Engineers got Creamed...badly

[timmyc69]

I recently came here to the forum to search for the subject "Blast Command" and found a number of posts. Sorry to say I tried the suggestions and got creamed.

The question posed by others, not me, I just found the post, was "How to avoid blowing a hole through bocage and NOT HAVE THE MEN FOLLOW THROUGH THE HOLE."

There were a couple of suggestions...one was to be sure to direct the "blast" OVER the hedgerow to the square beyond the bocage square. And the other was to try to move ALONG (parallel) to the hedge BUT fire the Blast perpendicular to to it alone the path. I tried to do the latter...i.e. I gave my engineers a move order along the hedge but when I tried to add a "blast" command, the colored blast line aligned itself to the same direction that my lads were walking along side the hedge....well that didn't look right to me so I cancelled those orders....

And I tried the other method of just blasting across one square beyond the hedge square. I should have tested the technique in a practice game...but I was confident that I understood the tip. Bad move....first neither myself nor my opponent even SAW THE BLAST in the replay, but I also noticed in the aftermath that my engineers used FOUR of the 8 satchel charges that they had been carrying, and a squad of engineers and Engineer HQ unit next to them all ran through the hole and all but two men got shot, like in a slaughter by mg fire on the other side. It HAD been my plan to just blow the hole and then split squads alternating cover fire and assaulting hopefully getting to the trenches that I failed to subdue with mortar fire. Now there is no hope of winning this PBEM game...I not only have a pinned engineer squad (what's left of it) in the open, but what's left of the HQ squad..total disaster. They will all be dead in the incoming turn, out of mortar shells, and have nothing to blow holes with anymore...no smoke, and have to try assaulting through a couple of the narrow mouse holes in just two places...across the open.

NOW I would like to take a lesson from this disaster but HOW? I tried both the tactics suggested and neither worked. Granted I may have not carried them out the right way....SO....

Who knows how to blow a hole and NOT run through it?:confused:

Thanks.

[Sgt Schultz]

They are going through, even if just for a moment. Sometimes a diagonal Blast will do the trick, but not always.

Try to treat any blasting op as a multi-team endeavor.

1.Send any team that retains a "pop smoke" to the upwind side of the area to be blasted.

2. Position the blast team to the downwind side.

3. Position the assault team directly behind the blast area.

4. Pop smoke. Yes, smoke will go over the wall even if it is a tall one, and into a house no matter what.

5. Blast

6. Assault

--

If you want to use blast, you have train yourself to be a pioneer/engineer. It it what it is. They had to have special training and you do to.

You should test the times required to achieve a blast in a small test scenario from the editor. Test both in and out of C2, and Reg, Vet and Green.

Use the Pause command to get the assault team to start their sprint to the other side of the obstruction as soon as possible AFTER the blast. If they start moving BEFORE the blast happens, they will be sprinting off to God Knows Where to try to circumnavigate the obstacle.

Give the blasting team a FAST order to the rear immediately after the blast command. This will minimize exposure.

[Hilts]

To blow a hole in bocage without having the breach team move through simply involves placing the blast command parallel to the bocage (at the same side as the breach team) and not perpendicular to it.

[Sgt Schultz]

I so rarely encounter bocage, that I wasn't sure about that one. Thanks for that Hilts.

[A Canadian Cat]

To blow a hole in bocage without having the breach team move through simply involves placing the blast command parallel to the bocage (at the same side as the breach team) and not perpendicular to it.

I think what the OP was missing is that the blast command *is* a type of move order. Get them to move along what you want to destroy, just like you want would be issue any other move order.

[womble]

Blasting parallel can produce some odd results, with the gap not appearing where you expect, or, if there's any possibility of confusion, something you didn't want blowing up getting Blasted.

Better is to approach perpendicular to the wall, to a Blast waypoint immediately adjacent, but on the near side of the wall. Best into a "half-square". This way, the Engineers will run up to the gap, but not proceed past the line of the wall, and a Fast retrograde movement leg back behind the obstacle will keep them out of harm's way as far as possible.

[Grimbot]

It's not a solution but you could split the squad of engineers into two teams which at least reduces the risk of losing the whole lot.

[stikkypixie]

Who knows how to blow a hole and NOT run through it?:confused:

Thanks.

It's quite simple actually. You place the blast command perpendicular to the bocage/wall. But instead of placing the blast command on the other side of the wall, you place it just in front of the wall.

Here is an example of doing that in CMSF:

[Rake]

... And the other was to try to move ALONG (parallel) to the hedge BUT fire the Blast perpendicular to to it alone the path. I tried to do the latter...i.e. I gave my engineers a move order along the hedge but when I tried to add a "blast" command, the colored blast line aligned itself to the same direction that my lads were walking along side the hedge....well that didn't look right to me so I cancelled those orders...

I nearly always give a blast command parallel with bocage. Not only does it prevent the blast team from moving through the bocage, but it almost always creates a tank-sized gap in the bocage. Occasionally, the gap will be smaller, and once or twice the pioneers didn't even set off the charge. Still, it's nice to have a vehicle-sized gap; you never know when they might come in handy.

[Holman]

Parallel blast order works pretty well once you get used to it. Give yourself a few saved turns to practice the technique, and soon it will be second nature.

The engineers still do a little sprint across (not through) the open gap when completing the blast move, but the gap is obscured by smoke and they are not seen. I've never lost engineers at this stage the way I used to lose them when they bolted through the newly blown hole.

[timmyc69]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! TO YOU ALL...In the words of Pvt. Gomer Pyle. I am sorry that I didn't respond sooner. I forgot to "subscribe" to the post so I would get notified of responses. This is a very "rich" and sensible answers and suggestions and I very much appreciate it. I am going to take all the advice and in particular setting up a practice game and both trying all the possible maneuvers and practicing it.

As stated, my first experience was likely a disaster of proportions unusual for even others who have been caught going through the hole...why? because not only did the get half shot up in the turn of the blast (by going through the hole) but on the followup turn by my opponent, he had so much firepower...both mortar fire and machine gun fire trained on the area of the opening, that what was left of both the engineers with the charges and the Engineer HQ unit also exposed after the blast were also annihilated...I mean that there was NOTHING left but the juice.

Once again, you guys have come through. I don't think I will make that mistake again.