How do you use indirect fire with long delays?

[womble]

You can also target places that are "just" outside of your observer's "official" LOS. Just beyond a hedgerow, or just inside a forest.

The prohibition on "on the fly" targeting outside of these limits has been discussed to death before. I'm sure a search will find it for you.

[CM1fan]

You can delay 5/10/15 minutes when giving the firing order - just as with every other fire order. If you want to delay longer you will need TRPs.

Use TRPs.

I'd be glad to use TRPs. Unfortunately Hill Shadow 5am is a scenario, and its designer provided no TRPs to the Brit player. (To be precise, I didn't see any Brit TRPs. Perhaps they existed, and I could have placed them anywhere on the map during the set up phase. I don't recall the designer's player notes mentioning TRPs.)

How do you "delay 5/10/15 minutes when giving the firing order?" I've seen no such option, either during the set up phase or later in the scenario. Given that I can't target (except during set up) locations not visible to the spotter at the time of targeting, I don't see any advantage in increasing the delay to impact even more than the 16 minutes I already have to contend with.

[winkelried]

I'd be glad to use TRPs. Unfortunately Hill Shadow 5am is a scenario, and its designer provided no TRPs to the Brit player. (To be precise, I didn't see any Brit TRPs. Perhaps they existed, and I could have placed them anywhere on the map during the set up phase. I don't recall the designer's player notes mentioning TRPs.)

Played this scenario too. My approach was to hammer areas where I assumed the enemy to be sitting with the 25pdrs while approaching. In parallel I fired at positions a bit set back where I assumed the enemy could approach with reserves and/or have support weapons emplaced. Worked out pretty well. I held just a few mortar rounds to be used in emergency situations.

How do you "delay 5/10/15 minutes when giving the firing order?" I've seen no such option, either during the set up phase or later in the scenario.

When giving the fire order you are first presented with the target options (point/area/line), then the number of tubes you want to use, then the mission (heavy ... harass), then the duration of the fire (maximum ... short), then the effect (general, personnel) and then the delay (immediate, 5, 10, 15 minutes).

I use this e.g. when i first lay fire on a suspected enemy position and then i want to lay a smoke screen at last (e.g using 107mm mortars) on the enemy position to conceal my approach.

[YankeeDog]

How do you "delay 5/10/15 minutes when giving the firing order?" I've seen no such option, either during the set up phase or later in the scenario. Given that I can't target (except during set up) locations not visible to the spotter at the time of targeting, I don't see any advantage in increasing the delay to impact even more than the 16 minutes I already have to contend with.

Manual, p. 107. Option of setting delay is one of the last things to come up in the artillery plotting panel before you confirm the mission. Options presented are Immediate, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min.

Primarily useful for missions plotted during setup phase.

[CM1fan]

Manual, p. 107. Option of setting delay is one of the last things to come up in the artillery plotting panel before you confirm the mission. Options presented are Immediate, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min.

Primarily useful for missions plotted during setup phase.

I've obviously missed this, but I certainly agree its utility is pretty worthless after the setup phase.

[Erwin]

Not necessarily. If you are still advancing you can again order fire on a distant location in LOS and then move the FO and ADJUST to a new desired location in LOS. It seems faster to ADJUST than order all over again.

Also you can order fire on suspected enemy positions and if after 15 mins when your recon get there there are enemy units present, you can let loose immediately, or if no enemy, CANCEL or ADJUST.

[winkelried]

I've obviously missed this, but I certainly agree its utility is pretty worthless after the setup phase.

This statement really itched me. I did some tests and that's the outcome:

When I use delayed fire after the battle has begun, the fire will be accurate even if the FO who called the fire has NO LOS to the target area during spotting !!!!!!!!!!!!

So the question is: is this a bug or a feature??? and is it reproducible ??

[slysniper]

Last time I used TRPs, the first and third fire missions were way off target. I thought they were supposed to be certain-accurate too.

I cannot remembr the last time my arty has been off. Most of my arty errors happened in the first few months of playing. But Truthfully, I cannot recall a mission that has been off target in at least the last 15 games. So dont know what to tell you.

[slysniper]

This statement really itched me. I did some tests and that's the outcome:

When I use delayed fire after the battle has begun, the fire will be accurate even if the FO who called the fire has NO LOS to the target area during spotting !!!!!!!!!!!!

So the question is: is this a bug or a feature??? and is it reproducible ??

Now here is one that needs to be checked, if what you say is true, sure would help them strikes for arty when the F.O. is under possible enemy fire.

[Erwin]

I assumed that if you order a preplanned strike on turn 1, it wouldn't be necessary for the FO to have LOS to the target when bombardment strikes.

What I think I have seen however, is a preplanned strike that is ADJUSTED to a 2nd location that the FO has LOS to, but then he moves away and the strike occurs accurately OUT OF HIS LOS as if that too was a preplanned strike.

Hence my curiousity if the preplanned strike can be abused in this way.