It's a New Dawn - Need Help

[markshot]

I have played since 2000 CMBO/CMBB/CMAK.  However, I am learning this this new engine.

 

I am playing a the tiny scenario.  A meeting engagement between American and German platoons; each with an AFV and HMG.

 

Scenario = It's a New Dawn

 

First, I am very impressed with this new Engine as I have played this scenario numerous times and it does not play out the same.  It is not at all spoiled by having played it before.

 

This is what I have learned:  I am playing at WARRIOR.

 

* Recon with two man teams.  To find the enemy.

 

* It is not necessary to see the enemy.  A couple of sound contacts are all you need to know where he is headed.

 

* Recon with HUNT and lots of waypoints/pauses.

 

* Do not recon right on top of the Bocage wall as you are too visible.  Be 10-20M back.

 

* As soon as you know where the enemy is going break contact before your recon gets killed.

 

* Quickly (using QUICK) run your squads (rejoin recon) and lay in ambush along the bocage.

 

* Use the small holes in the bocage to take short cuts.

 

I am able to draw first blood and achieve a 20:1 kill ratio.

 

So, where am I having problems?

 

* Once everyone settles into defensive bocage positions, there is a lot of shooting, but little is achieved by either side.

 

* Fights at close range across the bocage are brutal as grenades cause rapid casualties.

 

* It is very hard to move or flank in this situation.  He who moves dies.

 

So, I draw first blood, but I don't see how to hunt down and finish off the enemy.  You are so incredibly vulnerable to ambushes and coming around corners.

 

Any tips how to manage such a game of hide, seek, and kill?  Thanks!

[Bulletpoint]

There's no easy solution to bocage fighting, but basically the first thing you should try is to flank the enemy. That's the optimal thing to do.

If you can't do that, then the next best thing is fire superiority, simply bringing more guns to bear on them than they can fire back. Then let them shoot it out for some time (no area fire! once the enemy ducks down behind the bocage, they become nearly invulnerable to small-arms). He'll take more casualties than you and eventually start to fall back from the hedge positions. Then you can advance. But remember that you set yourself up for a mortar strike when you concentrate your forces to achieve fire superiority.

If you can't get definite fire superiority, but still have a good number of guns on the line, then try area firing on the enemy for some time to suppress them, while you move up an assault squad to grenade them at close range. It's possible to do it without too heavy losses, but it's always risky. Expect losses. Once you get close, even suppressed enemy squads often fire back in last-ditch self defense, or manage to throw a grenade.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Bulletpoint

[markshot]

Well, I finally figured out the two key things I needed.

 

* Break into as many teams as possible.  It is not so much about becoming brittle as being able to shoot from anywhere.  He who shoots first, shoots best.

 

* Occupy the little worm holes in the Bocage.  When Bocage is like a maze, these are the doors.  Always greet people at the door with a gun.  Also, by holding the worm holes, if you find yourself on the wrong side of the Bocage because of a large patrol or tank, it easy to jump down the rabbit hole.

 

I think I have finally mastered this fighting in a maze.  I am very happy.  My last practice run I went from WARRIOR -> ELITE.  Actually, the difference seemed quite minimal.  Also, in some ways IRON is actually graphically clearer than Warrior.

[Bulletpoint]

Well, I finally figured out the two key things I needed.

 

* Break into as many teams as possible.  It is not so much about becoming brittle as being able to shoot from anywhere.  He who shoots first, shoots best.

 

* Occupy the little worm holes in the Bocage.  When Bocage is like a maze, these are the doors.  Always greet people at the door with a gun.  Also, by holding the worm holes, if you find yourself on the wrong side of the Bocage because of a large patrol or tank, it easy to jump down the rabbit hole.

 

I think I have finally mastered this fighting in a maze.  I am very happy.  My last practice run I went from WARRIOR -> ELITE.  Actually, the difference seemed quite minimal.  Also, in some ways IRON is actually graphically clearer than Warrior.

Congratulations. Also, the difficulty levels don't really affect the difficuly. They are more like optional realism levels.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Bulletpoint

[Bulletpoint]

Always greet people at the door with a gun. 

I believe this is what they call Southern hospitality?

[markshot]

Well, all that practice on that one scenario made a difference.  I got this on a first play through.  (My third game played with CMBN.)

[markshot]

Now, it is back to Russia playing GTOS where I am definitely going to lose to the USSR this operation!

[RockinHarry]

I remember I played that ("It´s a new dawn") once from recommeded German player vs. US AI perspective and got a Draw.

 

*SPOILER WARNING* !

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*

*

Infantry losses were about equal with the germans loosing the AC from the US light tank, while the light tank later got blasted with a Panzerfaust. The objective area remained contested since end of the game.

There was one US HMG overwatching the orchard area, that caused bits of trouble to my center skirmish line. I finally sneaked my reserve squad behind and wasted the HMG team with area fire hand grenading (<30m) around a bocage corner, without taking any losses in return. Some tactic I just learned about lately.

The one german HMG I had held back and positioned in the 2 story building (I couldn´t somwhow integrate this into my offensive plans, due to the very short LOS overall). This then successfully repelled the US AI flanking move attempt through that large field, which was rather weak.

Nice little cat and mouse game, despite the rather unrealistic ORBAT on both sides.

[markshot]

I think it is a great training scenario for players coming from CMBO/CMBB/CMAK in terms of Bocage fighting and breaking up into teams and the spotting model.

 

In fact, I consider the practice I got with it to be invaluable.