful when you have a Typhoon on Cab Rank. I witnessed 20mm rounds wiping out half a german rifle platoon in my current QB. I called in a light strike, it was epic. Don't even think I will need the rockets it's loaded with after that epic strike.

Carriers, as mentioned, are far more resistant to small arms. Transporting FO's around the battle and getting ammo to squads is a little safer. I also love the Bren and MMG carriers. In smaller battles without armor, they can be game changers.

I killed a Marder I with a Bren Jeep two days ago. Fast drove behind him and let him have it, killed the entire crew. What a game moment that was.

PIAT! You can use it from buildings, need I say more!!!

These are just a few of the things I have noticed. Really love the new module. Love it, Love it, Love it!!!

[Sergei]

Support from the air is much more powerful when you have a Typhoon on Cab Rank. I witnessed 20mm rounds wiping out half a german rifle platoon in my current QB. I called in a light strike, it was epic. Don't even think I will need the rockets it's loaded with after that epic strike.

You definitely should check the 3" rockets out because GODDAMN :eek:

[Chek]

The 2" mortars seem more flexible with plenty of smoke rounds as Sakai says they really are lifesavers.

The US firepower is hard to beat but the Brits seem a lot more nimble.

Brens and smoke seem to enable more movement.

Really am quite impressed with how different they feel.

[Sakai007]

Yeah Sergei, I found out about those 3" rockets.......... Dont call em if troops are within 300 yards of the target. Only lost one guy in an HQ outfit, but it should have been much worse.

[Lee_Vincent]

Brits are a blast, yes Typhoons and PIATs from buildings!

[Chek]

The carrier sections are pretty potent.Dismount them with their drivers and you've 12 guys with 3 brens,6 stens a 50mm mortar and a Piat not to mention a ton of ammo.

[MengJiaoRedux]

I killed a Marder I with a Bren Jeep two days ago. Fast drove behind him and let him have it, killed the entire crew. What a game moment that was.

Awesome! I've just been working mostly with Fireflies and what not, but getting the Brens and PIATs into the thick of things is something I look forward to.

[Sakai007]

Yeah, just realized the other day that scout sections when mounted in carriers have an on board 2" mortar. You need to acquire it and it's ammo from the carrier. It doesn't list the mortar in the equipment section so you need to look for the carrier with 51mm rounds. When you acquire you will see the mortar listed.

[Pak40]

I have yet to play enough to really test the difference but three things stick out in my mind:

1. No MMGs in the company level will require me to change tactics. I'm used to dealing out high volume of rounds to put some suppression on enemy units. Brens have to fill this roll but have much more limited ammo.

2. Only 1 piat in a company? This was a shock to me. Even with the ability to fire from a building it kind of limits a company's ability to deal with armor up close.

3. Smaller 2" mortar with less HE ammo than the U.S. 60mm. I'll have to take advantage of the smoke rounds.

[Sergei]

2. Only 1 piat in a company? This was a shock to me. Even with the ability to fire from a building it kind of limits a company's ability to deal with armor up close.

Usually one per platoon, but it varies. PIAT was historically not quite as accurate as Bazooka or Panzerschreck, though.

although the PIAT was theoretically able to penetrate approximately 100 millimetres (4 in) of armour, field experience during the Allied invasion of Sicily, which was substantiated by trials conducted during 1944, confirmed otherwise. During these trials, a skilled user was unable to hit a target more than 60% of the time at 100 yards (90 m), and faulty fuses meant that only 75% of the bombs fired detonated on-target

[Dave85]

I have yet to play enough to really test the difference but three things stick out in my mind:

1. No MMGs in the company level will require me to change tactics. I'm used to dealing out high volume of rounds to put some suppression on enemy units. Brens have to fill this roll but have much more limited ammo.

2. Only 1 piat in a company? This was a shock to me. Even with the ability to fire from a building it kind of limits a company's ability to deal with armor up close.

