Proper assault orders...

[Glyph]

Imagine the following... A fresh platoon has just finished deploying in the treeline on on side of an open area. The opposing treeline is known to be held by the enemy and you want your platoon to assault the enemy across the open area. So you pop some smoke to cover the advance...BUT how EXACTLY do you order your troops to assault?? Let me clarify; do you have them RUN all the way, right on top of the enemy? Do you have them run close to the treeline and then have them WALK the last few meters? How would YOU do it?

Let me hear your opinion on this...

[Shadow 1st Hussars]

I'd pop smoke right along the tree line, then attempt to sneak around them and attack them from the back

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If the words "f**k" and "frontal" were removed from the vocabulary, the Canadian Army would be left both speechless, and unable to attack...

-Michael Dorosh

shadow@jagdtiger.de

Canada For CM

I AM CANADIAN!

[Forever Babra]

Fire and maneuver. Split the squads. Leave the half squad with the BAR/Bren/MG42 in the treeline to provide a base of fire. If the enemy is sighted, target as many as you can. If the enemy is not sighted, lay down area fire on the target treeline.

Run the first group about 50m or so. When they stop, use them to lay down a base of fire on the target treeline. Run the rear group through the first leap-frog fashion and lay down another base of fire so the first group can rush the trees.

Casualties are going to depend on what the enemy can bring to bear on that open space, how many mines you just ran across, how much smoke you laid. If you move quickly and he has no TRPs you can get across before a rain of mortars drops on you.

If there is a high probability your opponent has large numbers of automatic weapons, you are better off engaging from a distance before trying to advance close to them.

[jasoncawley@ameritech.net]

The basic rule is "run in open, move in cover". But you have to be sensible. If the enemy is lining the actual treeline, then you need them suppressed and "cowering" (prone figures) to try it at all. Your men will not move *onto* "up" and firing enemies, and if they stop in open ground in front them them, "running" in place, they won't shoot back either. That way lies sorrow.

What you want to do is move to bits of cover between or next to or just ahead of, enemy forces, but not right on top of them. 10 meters away, preferably. You can move to move like right on top of enemies that are prone from being broken or pinned, but if you fire is cut off by a smoke volley, some of them migth recover in the meantime. So ~5-10 meters away is safer.

You aren't going to win a close-range firefight while you are in the open and he isn't. But if your closest guys are already into cover, next to the enemy, then some guys lagging back in the open can be OK. Because the defenders will be shooting at the closer guys, who are in cover. When the rear "line" is at a "move" pace, they will fire and get to the cover, both.

Remember that the whole idea is to have a firefight at close range, but with mostly even terms for each unit. Which means you have to be in the same cover he is, more or less. Unless he is "down" (pinned or broken), that is going to be necessary to win, even with odds. Broken defenders can be charged more "recklessly", with excellent results, obviously.

[aka_tom_w]

I know this may to too obvious to state, but since it seems to be over looked here...

Lets not ask if there is ANOTHER way to soften up that opposite treeline BEFORE the planned infantry assault.

If you can use smoke, can you not also use mortars and artillary if available to prepare (soften) the area suspected of harbouring the enemy?

Do you have any AFV's with some spare HE, handy to stand off and pound the treeline for a minute or two?

Can you use ANY from of diversionary tactic?

Can you have your HMG conduct recon by fire into thbe suspected area to see if anything moves as a result of the fire so you can focus on targeting at least one known enemy unit before you begin your assualt.

This may have been implied in the original post but I think, IMHO, that "fresh platoon which just finished deploying in the treeline on one side of an open area." SHOULD use a moving or running assault across an open area suspected to be covered by multiple intersecting arcs of fire of opfor units ONLY as a last resort.

The LAST thing I would ever do is risk the lives of that "fresh platoon" (safe and in cover) without exhausting all other options of laying some "hurt" on those opfor units suspected of hiding in that opposing treeline.

AND the idea of the smoke and getting around behind them in the woods is a keen an shrewd idea as well.

Virtually ANY plan of attack is better than running across an open area with fresh infantry without knowing what is waiting in that treeline over there.

Exercise extreme caution in these situations whenever possible.

Now, I understand all of that might just be "common sense" on the battle field but I wasn't making any assumptions.

Anyone else?

Comments?

-tom w

[Forever Babra]

You are correct, Tom, but I offered an answer to the question as asked. I wouldn't do it the way I described unless I had to, and I'd pour a stiff drink first.

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Mein Vater, mein Vater, und hörest du nicht,

Was Erlenkönig mir leise verspricht? -

Sei ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind;

In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind.

Stereotypes

The Un-Rant

[aka_tom_w]

Originally posted by Forever Babra:

You are correct, Tom, but I offered an answer to the question as asked. I wouldn't do it the way I described unless I had to, and I'd pour a stiff drink first.

Yes and you are totally correct

as a last resort if thats all you have left, your plan is a good one.

Except I wonder about the split squads and the morale hit they take. Again I would only want to split squads as a last resort,but technically your suggestion and advice sounds clearly appropriate to this situation.

-tom w

[This message has been edited by aka_tom_w (edited 02-27-2001).]

[Glyph]

Obviously I'm not good at expressing myself literally... Let me clarify even more...

<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>I assume that the enemy is pinned in some way, by artillery, MG fire or whatever.

<LI> My platoon outnumbers the visible enemy troops, by at least 2 to 1.

<LI>The purpose of the assault is to drive the enemy away from the woods.

<LI>I WANT my troops to get into close combat with the enemy.

In short, I believe the assault has a good chance of success. My question is this;

what combination of WALK, RUN, SNEAK(etc etc)commands would you give your troops?

[coralsaw]

Glyph,

There are as many techniques as players. Things will also depend on the actual terrain, assault preparation, length of open field etc. Here is what I do, FWIW.

- Make sure there is 3-1 odds for the attacker (platoon vs squad, company vs platoon)

- Prepare the assault with mortar and subsequently smoke. I prefer to use smoke to isolate the assault from the flanks, as smoke hinders direct suppression.

- Use 1 element as SBF (support by fire). I usually target the element manually (if more than 1 squads) to make sure all enemy squads are suppressed by at least 1 squad.

- Assault with 2 elements. This gives 2-1 odds, which are a safe minimum. I RUN these elements over the open, then stop them as soon as the forest is reached, to avoid unseen enemy elements. I also try to assault in as short a front as possible, in effect achieving even higher local odds sometimes. I keep leaders as far as possible without losing C&C of course and try not to stop the assault on top of the enemy, but rather 10 meters away. Sometimes I manually target to achieve concentration of fire.

I don't split squads, as on average I find the morale disadvantage outweighs firepower issues.

Hope it helps.

[This message has been edited by coralsaw (edited 02-27-2001).]