What Types of Artillery Do You Prefer To Bring to a QB?

[SpeakEasy]

I am posting this thread to figure out what artillery assets most people bring to a QB battlefield.

I find myself trying to figure out specifically what I should bring to a QB every time I am in the unit purchase screen. If I'm the Americans I'll typically bring medium mortars (2 tubes) and a battery of 105's. If I'm the Germans I'll take the heavy mortars and probably some medium mortars.

I seemingly have stuck to these four artillery assets since beginning to play this game and was wondering if people out there fall into the same category as me, or if they utilize different artillery assets (maybe they take air support or use US 150mm howitzers) and have found them to be more effective than the standard combo of 81mm mortars and 105mm howitzers.

Also, what do people playing the Britts use? I understand that 88's are the bread and butter.

[A Canadian Cat]

I pretty much do the same. 81mm mortar and possibly 105 or 25pdr all around (depending on the size of the QB). The big guns are nice but they are expensive and harder to handle. I have used air support several times and it can be fun. You have to watch how you handle air support because if your guys get to close they can end up being the target.

[Oddball_E8]

Yup, same here.

Usually medium mortars and 105s/heavy mortars.

Maby I'll buy rockets or air-support if I have points over and then I'll use those at the start to avoid the long call-in time.

[womble]

Totally depends what the QB is. ME, heavy arty is less useful as the battle will likely be more fluid and targets won't remain in place long enough to call on. An attack-defend situation, heavy artillery is more useful on the attack, depending on quite what you're attacking. If the sole VL is a town, putting some 150mm-plus hurt on it (I like to use long duration harrassing missions) as early as possible for as long as possible will make taking it so much easier (so long as you can get to it before the defender can reinforce it once the bombardment ends) for example.

As the defender, you want rapid-response light stuff to strip his tanks of their infantry.

[A Canadian Cat]

Totally depends what the QB is. ME, heavy arty is less useful as the battle will likely be more fluid and targets won't remain in place long enough to call on. An attack-defend situation, heavy artillery is more useful on the attack, depending on quite what you're attacking. If the sole VL is a town, putting some 150mm-plus hurt on it

That is a really good point. I have, until recently, only played ME QBs but yeah things are a bit different when you play attack defend.

One of my favourite things to use artillery for is to deny ground or approaches to the enemy. In an ME I might use my artillery to stop my opponent from driving to the objective and insert my own rapid deploy force behind the arty screen.

[MarkEzra]

For most PBEM's I agree to limit arty to the organic unit size we are playing. Usually nothing larger then 81mm

[Michael Emrys]

I'm pretty much like most of the above responders, except maybe I use more of it. I will take the battalion's medium mortars (off map) and a full battalion of 105s (I assume that this is a critical part of the regiment's action for the day). I may also take a battery of 155s if it looks like they may be needed, or even a battery of something heavier (like 8" howitzers) if there is a tough target I know I want to demolish (like a large stone building). I have on occasion taken several batteries of rockets if I know there are going to be a lot of heavily armed infantry who will have to be overcome and I think I have a pretty good idea where they will be. Saturating the area with first turn HE can perform miracles of attrition when you need it.

Michael

[Ultradave]

I have a spot for 105s but it's more because it's what I used to do than any tactical reason :-) And it was long enough ago that we did all the calculations with "charts and dart" - no GPS and computers, so I feel like I know exactly what's going on behind the scenes.

Of course, same goes with 81mm mortars because early on I was an FO, but my branch was FA.

[MikeyD]

If its just me versus the AI (nobody to complain) occasionally I want to see what the game is capable of. Call them 'demonstration' battles. Xylophone artillery rockets (and lots of them) are an especial hoot.

[Apocal]

Depends on my force composition and the terrain. For infantry-heavy QBs usually I skip out on mortars except for two or three 60mm tubes for fast response and go with a battery or two of 105s. On occasion I'll take 155s. If I'm tank-heavy, then I'll have some 81mms to save on points, since I still want fast response, they work reasonably well against ATGs and I don't need the destructive effects of 105s when I have a bunch of tank guns in my force.

[Michael Emrys]

Xylophone artillery rockets (and lots of them) are an especial hoot.

Agreed. There is something really satisfying about watching explosions suddenly erupt all over the enemy's part of the map and knowing that they are having their fillings properly rattled. Then there is a full battalion of 105s firing airburst when you are certain that the enemy is underneath.

Michael