3. Smaller 2" mortar with less HE ammo than the U.S. 60mm. I'll have to take advantage of the smoke rounds.

Yeah usually PIAT 1 per platoon

I find that the high number of bren guns in a UK rifle company is far more effective for suppression fire than the 9 BAR's and two 30 cals in a US company. There's usually plenty of spare ammo in the trucks and carriers and a mag change on a bren is so quick you barely notice it.

[Dave85]

I suppose someone hasn't been introduced to Vickers MMG yet...

If you'd like to test your theories in action, there's a fictional scenario Bleu-sur-Bleu in the repository that specifically pits the two armies against each other. It's a bit armour heavy but also includes armoured and airborne infantry formations for both.

Dont think I could bear to open up on my beloved brothers in arms (not unless you dress em in blue unifroms and my chaps in red)

[thejetset]

Dont think I could bear to open up on my beloved brothers in arms (not unless you dress em in blue unifroms and my chaps in red)

Me neither! .... Hey, you guys aren't sill sore about that whole Revolutionary War thing are you??!!!

[para]

Me neither! .... Hey, you guys aren't sill sore about that whole Revolutionary War thing are you??!!!

Nah, burning your capital to the ground sufficed

[Rocky Balboa]

Nah, burning your capital to the ground sufficed

Please come over and do that again, we would probably not bother rebuilding this time. Plus the weather is better now and all the excrement in the place would make a much bigger fire.

[para]

Please come over and do that again, we would probably not bother rebuilding this time. Plus the weather is better now and all the excrement in the place would make a much bigger fire.

Lots of excrement? would that be the politicians? I know what you mean.

I wish Cromwell's bloody useless son had had more balls.

[MikeyD]

In the basegame American airpower was intentionally deemphasised at the scenario stage due to inefficient US close air support at the time. But the Brits were considered better at it in this timeframe so there's more chance of having a circling Typhoon on-call.

[Pak40]

Usually one per platoon, but it varies. PIAT was historically not quite as accurate as Bazooka or Panzerschreck, though.

Just checked it again in a QB, only 1 Piat per company from an Infantry Bat. No extra rounds in the jeeps or anything.

[akd]

Just checked it again in a QB, only 1 Piat per company from an Infantry Bat. No extra rounds in the jeeps or anything.

PIAT is an option for one rifle section in each platoon, making a total of 3 per company. You set the option at the bottom of the purchase screen. Normally the coy has a truck with additional PIAT ammo, but only jeeps and kubelwagens are left in the TO&E for "infantry-only" QBs.

[Michael Emrys]

I wish Cromwell's bloody useless son had had more balls.

Yeah, letting Charles II back into the country was not the best possible move was it? He had kind of a thing for revenge, didn't he?

Michael

[para]

Yeah, letting Charles II back into the country was not the best possible move was it? He had kind of a thing for revenge, didn't he?

Michael

They asked him back, because Cromwell Junior was useless. I wish we had stayed a republic can't stand the monarchy and all that crap that goes with it.

[TrailApe]

1. No MMGs in the company level will require me to change tactics. I'm used to dealing out high volume of rounds to put some suppression on enemy units. Brens have to fill this roll but have much more limited ammo.

With reference to Medium Machine Guns – they were not organic to the Battalion or Company, however that doesn’t mean an attack has to go in without any MG support.

In the late 1930’s certain existing infantry battalions were converted into Machine gun battalions. The battalion associated with my neck of the woods – the Northumberland Fusiliers (previously the 5th Regiment of Foot - Bunker Hill etc ) became such a battalion – which is why you’ll not see them as rifle company in the 50 (Northumbrian) Division during WW2.

Bung into Wiki “List of Royal Northumberland Fusiliers battalions in World War II” and you’ll see how these units were attached to different divisions then sub-allocated to companies. For our purposes the 7th Battalion was assigned to the 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division and fought at Caen and Mount Pincon.

So just because you obtain an infantry battalion/company and there are no MMG’s doesn’t mean that you can’t have a couple of Vickers blatting out .303 at a considerable volume.