Who has killed anything with the flamethrower?

[Dienekes]

This game shows how hard it is to kill something with a flamethrower. I also find that getting kills with the AT infantry is totally dependent on being at the right place at the right time.

[ARCHANGEL]

I have tried like hell to get the flamethrower in position to kill ANYTHING...even grass, but so far I have never had one make it past the "T" road in VOT.

I did get one actually ON the road and within about 100 feet (+/-) a German position, but he was smoked (no pun intended) by the guys he was going after (understandably, they didn't want to become crispy critters)..The rifle squad supporting him got the Germans, but too late for MR. ZIPPO.

[Guest Ol' Blood & Guts]

I have managed to get one up on Hill 209, but had already driven off all Germans from that hill.

However, I did manage to try and walk one up to toast a MG42 post on the base of Hill 209, just right behind a house from Plomville. Oh, I tried suppressing the MG, but it did open fire on my poor Flamethrower unit and killed them both in a matter of two seconds.

[Maastrictian]

I toasted an wooden MG bunker by setting the building behind it on fire. I already posted about that one, but I'm really proud of myself <g>.

--Chris

[Black Sabot]

I've had it done to one my units.

I had the remnants of a squad pinned down inside Plomville when a Zippo came around the corner and let fly on the bldg! It was like spraying a Roach with Raid

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"I do like to see the arms and legs fly"

[This message has been edited by Black Sabot (edited 05-19-2000).]

[Lobo]

I advanced a few infantry teams up that small bowl shaped valley on the left (US left). My flamethrower was with them. While they suppressed 2 German squads in some woods, my flamethrower was able to get within range. Well, almost. I knew they were going to get shot so I had them flame the woods directly in front of the Germans. After the 3rd squirt, the woods caught fire. It was great, the Germans turn and ran !! No one dead, but it allowed me to advance.

[Demster]

The first time I played the mission I was able to get both flamethrower squads up the hill and take out the bunker on hill 209 and a MG42 on the other side of the bunker as well. It took a long time to make sure that the germans were sufficiently suppressed to do it, but the results were well worth the wait.

[This message has been edited by Demster (edited 05-19-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Demster (edited 05-19-2000).]

[ARCHANGEL]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lobo:

I advanced a few infantry teams up that small bowl shaped valley on the left (US left). My flamethrower was with them. While they suppressed 2 German squads in some woods, my flamethrower was able to get within range. Well, almost. I knew they were going to get shot so I had them flame the woods directly in front of the Germans. After the 3rd squirt, the woods caught fire. It was great, the Germans turn and ran !! No one dead, but it allowed me to advance.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lobo,

That is a good use of the asset. I will have to try that...thanks!

[Jarmo]

I torched a MG bunker.

AI had placed it near the edge.

I had cleared most of the bunkers and suppressed infantry with arty and shermans,

so it was simply a matter of first sneaking

forward and then approaching the bunker from the side. One poof and the survivors ran

I could easily have killed that bunker with a sherman

if I had wanted.

[jgdpzr]

I've never gotten a flamethrower anywhere near a target. Neither has the AI when I've played the Germans. I want to see some stuff burn!

One thing I would like to see, though, is a big explosion when they get taken out. Make it that much more rewarding to fry them before they fry you!

[HijackGMH]

I managed to get some men into Plomville, on the south side of the main road intersection. A German infantry unit and an MG42 squad were in the middle building on the north side of the main intersection, hosing my guys coming across that deep valley to the northwest of town. I had my flamethrower squirt across the street, into the building. All the Germans came hot-footing it out the north side of the structure, minus a few casualties. Mighty handy way to empty the house!

[Guest Babra]

I tried setting them to an area target before the battle was even joined. I just wanted to see it work, see how far it would squirt &c. Nothing. Damn things wouldn't fire.

[buddy]

Wanted to use the flamethrower guy so bad, I'm almost ashamed to say that I had him target a captured German dude in some light trees. Don't know what happened to the POW...

[Guest Big Time Software]

Yeah, the flamethrowers are largely redundant, and less effective, as the Shermans and artillery are better suited to this sort of thing. Now, picture the same scenario but without the Shermans! Bet you would find a way to use your flamethowers then

When I used a flamethrower two years ago the owner gave me a little history lesson about its development. He is a Veitnam vet and the one I used was of that vintage (his other one was 1943, but not working right). He said that in WW2 the US learned the hard way that flamethower teams didn't last long at all when the enemy wasn't already beaten down by other forces.

They quickly learned that the key was to knock the outlying defenses out of effective commission and then to send the flame thowers in only *AFTER* an entire platoon secured a safe route to the target. A runner from the platoon would then come back to the flamethrower team and guide them up to a "secured" spot and let them do their work.

CM simulates this very well IMHO. When you advance your flamethrowers with your intial wave, they don't tend to last very long. Yet, as I mentioned above, if you wait until the correct tactical moment you have often already done the needed work with artillery and tanks.

