Forward Observer Party?

[weapon2010]

 I am the British and I had a forward observer party where the observer got killed from a distant mortar round(yes frustrating) or stray bullet, I'll never know,lol.Anyway now the entire unit can not call any arty, the radio is fine.Is this permanent?Why cant the other men in the party step in for the observer?No backup?

[womble]

It's a team with an (one, lone, single) observer. He has a radio man (not 100% necessary: if the radio is non-functional, there's an "assumed, abstracted" field telephone connection back to the battery) and a security element. The only chap with support call privileges is the observer. Every observer comes with their own radio man. It'd be a huge waste to have two observers in the same party having to share the same comms.

No, there's no backup except other observers.

It has been ever thus.

[Michael Emrys]

Lesson learned: try not to put your FOs where they can get shot. I know it can be hard to reconcile that with them doing their job, but the effort must be made. One thing that helps is to give them very short CAs so that they will not give away their positions by firing their weapons. Sneaking them into concealed locations from which they can observe is also advised. Giving them a Hide command when they are not actually observing helps too.

Michael

[John Kettler]

weapon2010,

Unfortunately, you are truly screwed. The reason no one else can take over is that your FOO is the only one trained and authorized to request fires. I completely concur with what Michael Emrys says about how to keep your FOO alive and functioning. Indeed, I read somewhere on the forums where one Member said it was his standard practice for all of his troops to always short segment SLOW (belly crawl) into position. This helps avoid being spotted and the unpleasantness which typically follows. Unless my men are on FAST to some location, I now invariably have my men go SLOW in the last part of their movement. I find this greatly reduces casualties, especially when advancing in the open. You should know, too, that the USMC does this as SOP. I have a neighbor who helped charge a MG position this way in Iraq. Up-Run-Down is the drill used. Must've been pretty spectacular to watch, seeing as how he's 6'10" tall! Nor is my approach just used for WW II CM. It is an absolute necessity in CMBS for ATGM, FO and sniper teams in particular. The reality, though, is that with things like AGLs, 25 and 30 mm autocannon and the dread airburst munitions, death is but an instant away--period--if you are detected and engaged.

womble,

I was unaware of the abstracted wire connection in the event of a radio/wireless failure. Thanks for that!

Regards,

John Kettler 

[[MyIS] Buffpuff]

On 4/16/2016 at 11:43 AM, weapon2010 said:

 I am the British and I had a forward observer party where the observer got killed from a distant mortar round(yes frustrating) or stray bullet, I'll never know,lol.Anyway now the entire unit can not call any arty, the radio is fine.Is this permanent?Why cant the other men in the party step in for the observer?No backup?

 

On 4/17/2016 at 11:09 PM, Michael Emrys said:

Lesson learned: try not to put your FOs where they can get shot. I know it can be hard to reconcile that with them doing their job, but the effort must be made. One thing that helps is to give them very short CAs so that they will not give away their positions by firing their weapons. Sneaking them into concealed locations from which they can observe is also advised. Giving them a Hide command when they are not actually observing helps too.

Michael

I feel your pain Weapon. I had done all the things that Michael had posted (keeping them way back behind the guns and bullets fighting, short covered arc to 5m) and was moving one up last night and got blown to bits by a stray artillery round. If I could have wept tears I would have at that moment but all I could think of was "How in the world of ALL the units on this map THAT guy gets a stray artillery round". Luckily for me all I had was 81mm mortars on call and a non-stressed (didn't have many of those left) was able to call in for the remainder of the mission.

[Michael Emrys]

1 hour ago, [MyIS] Buffpuff said:

...was moving one up last night and got blown to bits by a stray artillery round.

Awww, man, that is some really hard cheese. Battlefields are really dangerous places.

Michael

[[MyIS] Buffpuff]

14 hours ago, Michael Emrys said:

Awww, man, that is some really hard cheese. Battlefields are really dangerous places.

Michael

A couple of weeks ago that would have caused me to reload a game as that would have infuriated me and I would have started to kick and cry like a baby saying "That's not fair!!! Why Battlefront??? Why!!!"...Maybe that was too extreme. LOL!

[Michael Emrys]

One thing about CM, it offers the opportunity to learn something I picked up from the I Ching years ago: "Take not loss or gain to heart."

Michael