This is your captain speaking

[Hensworth]

In large operations I often end up with a few platoon HQ's with nothing to command on the one hand, and some leaderless squads on the other.

How nice it would be if these units could be brought together to form new platoons.

It's stupid having to group all your orphaned units around a company or battalion HQ while 2 or 3 platoon HQ's are sitting around admiring the scenery.

And while I'm on about HQ's : company HQ's should restore morale to platoon HQ's.

Imagine a platoon getting caught in an artillery barrage. They all panic, including the HQ, and head for the rear. The squads may come under command of a company HQ and recover fast, but the platoon HQ is left panicking and unable to resume command.

[Vanir Ausf B]

If you are our captain, why is your name Sgt Kelly

Seriously, I think these are very good suggestions, especially the option to assign units to a HQ.

[dNorwood]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Vanir Ausf B:

Seriously, I think these are very good suggestions, especially the option to assign units to a HQ.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

On the surface, it seems reasonable - i.e., a squad remnant that stumbles upon a lonely First Sgt. WILL obey his orders (probably) but will they do it with all the conviction and esprit de corps as the guy they trained and lived with? Minutes after seeing the guy they trained and lived with get shot?

In other words, there's no problem with the system as is in having a leaderless squad "hang around" with any HQ you want. But you really want the concrete benefits that come from experience gained as team. I'm not sure that's so easy to come by.

[Michael Emrys]

I think it needs to be kept in mind the short duration of the average CM battle when advocating this kind of reorganisation. It might make a little more sense in terms of a campaign, but it was very unlikely in a 20-30 minute scenario.

Michael

[russellmz]

that always annoyed me: green recuits from platoon 1 are running scared and the badass mofo 7-ft tall crack L.T. from platoon 2 comes in, pops a cigar in his mouth, and screams "come on men, ya wanna live forever?!?!"

but since he has no command over platoon 1 the green recuits are not at all inspired...

[Slapdragon]

I think the real issue is that it takes a higher element command post and some time to reform a group of broken men and send them back into harms way in less than 30 minutes. Think of it, you just lost 50%, yoiur HQ was slaughtered, and the mission has gone to hell. Your team starts to retreat to the rear and here is this 2nd class gadget who in less than a minute established bonifiedsm forms a new plan, and starts executing it. Sounds workable in an elite unit, but I can see needing the authority of a company commander to reform without question and walk back into mayhem.

Now if the game was a couple of hours, or in special situations, it could be different. For example an extremely experience sergeant who us willing to cap off one of the running soldiers may stop a stampede quick no mattrer what unit his is from.

[Vanir Ausf B]

Actually, the main reason I would like to see this has nothing to do with rallying broken units.

If you have an HQ unit spotting for on board mortars that do not have LOS themselves (the prefered way to do it) you have to be very carefull not to get any other HQ units close to the mortars or they will switch to his command, rendering them unable to fire at the target unless the second HQ also happens to have LOS.

[The_Capt]

Gentlemen,

As a good officer I must agree with a fine Snr NCO.

Troops (quality depending) are trained to respond to rank...all rank, not just the ones in their chain. I've seen re-grouping done in a trench dog-fight. If two remnant sections (or as Yanks call em squads) happen onto a Platoon Sgt or Platoon Commander from the same Bn they will: 1) Recognize him and 2) Do what he says as long as it isn't suicidal. They can be coordinated in short order (a few minutes) and will perform much better than when left alone.

Platoons know each other and even if all else fails, when the sh@t hits the fan they will be drawn to someone who is suppose to be in charge. Hell the Chaplin could get a grip on guys who are rattled without a mission.

I'll take it one step further. Sections which are at 50% strength or less should be able to be rolled into another section. A section commander will grab these guys anyway if they are leaderless and wandering.

Command and Leadership are much more complex and robust than what is portrayed in the game.

[CMplayer]

Also, several people have said that the

short time frame of CM would make this

unrealistic. But CM already compresses

time very intensely. That's why someone

astutely pointed out that _given CM's

compression of battle time_ the time

needed to unhitch guns is too long.

I think the same could be said in favor

of reorganizing troops under new platoon

HQ's.

--Rett

[Silvio Manuel]

Just to toss an idea out there....

maybe for these leaderless squads, another Platoon HQ could take them into C & C, but NOT grant them any Combat/Morale/etc bonuses.

This would simulate them taking commands, but not being the well polished machine that a squad might be when working with the HQ they've trained and served with over time.

any thoughts?

[SenorBeef]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Silvio Manuel:

Just to toss an idea out there....

maybe for these leaderless squads, another Platoon HQ could take them into C & C, but NOT grant them any Combat/Morale/etc bonuses.

This would simulate them taking commands, but not being the well polished machine that a squad might be when working with the HQ they've trained and served with over time.

any thoughts?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good call on that one.

Also, the way split squads rejoin now - end the turn in the same positions - perhaps that can also be applied to 2 squads from the same platoon that are at half strength or less.

[Mannheim Tanker]

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

Gentlemen,

As a good officer I must agree with a fine Snr NCO.

Troops (quality depending) are trained to respond to rank...all rank, not just the ones in their chain. I've seen re-grouping done in a trench dog-fight. If two remnant sections (or as Yanks call em squads) happen onto a Platoon Sgt or Platoon Commander from the same Bn they will: 1) Recognize him and 2) Do what he says as long as it isn't suicidal. They can be coordinated in short order (a few minutes) and will perform much better than when left alone.

Platoons know each other and even if all else fails, when the sh@t hits the fan they will be drawn to someone who is suppose to be in charge. Hell the Chaplin could get a grip on guys who are rattled without a mission.

I'll take it one step further. Sections which are at 50% strength or less should be able to be rolled into another section. A section commander will grab these guys anyway if they are leaderless and wandering.

Command and Leadership are much more complex and robust than what is portrayed in the game.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

True enough, but as one of the former followers (as opposed to a leader such as yourself) I can tell you that a good leader gets better results from earned respect rather than from the insignia pinned to his collar. This is especially true for the junior officers. The guys in the foxhole will likely follow the orders of some new, gung-ho LT that swaggers in to save the day, but they will be cautious about the trust they place in him until he has proven himself to be more than just another member of the brass with an attitude.

[The_Capt]

No argument there but in the scope of CM a quick and hasty command arrangement can be done. Which though not perfect is better than isolated squads moving around without direction. This cna happen at the platoon level and not just coy and Bn.

[Mannheim Tanker]

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

No argument there but in the scope of CM a quick and hasty command arrangement can be done. Which though not perfect is better than isolated squads moving around without direction. This cna happen at the platoon level and not just coy and Bn.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree with that...there should still be a reduction in unit cohesion once the command arrangement has been restructured.

[lcm1947]

As a former enlisted man in the army and veteran of Viet Nam I have to agree with both The_Capt and Mannheim. Mannheim because yes it does take time to form a well oiled sqaud but like The_Capt said we are trained to respond to any officer or NCO for that matter althought not quite as much to the NCO without thought. It is drilled into you from day one and even after these many, many years since I was in the army I would still to this day respond to orders in a combat situation. So my thought is yes CM could or should be adjusted to show this. Just my 2 cents. Hell, I don't even like officers. No offense The_Capt.