Forward Operators

[SpitfireXI]

I am currently playing the British Campaign and just began a mission with a two man Forward Operator unit that cannot call in any artillery or Air support. I thought that as long as your team had 2 guys they should be able to call stuff in. Any reason why I am seeing this?

[Dave85]

There has to be an officer and a radioman in the team as far as I know

[Crushingleeek]

what does it say when you click on the arty icon?

"Out of Contact"?

[sburke]

Do you actually have artillery yet? Many scenarios add your artillery at say 10-15 minutes into the battle so while you have an FO you may not have a battery ready for them to contact.

[Brindlewolf]

Check your team also and make sure you still have the observer.The amount of times i've spent waiting on an FO coming forward then couldn't call arty cos someones sniped him

[Crushingleeek]

1) Can you click on the arty icon? If not, arty is not (yet) available.

2) If so, what does the icon over individual arty teams say? "Denied," "Busy" "Not positioned" "out of contact"?

This will help us figure out why

[GhostRider3/3]

Yeah I also learned how important FO were when calling in Arty.

Most unit HQ can call in any Arty when available, however only FO can call in the BIG stuff.. as I learned with the Germans.

I had 4 Mortar batteries, 1 150mm Battery and a 150mm Nebelwerfer Battery...and only the FO could call in the Rocket Battery.. all other HQ units it said DENIED.

so be careful with your FO's. Not sure how it is for the American and Brits calling in Offshore batteries with normal HQ units.. maybe no issue.

Maybe it was just the scenerio I was playing "Loyalty is my Honor" but only the FO had comm's with the Rocket Battery... all other HQ units were denied.

[Bradley Dick]

so be careful with your FO's. Not sure how it is for the American and Brits calling in Offshore batteries with normal HQ units.. maybe no issue.

I think most of the larger guns and air support are realistically modeled to require forward observers due to them being tasked out for divisional levels or higher. You wouldn't want a butter bar calling in naval guns because he thinks he heard a gunshot.

[womble]

...Not sure how it is for the American and Brits calling in Offshore batteries with normal HQ units...

In the QB force selection screens, it says which batteries "require FO" for each side, and both have assets that do.

[Nigel Ewels]

FO's also won't work once the radioman and observer are taken out, so make sure they hunker down safe and sound and don't get into a fire fight. Got caught out in a CW scenario where I had my FO in what I thought was a nice safe place, concealed, away from the action but with good line of sight. The first fighting that occurred was a German patrol stumbling across them and wiping them out. C'est la guerre.