Use of Jeeps

[bowlie]

hi, i was wondering about the use of jeeps when attacking. Im playing a courage and fortitude mission (5 i think) and i have about 10 of the things, some with MG's, some with squads in. How do they work? as far as i can see they are just like mg teams but with no cover so they die super fast. can they be used as a fast reaction force to race to areas? do they need to dismount to use weapons effectively? can they be used in an attack to race up to a row of bocage when the enemy are supressed? so far i havnt found a good use, but i may be using them wrong. Any help would be great, thanks

[womble]

Jeeps and Kubels are pretty much dead meat if the enemy get their sights on them, and they seem to be really high up on the TacAI's target priority list (perhaps since they're a vehicle that is always unbuttoned).

They served me in the C&F series largely as ammo carriers, stripped of their ammo in setup and parked out of the way so they didn't add to the casualty total by accident. The only MG jeep I remember getting was in Bumper Cars and I used that as a scout, rolling it up behind Bocage to peek at what's on the other side. I think it got chopped up by an MG34.

They can be useful if you can keep them hidden. They can drag 57mm ATGs around, which is useful; they're lower profile than trucks. They can be used to quickly displace heavy weapons teams if you have covered ways. Most of the time, if you've got the opposition gun line suppressed, it'll take longer for jeeps to filter onto the field you've got to cross than it will to Fast the footsloggers across, and if the field is longer than that, suppression will probably slacken off at some point and you'll lose a vehicle and a team.

[phil stanbridge]

They do die quickly you're not wrong. Best used for recon. That 30 cal can come in very handy actually - I once managed to destroy an entire squad using one so they can be used effectively if you're careful. They are very fast and can get themselves out of trouble as quickly as they find it.

Remember if you park one behind some bocage, the hedgerows will actually provide the cover, and being extremely mobile can come in handy. You don't need to dismount to use the gun, the assistant will fire the gun automatically. Just make sure you've always got at least 2 guys in the jeep. One will drive and one will fire. If you have a small team in there too you can use these guys as dismountable recon teams and they will also fire at targets inside the jeep.

[George MC]

hi, i was wondering about the use of jeeps when attacking. Im playing a courage and fortitude mission (5 i think) and i have about 10 of the things, some with MG's, some with squads in. How do they work? as far as i can see they are just like mg teams but with no cover so they die super fast. can they be used as a fast reaction force to race to areas? do they need to dismount to use weapons effectively? can they be used in an attack to race up to a row of bocage when the enemy are supressed? so far i havnt found a good use, but i may be using them wrong. Any help would be great, thanks

Line em up and charge at the flag...err victory locations. Works everytime

Only joking - what t'others said

[Rocky Balboa]

Rat Patrol wasn't exactly a realistic depiction of the capabilities of this vehicle even though I never missed an episode as a kid.

Its a thin skinned vehicle and is pretty easy to put out of commission.

[bowlie]

Line em up and charge at the flag...err victory locations. Works everytime

Only joking - what t'others said

thats a shame, i like your tactic better I was hoping they could act as some sort of super fast task force, flanking the enemy and supressing them with the machine gun, but the maps dont lend themselves to this much, they are bullet magnets and have pretty crappy path finding. transports and dismounted it is. They could be useful in a mobile defence, setting up a fire zone, butchering everyone that comes through and then withdrawing before re-enforcements arrive, but again, alot of hasstle and too tricky to pull off, asspecially with turns.

[Georgie]

One of my MG jeeps took out a 20mm gunned halftrack. The jeep was scouting in the early morning and came upon the halftrack from the rear. The jeep was just sitting there like a good scout and doing nothing so I figured that it was lost anyway so I ordered it to fire on the halftrack and to my delight and surprise the halftrack crew bailed out. This was in Carbide Carbide or Huzzar I forget which.

[A Canadian Cat]

I use them either as scouts - a little a head of my M8s means the jeep takes fire first and the M8 an back them up.

And more commonly for moving heavy weapons teams as needed in safe areas.

[GhostRider3/3]

Rat Patrol wasn't exactly a realistic depiction of the capabilities of this vehicle even though I never missed an episode as a kid.

Its a thin skinned vehicle and is pretty easy to put out of commission.

Loved that show.. used to stay up super late just to watch it.

I believe in real life the LRR teams used Landrovers, covered with sandbags etc with twin vickers.. not that a sandbag is going to stop a 37mm or mg42round. Anyways super cool show.

[stoex]

You can get 'em to dance if you play it just right...in a recent game one of my Stugs came across a Jeep close to a treeline. As the Stug maneuvered to train its gun on the Jeep, they saw the AFV and hightailed it through the trees, getting out of sight just in time. However, when the Jeep popped out of the trees on the other side, it was spotted by one of my MG teams and peppered with rounds. So it backed up into the trees and out the other side again, in front of my Stug. This entire rigmarole repeated once more before the Stug nailed the Jeep on their third encounter. Really comical to watch the Jeep covering the same 20 yards back and forth twice in their panic

[Tashtego]

I use them to knockdown fences.

[General Lee Irked]

I use them to knockdown fences.

I bet you are the one responsible for all those bashed in mailboxes in Normandy as well.

[Pak40]

In a campaign they're best kept in safe areas for future use to replenish ammo. I also use them for quick movement of an important team usually about half way through a battle when supporting troops need to be moved up closer to the front or shifted to an emergency spot.

I never use them on the attack because they are just to brittle. And if any of you guys use them offensively or use them to flush out AT guns then you're gamey bastards.

