How to best deal with wheat fields?

[Bulletpoint]

After playing for some years, I now feel I have a pretty good understanding of the problems and opportunities of the various terrain types. However, I never really got my head around how to go about wheat fields.

I find it very difficult to predict their effect on LOS. If you crawl through them, you're well hidden, but they are usually too big to crawl across. If you run across them, you will take fire from defenders on the other side, but when you then drop down to return fire, you can't see a damn thing.

So, what it boils down to is: I see wheat as a very defensive terrain type, and I avoid it like the plague on the attack. But are there any tricks that I haven't thought of, to turn this terrain to my advantage as the attacker?

[DaddyO]

Great question. I played a scenario some months ago in which I decided, based on the game situation as it had played out so far, to break up two platoons into squads and advance through a long, long stretch of open wheat fields and tall grass fields, this in the face of a German heavy machine gun safely perched in the third story of a hard building with broad, dominating line of sight across the whole area. I had no other option.

So I scattered the squads across a broad front and used "bound and hide" techniques while having some light machine guns husband their ammunition to occasionally harass the third floor of the building. I took a some casualties, but by and large it worked better than I expected. The bulk of the platoons made it across. Still, I wouldn't have attempted it unless it seemed the only option. And I wouldn't have attempted it without the occasional harassing fire.

[A Canadian Cat]

That seems like a good strategy. I have to admit I have actually crawled across a few but it hardly constitutes an attack because it is so slow. I did it as aside move next to the main assault. It works but takes f o r   e v e r. 

[Paulus]

Yes, excellent concealment but no cover. I find smg's very usefull in them. For covering fire, i use a shortrange area target (max LOS 40-50 meters) in general enemy direction, but this burnes away ammo quickly (smg+mg)

[Bud Backer]

Great topic, I also struggle with wheat fields. Thus far I've either lost crazy amounts of men crossing them openly, or have utterly exhausted squads crawling through them. Neither produced any form of success on the battlefield. 

I think the replies to this thread really reinforce the need for cover fire in all circumstances, and this is just one where it has a big impact. 

[Warts 'n' all]

I try and mix things up a bit. Have one or two teams use short "Quick" moves and "Hide", whilst another "Hunt"s. Then repeat the process with the teams swapping roles. Hopefully the enemy MG will never actually be able to fire a really long burst at any of my troops, before I nail him, It doesn't always work, but it is about the best I've managed to come up with.

[slysniper]

I have used them successfully to close with the enemy as to a approach when no other option is available.

First, you need something else to give the cover fire or aided concealment like additional smoke.

Second break up your infantry into fire teams, spread them out and rush them in quick burst then drop and hide., Then crawl side ways from any expected area fire from the enemy you might receive, maybe one or two action squares.

The trick I find that works best is rush all units at the same time, the enemy will likely only fire on one or two units, then make sure to shift when hidden to prevent any area fire that the opponent might try to place on you.

Concealment is a powerful tool if used correctly in the game, area fire is hard to place on you in wheat fields, so learn to use that. Don't give the enemy a target.

So do not bother trying to fire from a wheat field, you are just exposing yourself, Keep hidden, and remember short bust when moving.

Only after crossing the field and closing in on the enemy will I pop them up and use them in the attack. And that means I am pretty sure that I will have such a fire power advantage that I can expose them to such a move.

So in other word, it is a way of approach, not a terrain to use to fight from.  Using my method, you can cross and use wheat fields without exhausting your troops. As for fighting from them, think of them as clear ground with no cover. Because showing your troops from them is placing them in that exact situation.

Hopes this helps

[Sublime]

If you have the Brits their little smoke mortars work great.

Defensively of course though O/T wheatfields are SUPERB for faust and hand held AT work for the Germans.. Some of my most memorable ever faust kills come from In the Shadow of the Hill scenarios where I hid AT teams in wheat fields and stalked tanks, but hid from infantry passing close by.

Running across them the advantage is if your men goto ground when shot at they become effectively invisible as well.  As posted above supporting overwatch fire from hills or bldgs is essential.  That and rushes in leaps and bounds.

[Bulletpoint]

In Normandy, what I often face is this situation: A wheat field with bocage on both ends. The wheat often prevents LOS from one bocage hedge to the other, so you can't set up a base of fire. When you enter the field, you enter the LOS of the enemy, and as you can only filter into the field from the little bocage gaps, that means you get shot to pieces before you can start to return fire.

I'm wondering if the best approach would be to SLOW troops some distance into the field, not enough to take forever and exhaust them, but enough so that they can then suddenly all "pop up" and start shooting, while more troops then rush into the field to conduct basic fire and maneuver. 

[womble]

In Normandy, what I often face is this situation: A wheat field with bocage on both ends. The wheat often prevents LOS from one bocage hedge to the other, so you can't set up a base of fire. When you enter the field, you enter the LOS of the enemy, and as you can only filter into the field from the little bocage gaps, that means you get shot to pieces before you can start to return fire.

I'm wondering if the best approach would be to SLOW troops some distance into the field, not enough to take forever and exhaust them, but enough so that they can then suddenly all "pop up" and start shooting, while more troops then rush into the field to conduct basic fire and maneuver. 

Offhand, I'm not sure popping up to shoot would be effective. You'd have to crawl right up close (5, 6 AS?) to the Bocage to be able to shoot at it, even from kneeling and if you're Slowing through the wheat, your men will be starting the turn prone, with no chance of either spotting any defenders or getting an Area Target line onto the hedgerow. Filtering your maneuver elements into the field on their bellies [edit: that's a potentially good idea,] so they don't get picked off as they pass through the gap, and can all pop up to move simultaneously, so that at least some elements don't get shot at and take suppression and casulaties. Generally, once the enemy start shooting at your moving elements, your firebase elements observing from behind the "friendly" hedgerow will be able to engage them and hopefully suppress the defenders before they do too much damage to your maneuver elements.

The stone beyotch fields are the ones with some sort of declivity to them which means that there's no way at all infantry in one hedgerow can fire on infantry in the other hedgerow. If it's open, you just gotta have enough weight of lead on your side to plaster the hedge as soon as your weapons will bear. If it's both a crest and a wheatfield, best avoid it like the plague.

Edited September 28, 2015 by womble

[Bulletpoint]

 

The stone beyotch fields are the ones with some sort of declivity to them which means that there's no way at all infantry in one hedgerow can fire on infantry in the other hedgerow. If it's open, you just gotta have enough weight of lead on your side to plaster the hedge as soon as your weapons will bear. If it's both a crest and a wheatfield, best avoid it like the plague.

Sometimes, it's even worse: There's a declitiy, as you say, but it's so slight that it's not visible by inspection. The wheat field just north of the ambush houses in Eroudeville is an example of this. There's no LOS to the other side even though it appears there should be.

[Vanir Ausf B]

Indirect fire via prep barrage or TRPs. Absent that, I agree with womble that you should bypass if possible.