Steve

[Mikeydz]

I had managed to take the hill right in front of Plomville, and had a platoon of troops at the wall line. an 1919 was offering supporting fire. They were firing on 2 squads in the first 2 story building next to the wall. While the squads and MG had them pinned down, I moved up my flamethrower unit and had him torch the building. 1 squad suffered 3 casualties and ran out into the open toward the trees in the central area of town. They were promptly mowed down by fire from the 3 squads and the MG. The other squad to several casualties, ran out the back door, and into the next building. I moved my squads past the wall line into the trees, moved my flamer up along, and torched the 2nd house. The Germans tried to make it to the next building, but with pinned down in the "alley" and were mowed down again. It looked great...

[This message has been edited by Mikeydz (edited 05-19-2000).]

[Peterk]

Who has killed anything with the flamethrower??? The AI has!!!

I didn't take the flame too seriously as a target when I played through VT as the Germans - there always seemed to be something bigger and more juicy to shoot at. Next thing I know, the computer has 2 flamethrowers in downtown Plomville and they torched the whole place to smithereens in about a minute flat. Almost every building was burning - I lost a platoon and a MG and the smoke took away my Tiger's LOS to most of the interesting parts of the battlefield. Sheesh! Still gives me nightmares - I hate that hissing sound.

p.

[jdmorse]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Time Software:

that the key was to knock the outlying defenses out of effective commission and then to send the flame thowers in only *AFTER* an entire platoon secured a safe route to the target.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just last night I managed it (and I have the screen shots to prove it) but as Steve said it's a coordinated dance. The AI parked the concrete MG buker in the absolute center of Plomville. The usual carnage had ensued in town and in the surronding hills. The 105's and 81's flattned a good part of town w/ exploding pressure waves everywhere, but the bunker held out. I advanced rifle and engineering squads supported by a Sherman up the road, and actually advanced the tank on it's flank, with the rifle squad in place and the tank at least hitting it once (I admidt to telling the tank to bug out so the Flamethrower had a chance) and everyone firing, the flamethrower got into position and..... can you say "barbeque", boys and girls?

However, since the bunkers orientation was straight at the allied lines, by coming up the right hand side of the main road I was out of LOS for most of the approach. So AI may have made tactical orientation mistake.

[Dr. Zhivago]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>...and the smoke took away my Tiger's LOS to most of the interesting parts of the battlefield. Sheesh! Still gives me nightmares - I hate that hissing sound.

p.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

PANTHER, Peter. It's a PANTHER.

Yes, I'm a picky bastard.

[Peterk]

Thanks Dr. Z. I keep making that mistake!

[Lanzfeld]

I have not yet had any luck getting these zippos to the front for usage. I will try to employ Steves suggestion of holding them back and calling em up at the right time. I did, however, almost get to see the AI use one! I was playing as Germans and I gave the Allies +100% (man....if you loose that 75mm gun it is OVER!!!). Anyway...I was beaten back to the top of the main objective hill and all I had left was the reserve platoon of 44 pattern Jerries. I had em in the woods fighting to the last man. It was working fairly well as the Allies were comming up the hill and into the woods to assault me in waves (AI had used all the Arty). Anyway ..mixed in with two rifle squads and a zook was a flammer comming into the woods. I knew the battle was over for me anyway so I really wanted to see this thing fry me. Nope....cut down HARD. Whatever fight my boys had left in them they directed to the Zippo. I guess I would to.

[mike_in_texas]

Actually, in my second game, I actually came within one second of taking out the Panther with an ambushing flamethrower. At first, I thought my flamethrower got him, but after replaying the turn, I saw that one of my tanks hit the Panther just before my flame reached him. I like to think the crew (who were responsible for destroying four of my tanks) bailed out only to meet a wall of flame!

This game rocks!

Mike

[Cover]

I have seen Flamies put to good use in an email game. The americans advanced on thier right flank against foxhole positions on the extreme german left in the scattered trees by the wall. The americans supressed the gerries with 105 and small arms fire while the flamer and a rifle team advanced. The flamer set them running as the woods lit up and the rifle team and support finished them off. The german position was destroyed. Unforntately for our Flaming friend, it was just then that the german 150 opened up from the woods on the german left flank a bit farther back....

[Darwin]

Hey Cover, good to see you here

I have tried to use flamers in support of ground troops in ambush situations and it seems to help. Although the Flamethrowers themselves dont get many kills anyone being fired on by them immediatly gets stressed out allowing my rifle squads a much easier time eliminating them.

And if you're wondering about allied ambush opportunities in VoT we we're playing with Germans at 150% and just using the forested area at American right. Made for a brutal infantry contest. We stopped after 8 turns, Allied tactical victory with 287 german casualties to 124 american

[dalem]

I had one of my FTs creep up and flame the church in VoT.

Very satisfying - a lot of Germans ran out yelling then dropped and crawled away.

-dale

[Borgiax]

Well, i think i already told this, but i once managed to get my flamethrower to toast a concrete MG bunker (crew casualties), and then a few turns later a squad of germans who were climbing the hill. The woods continued to burn and the remaining Germans ran away screaming in pain.

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Obersturmfuhrer Borgiax