[Vinnart]

I pair them up with mortars so they can use the radio, and move the team around. The ammo they carry should be kept safe for re-supply. After the ammo is gone sometimes I do quick parallel patrols in front of my line ending in safe areas. Flushes out all sorts of stuff. Sometimes the pawn dies, but lots of times it runs the gauntlet causing the enemy to waste AT rockets. If he dies it is much better him than a tank, just as it is better to not lose the queen in a game of chess. Another use is as a distraction to get an enemy tank to turn so you can hit it with something else from the side in other words “give him a rabbit to chase”. Think out of the box, and they can be useful.

[Tashtego]

And mailboxes.

[SnakeTheFox]

Has anyone used the armored jeep yet? The one with the armor over the front windshield and a .50 cal? Seems like it might be more useful as an AFV, especially at longer ranges and during keyholing situations.

Having a highly mobile anti-halftrack vehicle also seems like a definite asset in my book, any experiences with it? Is it more or less rifle-proof from the front, or is the armor shield only good for errant pistol caliber rounds and occasional shrapnel? That'd really be a deciding factor, what with the high proliferation of MG42's on the Axis side.

[xian]

One of my MG jeeps took out a 20mm gunned halftrack. The jeep was scouting in the early morning and came upon the halftrack from the rear. The jeep was just sitting there like a good scout and doing nothing so I figured that it was lost anyway so I ordered it to fire on the halftrack and to my delight and surprise the halftrack crew bailed out. This was in Carbide Carbide or Huzzar I forget which.

I got exactly the same result when playing Huzzar! My jeep managed to knock out a halftrack before it too met its maker (and I don't mean Chrysler).

[womble]

I use them to knockdown fences.

I have to admit to similar gameyness in the campaign I just finished, and probably future ones too. It does seem a bit off that I feel the need to use trucks and jeeps as bulldozers to make holes in bustable obstacles in dead ground for my tanks, but after losing tanks to track damage not repaired between scenarios getting exacerbated by fence-breaking, I would have been almost entirely confined to road use...

[phil stanbridge]

I pair them up with mortars so they can use the radio, and move the team around.

Now that's a really good idea. I presume you have to have the driver in the jeep in order to use the radio. So jeep in close proximity to the mortar squads which will enable HQ units to call in mortar rounds from a distance?

[Denis1973]

My two cents:

1. Use it as cheep mine-finders in areas that has suspected minefield in it. Because lost one jeep is better then lost tank.

2. For those who love risky games and play it against human oppo. Often human player hide most of his units at the beginning of battle to not gave up his positions. So, if you have enough jeeps (and, for better results, HTs&Carriers), you can load it with infantry and make a fast run to victory locations on any other important site on battlefield. In most cases there are no much enemy fire will opened on them. While enemy's defense plan will be totally ruined due to your raid:)

[slysniper]

I have to admit to similar gameyness in the campaign I just finished, and probably future ones too. It does seem a bit off that I feel the need to use trucks and jeeps as bulldozers to make holes in bustable obstacles in dead ground for my tanks, but after losing tanks to track damage not repaired between scenarios getting exacerbated by fence-breaking, I would have been almost entirely confined to road use...

I have found it smart to use my light assets for all the dirty work. Fences, wire fences, hedges, so forth. Like you said, I dont want to damage my tracks on armor. so send a halftrack, armor car or jeep to do the job if they can to knock down paths I want to take.

[womble]

2. For those who love risky games and play it against human oppo. Often human player hide most of his units at the beginning of battle to not gave up his positions. So, if you have enough jeeps (and, for better results, HTs&Carriers), you can load it with infantry and make a fast run to victory locations on any other important site on battlefield. In most cases there are no much enemy fire will opened on them. While enemy's defense plan will be totally ruined due to your raid:)

Yeah, that'll work against someone you would've beaten anyway. Any competent opponent will see such gamey jeep rushes off with cygnine aplomb, though.

[Vinnart]

Now that's a really good idea. I presume you have to have the driver in the jeep in order to use the radio. So jeep in close proximity to the mortar squads which will enable HQ units to call in mortar rounds from a distance?

Put jeep/halftrack with in 1 action square, and they simulate radio use. If I have 2 mtr teams and limited radios I put it in between them so both can use radio. 3 teams I use triangle formation with radio in center. This puts guns on the radio net, and yes they can be called in from far away. Use your vehicle radios wisley with units that do not have one, and you will have good C2 with all other radios.

[Vanir Ausf B]

Yeah, that'll work against someone you would've beaten anyway. Any competent opponent will see such gamey jeep rushes off with cygnine aplomb, though.

Not sure I would consider this gamey. Getting to an objective "first with the most" is a fundamental principle of war. This is a legitimate use of light vehicles, IMO.

[womble]

Not sure I would consider this gamey. Getting to an objective "first with the most" is a fundamental principle of war. This is a legitimate use of light vehicles, IMO.

Exploiting a player's misunderstanding of the (lack of) need to "Hide" pTruppen in most cases and the defecit in spotting ability associated with hiding troops, along with the 1 minute "reaction window" of WeGo would shove it into "gamey". A competent player will have troops in cover/concealment, not hidden. A competent deployment will make light vehicle advances over threatened ground very costly without compromising concealment if it's just one "suicide scout". Bullets and shells travel faster than vehicles.

Sure, if you're using light vehicles to cross dead ground, I'd not name that gamey.