Call for fire without a radio?

[Bufo]

In CMRT apparently a platoon HQ can call for mortar fire without a radio. You can see on the picture that he doesn't have comms to the company HQ because of the lack of communication tools. How is this possible?

 

[chuckdyke]

12 minutes ago, Bufo said:

In CMRT apparently a platoon HQ can call for mortar fire without a radio. You can see on the picture that he doesn't have comms to the company HQ because of the lack of communication tools. How is this possible?

 

It is generic the Eastern Front had more field telephones operating or they work with flares. We see something similar with commonwealth AT units. Grenades and two SMLE rifles but are AT teams. Sure enough they knocked out halftracks at over 25 mtrs. 

[Bufo]

23 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

It is generic the Eastern Front had more field telephones operating or they work with flares.

Flares are out of the question: it was not a preplanned position and you cannot transfer coordinates or adjusments with flares.

Field phones would work in an abstract way, but in this case they would have comms with the company CO.

[chuckdyke]

1 minute ago, Bufo said:

Flares are out of the question: it was not a preplanned position and you cannot transfer coordinates or adjusments with flares.

Field phones would work in an abstract way, but in this case they would have comms with the company CO.

It was the explanation in from Barbarossa to Berlin if I remember correctly. For the sake of realism, you can agree on house rules. Only preplanned strikes permitted or strikes by Company HQ or higher. You could use flares to stop a preplanned strike to go ahead. Additional house rules are the way to go if you and your opponent agree.

[Freyberg]

50 minutes ago, Bufo said:

You can see on the picture that he doesn't have comms to the company HQ because of the lack of communication tools. How is this possible?

There's always runners and so on - a fire mission in these circumstances is going to take a while...

[chuckdyke]

12 minutes ago, Freyberg said:

There's always runners and so on - a fire mission in these circumstances is going to take a while...

I just checked in RT Engine3 (Waiting for Fire and Rubble). He is right without radio calling up for an on map 81 mm is 6 min. It could be done by a runner but in that case, you can't adjust fire. 

[Bufo]

27 minutes ago, Freyberg said:

There's always runners and so on - a fire mission in these circumstances is going to take a while...

In this case they have a rather fast runner since it only takes 1 min longer (takes 6 for them) to call than an FO with a radio (who can call it in 5)

[Freyberg]

8 minutes ago, Bufo said:

In this case they have a rather fast runner since it only takes 1 min longer (takes 6 for them) to call than an FO with a radio (who can call it in 5)

I'd be interested in how long the spotting phase takes.

 

[chuckdyke]

1 hour ago, Freyberg said:

I'd be interested in how long the spotting phase takes.

 

On Engine 4 in Battle for Normandy or Final Blitzkrieg units without a radio can't call in arty. But in RT they can. A few things you can do, make a little house rule. Assume field telephones Company HQ or higher let Armor with radio do FO work. IN RT infantry can ride on tanks and acquire RTO communication. Or you leave things as they are. 

[MOS:96B2P]

5 hours ago, Bufo said:

In CMRT apparently a platoon HQ can call for mortar fire without a radio. You can see on the picture that he doesn't have comms to the company HQ because of the lack of communication tools. How is this possible?   

This is often referred to as the field telephone abstraction. Assume a field telephone or something. Note that it's specifically the Leader individual who has artillery calling rights. This applies to any team with arty call privileges, whether HQ or FO.  As an example if a FO team losses its radio (generally when the RTO is KIA) but the actual FO is unharmed the team can still call for artillery.  However if the FO is KIA and the RTO and radio are unharmed the team is no longer able to call in artillery. 

This is the way it has always been in all titles and the above is generally the explanation that has always been given.  

  

[Freyberg]

8 hours ago, chuckdyke said:

On Engine 4 in Battle for Normandy or Final Blitzkrieg units without a radio can't call in arty.

In CMFI, which is still the title I'm playing all the time at the moment, HQ units without radios can call in artillery.

I never bother to use them though, so I can't tell you how long it will take. I have found spotting duration and strike accuracy vary significantly between FOs and other HQ units, although that is not fully reflected in the initial call time.

[chuckdyke]

2 hours ago, Freyberg said:

In CMFI, which is still the title I'm playing all the time at the moment, HQ units without radios can call in artillery.

I never bother to use them though, so I can't tell you how long it will take. I have found spotting duration and strike accuracy vary significantly between FOs and other HQ units, although that is not fully reflected in the initial call time.

I never check either. In RL artillery is either by grid, reference points or from the FO position. The situation with artillery is like so many other issues generic. In the game I suspect a runner would go to a unit with a radio, with the references. Something could have been arranged with flares prior operations It is a game play it as it comes.