American squads vs Ostwind

[Enfield]

Hi folks, probably a stupid question to start with, but just how much of a chance would US paratroop squads without bazooka support have, taking on an Ostwind? I've had the game(s) for ages, but little time to play, and am still learning my way through the units. The paras tended to rout and get wiped out, no matter what I tried. I _had_ bazooka teams, but they were the unfortunates who found the Ostwind in the first place...

Comments appreciated!

[Kingfish]

Depends on many things. What are the terrain and weather conditions? Dawn / day / night? Is the Ostwind alone, or does it have infantry support? How many Para squads do you have? Are they armed with any rifle grenades or gammon bombs? What are their experience levels? Is taking it out worth the loss of several units?

[YankeeDog]

Depends on the specifics.

Generally speaking the Ostwind's high ROF gun eats infantry for lunch. Attempting to cross any significant stretch of open ground under its sights is suicide.

However, the Ostwind does have an open turret, and so if you can get close enough it is more vulnerable to close assault than a fully armored tank. Its turret armor is also relatively thin, which can make it more vulnerable to rifle grenades (see below).

Also, it depends on what AT special weapons your Paras are carrying. Gammon bombs, if you have them, are very effective against almost any armor, but you have to be very close to use them -- within 30m or so.

Rifle grenades can work against thinner armor plates; against an Ostwind you stand a decent chance with rifle grenades if you can get shots at the flanks/rear, or, as mentioned if you happen to hit the turret. Rifle grenades also give you a bit more range to work with than just plain grenades or gammon bombs -- in my experience, they're usually used out to 50m or so, and occasionally as far as 60m.

So, if you're in heavy terrain and can get squads within 40m of the Ostwind without being seen, your paras have a decent chance, especially if they have any gammon bombs and/or you can close assault the AFV from two or more angles. If you can't get them close without being seen first, though, forget it. As you've already experienced, that 37mm autocannon will cut your men down pretty quickly.

Oh, one other thought: If you happen to have any on-map mortars or even an arty FO available, the Ostwind is also vulnerable to mortar fire due to its open turret, *especially* if you can hit it while it's in/near scattered trees, which sometimes catch shells and cause treebursts.

Cheers,

YD

[Enfield]

Will need to check the squads (its on my laptop), but three crack squads at night, in terrain which is mainly open ground and hedges. I would have been much happier just to avoid the thing, but unfortunately the crew spotted my bazooka teams, and things got ugly! The Ostwind _did_ have squad support, but I nailed them - two squads, one in a foxhole, the other with an LMG. The scenario is one of the basic ones supplied with the game itself, I forget the name, but basically US paratroops moving in on a Belgian village to remove a German bridgehead.

Think I'll restart this one with a view to flanking the vehicle. Thanks for giving me things to think about!

[JasonC]

At night the paras will kill it easily if they are stationary in cover and it moves past their positions, within about 30m (gammon bombs). If on the other hand they leave cover to move in the open to chase it, it will probably torch them. They can defend against it by using stealth and their inherent infantry AT. They can't chase after it and expect to bag it.