Help with Team Ostle

[rich4421972]

I a m little bit at a loss at how to solve this scenario in the original TacOps. This scenario comes with several tank platoons, a large platoon of HMMWV AT's and some mortar carriers. The opposition seems to me to be insurmountable unless the HMMWV's recess themselves into wooded areas and lay in wait for the columns of OPFOR. Ultimately, I did not manage my HMMWV's well, lost all of them and lost the game as well. What is a good strategy for this game? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Rich

[tar]

Three hints:

1) Unload the APCs (AAVPs) you'll need to deploy their contents dismounted.

2) Split up the HMMMV ATG units.

3) Make good use of your artillery.

I don't see any mortar carriers. Also don't forget to unload your air defense.

[ June 22, 2002, 01:36 AM: Message edited by: tar ]

[minmax]

Here is what I have tried with some degree of success.

1. Hit Opfor scouts as far east as you can so the columns don't have any intel.

2. Post scouts who do not fire on the leading edge of terrain to help position your Hummers to strike.

3. Dismounted elements should be set up to engage from the flanks and behind. Set their engagement range to 500 meters and have artie on hand to drop he and smoke when your ambush opens up. Tanks should also hide and do a lot of shoot and scoot.

NEVER EVER stick around for a second shot!

Hope that helps.

[rich4421972]

Thank you for your very good responses!

Has anybody else found the rows of foret to be helpful as a staging ground for laying wait against the onset of the OPFOR? (This hedgerow is just north of the main road and is just east of the original set-up area.

Also, Any of you guys who drive HMMWV's for a living:

Are they really that soft when put up against the direct-fire of a T80 or even shoulder-mounted LAAW (it's called different for OPFOR, but I am forgetting)? If so, you'd think that people would be less likely to want to drive one. Is there any extra armor on the AT HMMWV's at all?

Rich

This is by far the most enjoyable scenario I have played in a long time. I hope to win it one day.

[Coyote]

Originally posted by rich4421972:

Also, Any of you guys who drive HMMWV's for a living: Are they really that soft when put up against the direct-fire of a T80 or even shoulder-mounted LAAW (it's called different for OPFOR, but I am forgetting)? If so, you'd think that people would be less likely to want to drive one. Is there any extra armor on the AT HMMWV's at all?

HMMWV weapons platforms are just a composite shell bolted onto the standard chassis leaving space for a crew of 3-4 and the weapon system itself. The shell is basically the same material as a kevlar helmet and about as tough with windows of laminated tempered glass and polycarbonate plastic. The shell is designed to stop grenade and mortar fragments and slow small arms fire. The crew is supposed to be wearing body armor as well, and together with the shell this increases their chances of surviving the first minute of contact with enemy infantry.

None of this makes any HMMWV an armored fighting vehicle and it will only survive an encounter with one by shooting and killing it before the AFV sees the HMMWV.

Like the previous poster said, 1) Use your weapons at max standoff range, 2) Pop smoke and MOVE after every shot. In addition, I try to mass my fires against the attacker's lead units so that everyone close enough to engage me gets killed in the first volly. Then I can pop smoke and bug out before the next units can close and engage me.

[rich4421972]

Thank you. That "run and shoot" technique worked well for me. Also, planting some of the ATGM crews at various places around the map really helped to stem the onslaught. I still sufered high casualties because of bad timing at places. I would like to send you guys a screen shot as soon as I figure out how to do it. You would laugh at how disorganized I am, but this is my first "American" scenario.

Here are my results (I thought they were good for a first try):

red exit %: = 0

time left = 14 minutes

Blue

attrit points: 3642

Casualty percentage: 88

Force lethality beginning:1641

end: 182

Red

attrit points: 1459

Casualty percentage: 78

Force lethality beginning: 4628

end: 982

This really shows that it is a good thing that I am not in the Army! :eek:

I really appreciate you guys and you you helped me to finally "win" the scenario!

[ June 23, 2002, 12:45 AM: Message edited by: rich4421972 ]

[Redwolf]

More thoughts:

You have a reverse slope. You can use it for ambushes, and you can use

it to pick up infantry in vehicles moving just below the slope on low

ground (if someone observes the high ground).

Side shots. In one run of this scenario I had quite a good number of

cases of units coming under fire from the main road and from the

northeast high ground at the same time. Lost a few M1 from side hits

and foxholed ATGMs had no fun either, being shot at from multiple

directions. It also led to permanent artillery targetting. I think

it's better to let every unit face only one direction, no LOS to the

other and if needed change positions. The diagonal woods make for

good concealed movement.

Early shots are good. Set up ATGM HMMWV in pairs at the edge of

vivibility, 90m into woods, or on high ground directly at the edge, in

front of the slope. Set SOP to reverse and hence go out of LOS.

Don't underestimate the squads. They are the 13-men variant, and very

powerful against dismounts up to 1500m and AFVs up to 200m (woods). I

had two squads in woods (no foxholes) under pretty heavy tank and BMP

fire and they got reduced to 8 men. With 8 men that are pretty

dangerous.

[rich4421972]

It think that perhaps the victory conditions of this scenario (or of all scenarios) could be changed to include a clause about no more than XX % of casualties by the end of the game. I thought I saw such casualty percentage requirements in JANUS (U.S. Army program). Somebody once told me that anything more than 12% casualties was kind of bad for a TacOps scenario.

I really appreciate your response. I did split up my HMMWV's at the beginning of the match and placed them in forest as best I could. Also, since the set-up area (the gray bit) is away from that wonderful hedgerow and backwards slope with the trees (you call it 'diagonal trees'. It requires a short MTC to start out the game. I have tried this with HMMWV's before and gotten blown to bits. What is recommnended for this particular map?

I found ATGM's worked wonderfully in emplaced positions around the map --so I never moved them. I also got extremely high casualties, this way.

Also, about those 13-man squads: Are you saying that they were good for you or let you down?

Are those the US squads or the OPFOR squads that were dangerous? I guess I just didn't get the drift.

Thank you, as always,

Rich

[ June 24, 2002, 12:24 PM: Message edited by: rich4421972 ]

[Redwolf]

Originally posted by rich4421972:

Also, about those 13-man squads: Are you saying that they were good for you or let you down?

Are those the US squads or the OPFOR squads that were dangerous? I guess I just didn't get the drift.

Yeah, I meant the Blue side has them and they are pretty powerful in combat.

One of the possible Red approaches is along the south side of the map, coming out of the woods. If you spotted them going in there (reasonably easy to do when you have good observation), you can use drive two of these squads into the other wide of the woods and see what happens when Opfor drives by them. If they fight at your edge of the woods, you also get free ATGM and tank shots on enemy units currently detracted by your infantry.

I also had them eliminate dismounts from KOed vehicle from quite a distance. This is good, since you can use your lone artillery module elsewhere and still don't get the enemy dismounts to zero in their artillery.

Even if you screw up and get them in tank's ways at too big a distance they usually come out of it in useful strength.

I wouldn't mind getting two sniper teams in this scenario, as a real commander I would probably split the squads 11:2 each.

[rich4421972]

Sounds like you have mastered this scenario a time or two before.

I'll have to try it your way.