Calling in arty with no radio?

[Lt Bull]

Hello

Can anyone explain why this HQ unit can call in arty given they have no radio and are not within range of anything that does?

Thanks

Bull

[womble]

I was going to say "Because that's the way the game works" (arty call privileges are separate from the presence of a radio; this simulates the use of other means like wire telephones to call in the fire), but I'm surprised it still works when the sole remaining pDogface is a "Gunner" rather than a "Leader". Usually, the privileges are associated with the leader. That's a pretty special HQ, I think. [Edit: confused as to which unit. The above stands, though]

[Oddball_E8]

Could it be that the arty was called in before the radioman died and the remaining soldier is just "going through the motions" with no actual way to influence the artillery drop (ie. he is spotting but cannot report back any changes that needs to be made)

[Lt Bull]

Could it be that the arty was called in before the radioman died and the remaining soldier is just "going through the motions" with no actual way to influence the artillery drop (ie. he is spotting but cannot report back any changes that needs to be made)

No. I had issues the arty request just before the screenshot.

=womble]I was going to say "Because that's the way the game works" (arty call privileges are separate from the presence of a radio; this simulates the use of other means like wire telephones to call in the fire), but I'm surprised it still works when the sole remaining pDogface is a "Gunner" rather than a "Leader". Usually, the privileges are associated with the leader. That's a pretty special HQ, I think. [Edit: confused as to which unit. The above stands, though]

??? Arty call privileges/ability has nothing to do with radios? Thats new to me. Is this in any of the manuals?" Totally confused with what is going here.

[Erwin]

IIRC radios are abstracted for FO's However, I always thought that only the FO (or HQ leader) spotter himself could call for arty. If he's gone, the rest of his team cannot. So, this event is weird.

[PhilM]

Does the half track in the foreground of the screenshot have a radio? If so, is the spotter close enough to it to be deemed to be using that?

[cool breeze]

looks to me like 5 or maybe 6 action squares which should be just barely within 50m? I guess the spotter is on the far edge of one and the half track on the near edge of one. Does seem strange that the gunner can call it. Maybe it has to do with the guys rank and he's a very high ranking gunner? Also as mentioned not all units need a radio to call in, like Italian infantry battalions.

[akd]

I was going to say "Because that's the way the game works" (arty call privileges are separate from the presence of a radio; this simulates the use of other means like wire telephones to call in the fire), but I'm surprised it still works when the sole remaining pDogface is a "Gunner" rather than a "Leader". Usually, the privileges are associated with the leader. That's a pretty special HQ, I think. [Edit: confused as to which unit. The above stands, though]

The fact that the "gunner" has the rank of 2nd Lt. suggests that he is in fact a qualified HQ leader. The "gunner" status must have something to do with what he was last doing when mounted in a vehicle.

[Lt Bull]

looks to me like 5 or maybe 6 action squares which should be just barely within 50m? I guess the spotter is on the far edge of one and the half track on the near edge of one. Does seem strange that the gunner can call it. Maybe it has to do with the guys rank and he's a very high ranking gunner? Also as mentioned not all units need a radio to call in, like Italian infantry battalions.

It won't let me take a screenshot with the range pointer but the range to the HT is 72m with no LOS. Regardless I moved the HT further away and the unit can still call in arty.

Whats all this talk 'radios being abstracted for FOs' and radios begin separate from arty? Is this documented? Certainly news to me. So radios are really only to determine CnC?

BTW, that unit is not the only unit in this scenario that has no radio, is a lone single isolated soldier from a HQ and can call in arty.

[Wicky]

Maybe the solitary HQ leader/gunner spotter is also acting simultaneously as a runner....

Can you bail the crew from the radio equipped half-track to see if that has an effect.

[Lt Bull]

Maybe the solitary HQ leader/gunner spotter is also acting simultaneously as a runner....

Can you bail the crew from the radio equipped half-track to see if that has an effect.

Now we are getting desperate trying to explain what is going on.

I bailed out every vehicle within 200m of the unit and made all other HQ units run away from that unit.

The sole "gunner" HQ unit with no radio still has some telepathic ability to call in arty, and the 155mm stuff at that which I would have expected to be only available to the FO and higher HQ units.

FYI, I have always found the whole "arty comms network" in CM very flakey. Most confounding is trying to understand why some onboard mortar units have trouble being "available" assets despite being deployed and within range of their HQ/radio et.

Anyway, here is the file to see for yourself.

[womble]

It's not "documented", but it is widely observed and confirmed by BFC on here that arty call has nothing to do with the presence or otherwise of radios. If a unit has the privileges to call arty, that's usually tied to the pTruppe which begins the scenario designated "Leader" of the team which has those privileges being still a combat-capable individual. If the team also includes an "Executive Officer", that pTruppe can take over the arty call privileges if the "Leader" is killed (in the same way that they can take over C2 duties).

Your situation is significantly odd because the AT Pltn HQ shouldn't have any individuals designated "Gunner", AFAIK, because the Pltn HQ doesn't usually have an ATG. So that's odd before you even consider the hows and whys of arty call privileges. What formation is the AT Pltn HQ drawn from (or what element is it, and which scenario, if it's not a formation you picked for a QB)?

[cool breeze]

It won't let me take a screenshot with the range pointer but the range to the HT is 72m with no LOS. Regardless I moved the HT further away and the unit can still call in arty.

Whats all this talk 'radios being abstracted for FOs' and radios begin separate from arty? Is this documented? Certainly news to me. So radios are really only to determine CnC?

BTW, that unit is not the only unit in this scenario that has no radio, is a lone single isolated soldier from a HQ and can call in arty.

I should have been more clear, I wasn't meaning a real 50 meter distance, I meant like a video game math 50 meters. 50 meters is about 6 about squares. 50/6 is 8.3. So I guess that means you've got to be within 6 action squares, with diagonal squares costing no extra. Its a lot simpler to use a squares than a circle.

[womble]

I should have been more clear, I wasn't meaning a real 50 meter distance, I meant like a video game math 50 meters. 50 meters is about 6 about squares. 50/6 is 8.3. So I guess that means you've got to be within 6 action squares, with diagonal squares costing no extra. Its a lot simpler to use a squares than a circle.

I don't believe such things are calculated based on squares. Ammo sharing, for instance is based on absolute distance in metre (you can notice it's available at 3 AS away, if the receiving team and donating team each have a trooper close to the proximal edges of their respective AS) . Sometimes, the "range" of things like C2, ammo sharing, radio sharing is short enough that the diagonal square isn't excluded, and one of a team in that square will be within range, meaning the whole team is.